Creating Resilient Communities

Romania holds a unique ecological and cultural position in Europe, combining rich biodiversity, living smallholder traditions, and a growing movement of people returning to the land. However, despite this potential, practitioners, projects, and associations often work in isolation, limited by geographic distance and relational fragmentation.

This presentation introduces Dragon Dreaming Romania, a two-year social permaculture design (2025–2027) created to cultivate trust, deep cooperation, and a shared regenerative vision across the country. Using Dragon Dreaming as both the framework and the subject, the project guides a core group through a four-phase process—moving from initial 1-on-1 conversations and online circles into public workshops and residential dreaming gatherings.

What will be covered:
-The Context & Rationale: The strengths, fragmentation, and systemic challenges within the Romanian permaculture landscape.
-The Design Arc: How the process moves intentionally through Dreaming, Planning, Doing, and Celebrating to build group culture before jumping to technical project management.
-Current Progress & Practical Tools: Insights from the initial online pre-phase, the Transylvania Permaculture Campfire workshop, and the application of tools like Pinakarri (collective centering), the Talking Piece, and Karabirrdt (spider-web task mapping).
-Social Permaculture Learnings: Holding an edge position as a convener, designing for self-regulation, and planning for facilitator succession.