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16 Mar 2025
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Description
Hello! We are a field school teaching design, building, and ecology through direct participation and experimentation. Our approach combines ancestral knowledge of natural materials with advancing technology and contemporary building techniques to derive sustainable models of living for our time. We are currently building our campus in the Big Bend region of West Texas, just 8 miles as the crow flies from Big Bend National Park. The workshops, residences, and land here allow us to support hands-on educational programs, individual research, and experimentation. You can find us on instagram - ask us for more info!
Currently, we are looking for up to 10 people to join us for our 7th Student Volunteer Residency Program.
This Spring we are expanding the program to four weeks as we add new curriculum. To make this long form class accessible to a variety of students we are offering the program in two sessions with a one week break in between. Prospective students are encouraged to apply for one or both of these sessions.
Session 1: March 4th - March 19th, 2025
Break: March 20th - 25th, 2025
Session 2: March 25th - April 9th, 2025
There is one application for both sessions and a place to mark which session you are applying for. We are happy to discuss these options and any questions you have during your interview.
This is not your typical Workaway experience, but a multi-week intensive with a strong educational component. Anyone interested will need to apply through our website. Applications typically close at least one month before the start of the program.
We are also seeking a volunteer to help document our Spring programs through photography/videography work. This volunteer would receive the regenerative design and natural building education along with our students, but would focus on documenting the program.
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Applications are now OPEN for our Spring 2025 programs. Please visit our website to apply.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Participants will benefit from hands on experience as well as classroom instruction on regenerative design topics through a multi-part presentation series, all while experiencing the unique beauty and culture of the Big Bend. Our student volunteer program will include at least one group trip, and students will have weekends free to explore the area.
Help
We are recruiting Students interested in regenerative construction, agriculture, ecology, and experiential learning. Participants will assist with site improvements, construction, and drylands restoration, and be provided food, lodging, education, and experience.
Activities:
This year we are expanding our curriculum to include more foundational learning. Work throughout the program may include finishing our composting outhouse, applying hempcrete to a masonry vault, finishing the exterior plaster on our libarary, installing a trombe wall, installing a greywater system, and practicing drylands restoration and agroecology techniques.
In addition to this hands-on education, presentations will be given on the various aspects of regenerative design and building including:
- Natural and Recycled MaterialsSun,
- Wind, and Water to Power,
- Heat, and CoolWhole Cycle Waste and Water Systems
- Building with the Land - Agriculture, Integration, and Land Repair
Additionally, we are seeking 1 or 2 photography and videography volunteers to help us document our Spring programs. Ideally this person(s) would have experience as a professional photographer or videographer, would stay on site with us for the full 4 week program and would be willing to donate all photos and videos from the session.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Accommodation
Provided accommodations are simple and rustic as we are in the process of building our campus. Students sleep on cots in large canvas tents and share outdoor showers and basic composting toilet facilities. A well provisioned communal kitchen and living space is set up in another large canvas tent. Tents are equipped with wood-burning stoves for heating. Food will be provided, and students and staff will all take part in cooking communal meals. Living in a communal setting, close to the land with simple accommodations is part of the educational experience. That said, we have plenty of space and students are welcome to bring their own tents, campers, trailers, RV’s, or other accommodations to make life more comfortable. If your application is accepted we will contact you directly to discuss specifics and will work to accommodate your specific needs or concerns.
What else ...
The Big Bend region is ecologically and culturally rich. Our campus is located between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, in an international biosphere reserve, within the largest dark sky preserve in the world. In the past, we have facilitated field trips to Marfa, the Chinati Foundation, the McDonald Observatory, and to significant earthen buildings in the region. We have led activities such as an adobe-making workshop in Estación, Mexico, and overnight backpacking trips in Big Bend National Park, and Davis Mountains State Park. These outside trips are optional and are chosen on a case by case basis with each group of students. Aside from any group trips we will help facilitate individual exploration of this magnificent place.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
