Christelle Fournier

About me

I was born/grew up in:  Montpellier, France.

I now live in:  Val David, Québec.

I completed my education/training at: 

• I studied herbalism in France. I have a certificate in audiovisual technology, obtained in France;
• I have a bachelor’s degree in international studies (specialty in agricultural economics), obtained in Montreal.
• I have training in permaculture, obtained in Spain; and,

A graduate certification in environmental education, obtained in Montreal;

What I do at work

I offer consulting services to organizations, municipalities, indigenous communities, to support them in their eco-citizen projects related to food security. I draw inspiration from the philosophy and techniques of permaculture. Permaculture is a sustainable approach to using land, no matter what the size.

To be more specific, I create plans to support my clients in the development of agricultural projects. I also pass on my knowledge through permaculture training. During training, I actively involve each participant to promote exchange and collaboration. My goal is to help the groups I support to become fully independent.

That's not all! I also create educational programs in permaculture with partners. These programs serve as a training resource for the educators of the organizations I support. To achieve all this, I work on a daily basis with many other professionals. This includes trainers, sociologists, permaculturists, specialists in collective intelligence, graphic designers and videographers. We make every decision together and respect each other's rights and duties. This mode of operation allows us to have few or no conflicts. As a result, we each work independently and achieve our goals quicker. In general, we speak Spanish in our daily professional exchanges, and sometimes the Atikamekw language.

My career path is

I started out wanting to work in the audiovisual field.  I wanted to use cameras to record sounds and images. So I had a 13-year career as a cameraman and video editor. I traveled a lot thanks to this job. I loved it!

I gradually reduced my working hours in audiovisual. At the same time, I co-founded a market garden farm in France. This is how I got my first professional experience in this field. I moved to Quebec and I worked for several years in urban agriculture. Today, I am passing my know-how on to others. I also support several students as an internship supervisor. How exciting!

My doubts were my failures. But I've always been able to get back up. I think it is very important to seek help when we no longer know where we stand. It's easier than you think and it really changes everything. It is thanks to the support of many outside people that I have the career I have today!

I am motivated by

Motivation                    

I was lucky enough to be able to create my own career. I didn't expect it, but I have enough contracts to keep me working full time. What fascinates me is being able to support groups of people who wish to implement the socio-ecological transition. In this way, my job has a positive impact and contributes to a better world.

I am also in the process of editing a book on permaculture entitled “Notre ville permaculturelle” (in french).  It is co-written by 11 expert practitioners of permaculture. It also highlights women who are sometimes marginalized. Being my own boss allows me to implement the projects that matter to me. I'm having a lot of fun!

How I affect peoples’ lives

My company is called Fertiles (in french). Our mission is to support the creation of sustainable projects. We want to encourage society to adopt an ecological and sustainable way of living. For this purpose, we offer groups of people support in developing their knowledge and know-how. Our goal is to give them the skills so they can do it on their own. I’m happy that I can choose to only work on projects that I believe in. In fact, I have heard from some women that my work and my profession has inspired them. This is a great feeling!

Outside of work I

I like spending time with my friends and playing music. I enjoy learning by reading books and watching documentaries. I have also been a big solo traveler. I have always been curious and this allowed me to explore many horizons.

My advice to others

Go and meet people who work in the profession you are interested in. Spend time with them if you can.