Be involved with creating non-profit community and meditation retreat center in Côte d'Azur, France

  • Favourited 1216 times
  • Last activity: 21 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 3 weeks

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Details

  • Description

    Description

    [Last Update:
    - We will be welcoming new volunteers from Oct 30th to Dec 15th 2023, and then from Jan 8th 2024 (2 months per quarter, see availability schedule).
    - Following recent feedback the groceries shopping process set by volunteers last year has been improved to adapt international context.

    In the pre-alps of French Riviera/Côte d'Azur, on a large 80 ha property made of mountains, forests, fields and streams, nested in a lovely valley, we are creating a sustainable international community to support the creation and development of a NPO and its home, dedicated to harmony between personal development and sustainability.
    Hosting events for personal growth, team building, parenting and relationships, as well as yoga, meditation and wellness in general.

    [The profile is pretty comprehensive - please read before asking questions and engaging into the program ;-)]

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Art Projects
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    This is an international center receiving volunteers and guests from far-West to far-East. There will be lots to share and many languages to learn and practice (we are fluent English, French speakers). But remember, like in life, you only get what you ask / give intention for / give love in.

    You will learn, share experiences and help in refurbishing apartment/house/building, insulation, layout, plastering, plumbing, wiring, tiling, but also outdoor/forest/wood works, gardening...

    You will learn to live together in a community (with the goods and efforts on self it needs); help with consciousness and efficiency, focusing on goals while staying safe.

    You may also participate in the sustainable projects. The longer you stay, the more you will learn, achieve, get "responsabilities", learning to lead new volunteers.

    And above all, learn and grow from each others experiences and knwoledges.

  • Help

    Help

    You will take part to the foundations of a community and a Non Profit Organisation focused on harmony between sustainability and personal development by helping and being trained by your very skilled hosts to :

    1) DIY: help fully refurbish 2x 15m² caves into a fully renovated bedrooms with shower room/WC, general site maintenance and development (supervised plumbing/wiring/building/wood/iron works). Loads of opportunities to learn and practice in DIY.

    2) Woodworks: contribute to the sustainable forest management and wood production plan, that will provide the boards and beams needed to build 10x wooden cabins and constructions (including barn, 200m² dome, fire pit cover), furnitures, signs.., as well as the logs and woodship for heating.
    Trees are selected as part of a state-certified forest management plan and we make good and local use of every single bit of each tree - zero waste, no useless transport.

    3) Farming: help in planning and testing a 5 ha permaculture project by gathering the necessary knowledge from literature, Internet and partners, and combine with information collected from the land (species, seasons, weather, different earth qualities...). Student or experience in permaculture preferred. Help with the vegetable garden.

    4) Electrical independence: participate in challenging project to create first community-reproductible solar-generated gravity-stored electrical plant.

    5) Water management: help design and implement/upgrade waste management system, finding and applying sustainable ways to recycle grey water.

    6) Metallic construction: help in design, source parts and make a tree trunks transportation self-breaking trailer adapted to the property (small and steep paths).

    Volunteers prefered schedule is 6 hours / day, 4 days a week, and enjoy free time the rest of the time. Hours are generally 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00 - 1 hour/week is kept to complete work or achieve a small extra task here and there.
    On demand, can eventually adapt to 3 days x 8h/day (8-12:00 and 13:30-17:00), and of course the usual 5 days x 5h/day schedules.
    Times might be adapted to day light and temperatures.

    The schedule is generally: guided tasks Monday to Wednesday, and autonomous works on Thursday. Might adapt to each others agendas. Manager(s) are away a couple of days per week for others professional activities.

    Please come with relatively protective working shoes and clothes, as well as rain clothes (not a lot of rain here but good to have when it happens).

    Safety: volunteers always get to choose to work on a task they feel comfortable and secure with. They are never asked to participate in risky works. They always help the process only. Larger jobs are handled by paid professionals. Security is always our main concern, and we emphasis on this using NLP teaching technics to increase awareness/consciousness on checking on themselves, others and devices.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    French: Fluent

    This host offers a language exchange
    We are French natives receiving volunteers from all around the world, literally. As such: - The community language is generally English. - Language of work is generally English too when working in international groups. - Happy to speak and teach French during social times, and during work times when the level of French of the workgroup is good enough for safety and efficiency, or when working 1-to-1 with us. - you will have the opportunity to learn and speak many others languages with the others volunteers, from latine languages to north europe, asian and middle-east languages. Personally happy to practice my Spanish and Italian (limited to social free times - can't work in these languages).

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    ACCOMODATION

    In warm season (mid-April to mid-October), you will enjoy the pleasures of the glamping site with its 20m² canvas lodge tents hosting 2 pax each, large comfortable 100x200 natural latex beds, convenient bathroom trailers - see photos - with in-tents electricity, lighting and WiFi. You will also share outdoor covered living areas.

    In cold season (mid-November to mid-April), you will share in-house fully-renovated 2x bunk beds bedroom with its own en-suite shower room and toilet (separated from each others). The room has a lovely view to nature, with terrace. Nice and warm feeling thanks to underfloor heating. You will also share community living room with fire place.

    MEALS

    Are included. Cooking is shared and organized depending on the number of volunteers, generally taking turn following vegan/vegetarian and volunteers/hosts' own local/international receipes.
    Meals will be prepared by the volunteers community in a large fully-equipped community kitchen, and taken in outdoor covered dining area or picnic table under the shades, or inside the community room with fire place in cold season.
    Groceries are delivered weekly with fresh seasonal local vegetarian and as much as possible organic products. Focus is made on raw products to promote fresh cooking and sharing of recipes among the international community.
    Out of fire-risk season we will also enjoy singing-along, music and grill by the super-large fire pit.


    ACTIVITIES 🌈

    Kundalini Yoga courses will be provided at least once a week on demand. Shared daily meditation course/session is offered on demand too.
    You can also benefit from the outdoor spring water swimming pool, and outdoor activities on demand (on-site: badmington, volleyball, trampoline, hammocks, slackline, hiking; off-site: mountain biking, climbing, canoe, via-ferrata and beyond all what the French Riviera offers...).
    It's very easy and safe to hitchhike to/from the train station to get to/from the coast/Nice.
    On demand, you can benefit from cognitive and comportemental therapist and life/carrier coaching advises to solve addictions, behavioral and health situations, enhance relationships, carrier and life.
    Again, all this is on demand, growing and having fun is your decision 😉.


    COMMUNITY VALUES & BOUNDARIES

    It is unfortunately NOT possible to host your pets (live animals, free-range farm animals, others volunteers and clients allergies, cleanliness...).

    We work efficiently and play hard to achieve actual sustainable goals while having fun. We expect volunteers to be dedicated with professional-like proactive attitude during work times, being on time, taking reasonable pauses on their own as needed.

    The place hosts a retreat center for people development and health that regularly receive guests/clients to sustain the project, mostly in warm season.
    No smoking, consumption of alcool (weekly social consumption tolerated) or drug is allowed on site, and a calm and respectful behavior is requested.

    As such, site maintenance is handled on a "I use > I clean +1" basis so we can all live together in a clean, harmonious, healthy place with awareness.
    Cleaning and tidyng is required after each use of kitchen, bathroom, furniture, outdoor equipement, tools... Expectation is the whole site being clean, feeling cozy (and nice looking) and efficient (site is super large, finding a lost tool or cloth is a headache).
    +1 is being aware nobody is perfect, so we also tidy/clean/pick up this little thing/stain/waste unadvertently left by another person or nature. Once a week, a deep cleaning/tidy/reset is performed in shared kitchen, rooms, spaces.

    COMMUNITY SIZE
    We generally welcome from 2 to 10 volunteers depending on seasons and help needed, and from 10 to 50 guests. Joining the community is always volunteers decision, sometime last minute. Same for guests. As such, we cannot guarantee or sometime even tell you how many people will be finally on site at specific dates. Better to be heart open to opportunities and adaptation (so useful/peaceful in uncertain times) than building and be hooked to expectations 🍀

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    TRANSPORTATION

    If you arrive by train in Nice Ville SNCF, it's easier to take the train to Puget-Theniers from this other train station, 15 min walk or tram away: cpzou.fr/nos-gares/gare-de-nice/

    Last train to Puget-Theniers departs from Nice at 18:09 on weekdays 17:10 on Saturdays.
    If your train arrives to Nice, let's say 30 min beforehand for safety, then that's enough to take the train to Puget-Theniers.

    If you arrive by plane at Nice airport, best to take bus 675 towards Guillaumes from Nice Grand Arénas stop (10 min walk or 2 min free Tram from airport) to Puget-Theniers stop.

    We will pick you up in Puget-Theniers when we are on site, generally Saturdays to Wednesdays, Mondays are prefered - good to request our schedule (please avoid Sundays our rest day as much as possible).
    Alternatively, easy and safe to hitchhike the last 8kms (only 1 possible route and countryside people are very helpful and used to it here) from Puget-Theniers' bridge to Col St Raphaël in La Penne.
    Volunteers hitchhike on a daily basis to visit the coast towns and surroundings.


    ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE CENTER

    Lots to do around from almost every kind of outdoor sports (hikes and bikes, paragliding, climbing - including on the property - canyoning, via ferrata, acrobranching, kayaking...) to local countryside village sightseeing, and of course all French Riviera famous towns like Cannes, Nice, Monaco, St Paul de Vence, Grasse...
    Train station Puget-Theniers to Nice is 8 kms away. We can bring/take you there few times a week, and hitchhiking is easy in this countryside villages area. A vehicle is a plus for your autonomy - possible to rent in Carros agencies.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    Despite being remote, the property has 4x Internet connexions multiplexed to get a decent 200/60 Mbps bandwidth allowing remote workers (like us) a good experience.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    Yes we have plenty of space to accomodate any size of van.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Schedule most asked by volunteers is: 6 hours a day, 4 days a week, so you get 3 days off in a row. Work hours are generally 9:00-12:00 14:00-17:00 (may vary depending on the season when too hot or colder). Schedules also available on demand: 5 hours a da

Host ref number: 419746822583

Feedback (12)



Feedback

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile: (4.4)

Cultural exchange: (4.1)

Communication: (4.8)