Join my non-profit tribe-like community with conscious projects in Ontinyent, Spain

Infos

• 

  Description

  ===== Current volunteering options =====
  == Volunteering round #4 ==
  From April 26th until May 7th
  Retreat-related work and attendance to the retreat (yay!) More on the retreat below
  
  == Volunteering round #5 ==
  Starting May 8th
  Creative advancement of active projects. More on that below.
  ===============
  
  Hi! My name is Kelsang (33, he/his). After many years nomading around the world (and being a workawayer myself many times), I decided to come back to my beautiful hometown to bring back all the lessons learned. Here I reconnected with two friends from childhood and we discovered we shared interests, goals, worldview and more, and we decided to move into action. We started doing non-profit work to bring conscious and healing activities to town, and that led to the establishment of a non-profit and you are very much invited to come and join us.
  
  On top of that, two other friends and I started a second project which aims at being a hub for international artists and mindful co-living.
  
  And on top of that, I volunteer with other local ngos and organizations, like the local Buddhist Center.
  
  These three open fronts are the main components (but not the only) of what I call the tribe. The idea is to promote a network of like-minded, mindful people than can operate as an organism, as a community, as a tribe, despite distance or diversity of ideas, and for it to be as beneficial as possible for the town of Ontinyent and the world.
  
  About me, I can say the following: Therapist (life coach, holistic therapist), shamanic practitioner, Buddhist practitioner and meditator, researcher and writer. In the projects I participate, I do tasks like organizer of events, taking care of numbers and calendars, and also ideas, inspiration and revolutionary fuel (and taking care of workawayers, of course). Now I have a day job in an NGO about human rights and SDGs, which is a rare thing, as I had managed to stay away from formal jobs until two months ago.

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Bénévolat

  Projets artistiques

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Bricolage et construction

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet
• 

  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

  ×

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
• 

  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  The best benefit you'll get from staying with me is that you will be involved in the group of people who I described as trying to build a "tribe", which stands for a network of like-minded people who, on the basis of friendship and shared concerns about the world, try to organize non-profit activities for ourselves and for the broader community. So you'll meet new friends, join fun plans, play music, go to nature, go rock-climbing, go swimming, etc.
  
  Also, the activities we organize might be a good benefit for you if you are interested in them (which I hope you are). We organize ecstatic dances, meditation sessions, yoga classes, trips to nature, and so on. The Buddhist Center in town is also particularly active and their activities are very attractive. For example, on April 27-28th they offer the teachings of a Buddhist scholar from Tibet who is amazing (in Spanish) and on May 15th they offer a conference by Sangye Khadro, a Buddhist nun. Most activities will be in Spanish. As I said before, the better your Spanish, the more you can get from all of this, but it is not a requirement.
  
  On top of that, Ontinyent is a very active town with bars, restaurants, tons of young people, and surrounded by amazing nature (Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit, but only a bit). You'll have plenty of time to explore on your own and to partake in the activities that I do with my friends around town. If you are into rock-climbing, Ontinyent is a paradise, and we could go two or three times a week. If you have never done it but want to learn, we'll teach you happily.
  
  And finally, my friends keep on saying that I am very wise and goodhearted, so you might also make an enriching connection for your trip if we happen to be a spiritual match.
  
  = Literary Workshop =
  == Volunteering + creative writing ==
  It is my dream to host volunteers who are also into creative writing so we can support each other in our artistic pursue. As a novelist myself, I find collaborative literary workshops (writing groups) to be a fundamental tool for the job. I plan to organize a full-on residency this autumn at the 2nd project, but it'd be great to start connecting with fellow writers and to experiment with combining volunteering with creative writing. If you write fiction, non-fiction, poetry, whether if it is in English, Spanish, or any other language that we can somehow follow, you are welcome to come join and help with the experiment while you propel your own writing.

• 

  Aide

  First, let me say this is not the place where you will be doing the same task 20 hours a week. I still have no idea of the tasks that I'll have to do to move forward with all these projects, so I cannot be super specific with the tasks you will end up doing. That being said, I'll try to paint a picture in the following lines.
  
  == Volunteering round #4 ==
  From April 26th until May 7th
  If you come in these dates, we will be focusing on organizing a grass-root, non-profit Yoga retreat, and you will be helping with it and invited to attend most of it. The retreat will happen in Spanish.
  - The main work is twofold: (1) venue preparation and cleaning before and after the retreat, and (2) help with kitchen, dishwashing, cleaning and tidying during the retreat.
  - Social media skills, photography skills and such are always welcome.
  - Spanish is needed to take advantage of the retreat. Medium level should be enough.
  
  == Volunteering round #5 ==
  Starting May 8th
  Currently looking for the following skwills (skill+will):
  - Furniture making
  - DIY & decoration with recycled materials
  - Social Media management
  - Web design, graphic design
  - Crowdfunding campaign advisement
  - Cultural project management
  - YouTube expertise (other)
  - Video shooting and editing (other)
  - Good vibes
  The last item on the list is mandatory. The rest are all optional. Ideally you've got at least one that are confident with (beyond the good vibes).
  
  = General Idea =
  The way we usually function is that we work 4 hours a day 5 days a week, usually during the morning. Ideally, you are able to take on a specific project and advance on it autonomously, given that I have a day job now. You will usually work together with other volunteers, tho. Most of the work now fits in two categories: The 2nd project and the office.
  
  = 2nd Project =
  == A 4-story house for the tribe ==
  We recently bought an old house in the middle of the city's old town. We plan to make it a project house with plenty of space for volunteers and activities of all sorts. The house is clean and empty. Now the plan is to make it inhabitable, which includes (1) making sure that electricity and water work, and doing some fixings, (2) finding/building/improvising furniture, (3) painting some walls, finishing some details to leave rooms ready to use, (4) adding personality to the place, like adding plants, painting murals to it, decorating, etc. (These items are in order or priority)
  
  = Office =
  == Social media, web design, graphic design, project management ==
  This category is quite self-explanatory, but still I'll use some words to make it explicit.
  The many projects of the tribes and the Buddhist Center require some aid in their online presence. If you have experience in this field, you are very much welcome. Also, all of these projects organize events. In ahora, we organize retreats and other non-profit gatherings. In the 2nd project, we want to start organizing events this fall, such as a literary residency paired with volunteering. It would also be great to create promotional material that is visually appealing, and even to help update and finish the websites of some of the projects.
  
  == OTHERS ==
  = YouTube =
  I've been almost forced by life, friends, and circumstances to start providing online content. If I do it, I want to do it properly, so I'm looking to receive a helping hand to do it with. The more expertise you have, the better.
  
  = Events =
  We try as a neo-tribe to organize as many conscious events as possible, always free of charge and with no profit intented. We usually do 1 or 2 a month. Not only will you be able to help plan and organize, but you will be able to participate! They are usually in Spanish, so the better your Spanish, the more you can benefit from this part.
  
  = BASICS =
  == The apartment. Meals, cleaning, etc. ==
  An important part of the co-living is eating together and cleaning after ourselves. If you are good at cooking, you are a very good candidate to join our tribe. These tasks, like cooking, dishwashing, laundry, and cleaning the apartment, are considered part of being a person in a co-living environment. Shifts are taken for these, and they are not included in the 4 hours of work a day that are dedicated to the projects.
  
  That should be it, more or less. Expect also to have a lot of task-less time if nothing comes up. If you are the kind of person who enjoys having different missions every day, who likes diversity and improvisation, and who enjoys a good, relaxed and fun work environment, you are a very good fit, and I will be very happy to have you around.

• 

  Langues parlées

  Catalan: Courant
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Courant
  Allemand: Intermédiaire
  Italien: Intermédiaire
  Portugais: Intermédiaire

• 

  Hébergement

  There are two options for accommodation: my apartment, and the 2nd project location.
  
  = Apartment =
  
  I live in a big apartment in town. The apartment is 110 square meters, but most of it is a massive hallway that makes no sense. Anyway, you will have your own private room in the apartment. There is one bathroom, one kitchen, one living room that I call 'the playground' (you'll see), and one room that I use as my office.
  
  A few disclaimers:
  - The apartment is in a fourth floor and there is no elevator. (Integrated cardio gym)
  - The apartment is old and not fancy at all. Beware. But it is cozy and enjoyable.
  - The apartment has no Wi-Fi connection.
  - We eat vegan.
  - Smoking tobacco is not allowed in the apartment.
  
  About the Wi-Fi absence: There is a public library next 3-minute walk from the apartment. That is where I go to do work that requires a long period of internet connection. There is also the nearby Buddhist Center, which has slots of open doors, and also has Wi-Fi. Both are great for working with focus and concentration. We also work online at home using someone's phone data at times. Currently I have access to plenty of service data from my job's phone.
  
  Also, very important, we eat only vegan food at home. We always cook vegan, local, delicious meals (we never order food and only very rarely eat out) as a way to both promote a more collective way of living and a more respectful, less consumerist way of feeding ourselves. I am a strong advocate of communal eating. In these times of individualization, something as simple as eating together becomes an act of soft activism. This means that it wouldn't work for me if you want to cook your own meals for yourself only. Cooking must be collective and it will be vegan. Ideally, you are vegetarian or vegan yourself, or you find it easy to adapt.
  
  = 2nd project =
  The house is only a roof and walls. There is no furniture. There is no running water, although there is a public fountain with drinkable water 20 meters from the house. We do have electricity, at least. What's the deal then? If you are brave enough to spend your nights at the 2nd project, that would jump-start the process of making it inhabitable. You'd have freedom to choose any room you like and make it comfortable for yourself. We'd join efforts to find/build a bed and other stuff, and in no time, you'd have an amazing room. For shower, meals, and hanging out, you'd join the rest of the team in my apartment, which is 5 minutes walk.

• 

  Autres infos...

  There is a train line that stops in Ontinyent and the apartment is 20-minute walk from the station.

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

• 

  Nombre d'heures attendues

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Feedback (3)