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Host rating
100 %
Last replied
10 Feb 2025
Reply rate
91.0 %
Usually responds within 7 days
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Description
Hi! We're a historic hostel situated right in the heart of the entertainment precinct of Cape Town. It is a large hostel sleeping up to 80 guests and there is never a dull moment or a day without adventure.
Our hostel is a lovely old building at the top end of Long Street, a famous party road, with a sunny and leafy courtyard, fantastic balconies with views onto signal hill, and a bustling culture. We're an 'old-school' hostel that believes in community, laid-back fun, adventure, and living life to the fullest. Reviews have described us as 'a place that feels as good as home', with hospitality that makes you feel 'not just like a guest, but part of a family'. We share meals and go on outings together, we party together (and often), and we treat guests and staff alike as a part of our weird and wonderful family.
Most of our paid staff are refugees from Zimbabwe and we ensure that our volunteer program supports these individuals and improves their skills and working conditions. Volunteers will never be used to replace paid workers; they will only be used to support them.
In our street-level premises, we also support a group of 20 art vendors who come from across the African continent . We endeavour to use our volunteers to support these vendors and improve their working conditions. Whether this is helping them with specific projects or just making tea for everyone in the morning - volunteers are a crucial component of creating a supportive atmosphere.
Don't take our word for it - read the feedback from our previous volunteers! :)Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Hospitality/Tourism
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You will meet people from every corner of this world and will go on adventures with them in this incredible multi-cultural city. Cape Town is one of the most incredible, diverse, beautiful places in the world, and our hostel will provide you with the perfect base to explore it and make many friends to explore it with.
Help
We are currently looking for a range of skills which apply to specific volunteer needs.
MINIMUM STAY: We only accept volunteers who can do a minimum stay of a month due to the time it takes to train and assimilate into our community x
SOCIAL MEDIA:
We are looking for creative and bubbly individuals who have experience producing content for social media and marketing channels. Should you apply for this position, you will be expected to have a good-quality phone/camera and go on, at least, 4 of our weekly activities and create content in collaboration with our social media manager. A portfolio/link to previous content will be required.
EVENTS AND SOCIAL PROGRAMS
We are seeking someone who has some experience in the Cape Town area and would be able to assist our events coordinator in running events and bringing good vibes to make our guests feel at home and happy. Ideally, this volunteer would have a high social battery, love experiencing new things, and be open and friendly. You would be able to host your own events in our bar, should you so desire. We've previously had volunteers throw speed dating events, an 'anything but clothes party, and so on. But this is not a requirement.
GENERAL ASSISTANCE AND RECEPTION
This type of volunteer would work a couple of shifts at reception throughout the week and help out around the hostel where needed. These duties are often determined by our current volunteer and employee capacity. Most importantly, we want to cultivate great vibes and a fun atmosphere.
Throughout these categories, some duties may overlap depending on volunteer and employee capacity but, don't worry, we won't ask you to work more than your stipulated hours. Each day is different, so your duties will depend on what's happening that week. Managers might ask you to facilitate some games (beerpong / flipcup / karaoke ) to get the energy going.
If you message us, please make sure to include the dates you would like to stay and tell us a little bit more about yourself! We'd love to understand who you are and how you'd contribute to our space.
Volunteer spots are first-come-first-serve, so make sure to send your application timeously to avoid disappointment xLanguages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
A dorm bed with access to shared bathroom, communal kitchen, TV room, balconies etc
What else ...
Your time off can be spent exploring the city - looking at the local museums and art, visiting the gorgeous beaches, enjoying our many hikes, or just soaking up the culture. We have many guides and suggestions for great spots available on the premises.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have the fastest fibre optic internet in Cape Town (500mbps) - for free!! There are also dedicated work spaces and high-quality coffee available for those who need an office away from home.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (44)
As volunteers we would work at the reception, either from 10AM-3PM, 4PM-9PM or 7PM-midnight, 5 days a week. We would also have bar shifts at the hostel's bar in the evenings, especially on beer pong & karaoke nights when help was needed. It was so fun to learn with Shaker, Sandy & Yvan how a hostel… read more
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Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
As volunteers we would work at the reception, either from 10AM-3PM, 4PM-9PM or 7PM-midnight, 5 days a week. We would also have bar shifts at the hostel's bar in the evenings, especially on beer pong & karaoke nights when help was needed. It was so fun to learn with Shaker, Sandy & Yvan how a hostel… read more
I was warm welcomed from the beginning on. Got to get to know loads of amazing people and enjoyed so many memorable moments and nights in the hostel.
I'm looking forward to come again and for a longer time.
The people at the place are incredibly welcoming and open, and the time spent there is full of positive memories. From my perspective, this volunteer opportunity is a haven for people looking to connect… read more
She started off a bit quiet and shy but by the time she left she was the star of the show and everyones best friend!
We want to thank her for her efforts in organising so many outings and hikes and adventures for our guests - it is an effort we truly appreciate and adds so much value to our… read more
Working there as a volunteer is fun and gives a lot of freedom and possibilities adjusted to your skills. I mostly did run Instagram (Stories and Posting) and… read more
Lucy is helping us build a website for our new African Art and Craft Market - she is incredibly talented and helped from conceptualization, photography all the way through to execution of the final product.
It is amazing that we can get… read more
My job was took photos of african products and refugees people that sells this things, in order to help Thomas to create social media to publicize these stores, as a form of marketing, and consequently help these people.
Because of this job, i could know these people and their… read more
You will immediatly be enchanted by the beauty of the courtyard, full of plants all around. From the balconies you can get a fabulous view of the street and the continuous flow of people passing by.
The atmosphere is very partecipative, as many social activities are organized during the week.
The work was… read more
A bright and shining diamond - pitty he has to go back to the cold. Comer back next summer brother! xxx
She is a pro at anything involving tech interface, marketing, photo and videography, social media and general online marketing (she set up a google business profile… read more
Thank you so much!!! Hope to see you all again soon.
Aside from this they are also lovely people and it was a pleasure… read more
About the volunteer work: I was helping with the check in, so I showed the new guests the place, explained the rules and brought them to their room.
I used to… read more
All the people who work there are amazing and I am so grateful to Kudzai, Shaker, Alby and Bryan for their support at all times.
I initially went with the intention of staying for 1 month and… read more
We worked a month behind the bar and it was so much fun! The team was so amazing: Shaker Kudzi and Eddy (and all the others) directly made us feel at home and explained us how the bar works. The work is really chill and let us a lot of time to discover the country or… read more
I only spend one month there but I am sure they will see me again ! The… read more
I enjoyed my 'working hours' because it's very social and you meet a lot of people via it. Besides, there is a lot of free time to enjoy the rest of CT.
The best thing for me was that they really helped me and took care of me when something… read more
My experience here in one word: AMAZING!!! I had really an unforgettable time. All the people there like staff and travelers made my stay just fun and lots of wonderful memories. I can highly recommend to everyone who loves to interact with people around the world and enjoy partying and want to explore Cape Town and other places around,… read more
The location is great and you meet so many interesting and cool people from all over the world, not to mention the endless… read more
The work as an animation volunteer constists of engaging with guests, keeping the party going, playing beerpong, organizing… read more
The hardest thing was to say goodbye and go on with the trip. I… read more
I finally worked in the reception/bar area under the managers supervision doing… read more