Ecological education, seed farming, and the arts in a commune, Virginia, USA

Details

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  Description

  Update: We are looking for people who are looking to join community long-term. We enjoy travelers passing through, but at this time we want to prioritize those who are intentionally seeking out communal living. Please only apply if this describes you. Thanks :)
  
  We are a small, off-grid community and education center in rural Virginia focusing on creative expression and experimental concepts. We currently have 5 adults and 2 kids living here but usually have WWOOFers, Workawayers, or other guests visiting so there's anywhere from 8-12 people here at any given time. We try to keep our visitor number at 4 max so that we can all feel connected and grounded. We call ourselves an intentional family and like to keep our energy intimate.
  
  Education:
  We offer a kid's program on Mondays, which combines Capoeira, theater, sustainability and ecology education and team building/ropes course. We're developing an outdoor museum throughout our forest trails that is focused on interactive, scientific models of sustainability. We have regular weekly Capoeira and improv theater classes.
  
  Farming:
  We have seed farming contracts to grow a variety of crops this year. We're growing two varieties of hot peppers, okra, and a purple pole bean. We are helping out another farm with many more seed crops. We also have a small plot for our community garden.
  
  There are four other communes within 15 min drive, with whom we have a work exchange relationship, so there will be opportunities to connect with lots of other people in the area, through work and social gatherings.
  
  Our homestead is nestled amidst beautiful countryside, and is walking/biking distance to several other intentional communities with a variety of other interests. We are less than an hour away from Richmond, VA, Charlottesville, VA, and two hours from Washington DC. The ocean and the mountains are both a day trip away.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  This is an immersive experience in a homestead that is highly integrated into a network of egalitarian income-sharing communes that are weaving the new paradigm, spreading the seed of the revolution, or at least recipes for vegan snacks. The local communes attract guests and members from all over the world, opening surprising cultural exchange opportunities that you would not typically see in a rural area.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  1. we are looking for people who want to learn! as an education center, we focus a little less on hard monotonous work and more on teaching, experimenting, and offering new experiences. we hold some classes and discussions, and rely on each other to continue learning and researching topics for continuing to contribute to the project and for personal growth.
  2. as a community seeking to dismantle some of the destructive side effects of capitalism, we aspire for deep connections with ourselves and with each other. so we have a regular practice of emotional check in, daily practice of shared gratitude, and weekly dedicated conversation in a heart-centered space.
  3. we are working on an Outdoor Sustainability Museum! We are revamping our outdoor museum, adding new elements that model ecological processes, model human impact on our planet, and explore solutions.
  4. Forestry: We harvest timber from our forest for building materials and for firewood. we need help with felling, limbing and debarking, mostly using hand-tools.
  5. Natural Building: We are close to finishing the clay plaster on our new straw bale home. we just finished building a cob rocket stove inside one of the buildings, and are working on creating outdoor kitchen spaces.
  6. Playground: beyond the zipline and swings we currently have, we are working on creating new activities and an obstacle course in the forest.
  7. Off-grid solar tech: we need help with developing and testing our solar system towards our ultimate grid independence. this includes solar power, electric car conversion, building experimental solar technology, and working with the rhythms of the sun and the clouds.
  8. we have regular capoeira workshops including drumming lessons, martial arts, and singing.
  9. during the spring, summer and fall seasons we host a home-school program here once a week where we work with kids aged 7 to 13 in the areas of movement arts, team building, natural science, and crafts, help is welcomed!
  
  In addition to all the exciting projects, there is still always a fair bit of domestic work to do, including cooking, cleaning, laundry, taking out the compost, stoking the wood-fired hot tub, cleaning the pond, gardening, and brewing ginger beer.
  
  Our Daily Schedule:
  Sunday-Friday we gather for breakfast at 8:30am and discuss work for the day and then work on projects individually or in groups until lunch (4ish hours). After lunch we have freedom to take time for ourselves and work on our own personal awesomenesses. Saturday is our day off and you are free to follow whatever schedule you wish. Although many of the projects here require some level of skill, most problems you might encounter are only 3 YouTube videos away from being figured out, and if not, we can figure it out together.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Hebrew: Fluent
  Portuguese: Fluent
  Sign language (American): Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  We have various places to sleep: some houses, barn, vintage airstream trailer, sailboat, wigwam or a hammock. 15 acres of forest are available for you to play or camp in. We have two showers, composting toilets, running water, hot tub, bathing pond, some electricity (mostly solar). We eat almost all of our meals together, and take turns cooking . All of your food will be provided here. We stick to a vegan/vegetarian diet. We accept and accommodate people with various diets, including gluten free, etc.

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  What else ...

  Although we are a small community, we expect to host multiple workawayers at a time, and you should expect to be well integrated into the social sphere. please be willing to have open and honest communication with the people around you. We expect that volunteers will fully participate in the culture here. We do not have a culture of partying; excessive alcohol or drug use will not be tolerated. We expect all volunteers and members to keep the common spaces tidy and personal belongings in personal spaces.
  
  Here on the property or within walking distance, we have places to swim, play in the forest, hike, camp, and create. The surrounding communities host regular social events like dancing, singing, happy hour, potlucks, and parties. You could hike in the blue ridge mountains, which is only about an hour away, and the ocean is only two hours from us. There are local commune shuttles that you can use to get around as well.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  we have plenty of space, no problems there. but you can't drive into the forest, there's only walking paths, so you can't really park in a secluded spot.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  no one likes to think that their dog could possibly cause any trouble, but some dogs do and some dogs don't. we can't really specify, but we'll just say that we have free ranging poultry, cats, kids, gardens, pond, and a peaceful lifestyle. can your dog respect that?

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  4 hours/day, Sun-Fri

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