Profile information
Host rating
65 %
Last replied
2 Jun 2025
Feedback
2
ID verified
Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
Description
Our Centre is a totally off-grid non-profit farm and education centre in our early years of starting up. We moved to our beautiful 70 acres in rural New Brunswick in 2021. We have since built a house, barn, solar-shed which supports our solar panels, animal housing, and pastures.
We raise goats, chickens, beef cattle, pigs, 2 horses, and a pony.
We run educational programming for all ages throughout the year. Our animals help feed us and work with us to tend the land.
Our first baby is now 13 months old. We welcome families and folks who like to spend time with little ones!
We are Sparrow and Hazen.
Sparrow has a background in wilderness skills and outdoor education. Being a teacher and being passionate about education means that your time will have an emphasis on learning new skills in accessible ways. She has taught all ages and loves helping people learn.
Hazen is a jack-of-all-trades homesteader and nature-lover who also works at the local dairy farm.
This summer, we are adding an extension to our house, replacing our roof, working in the gardens, fixing (and possibly creating new) animal pastures, harvesting medicinal wild plants, mucking the barn, and the daily animal-tending.
Volunteers can expect to learn about farm animal care, gardening, perhaps some basic carpentry, and other homestead skills.
We love to teach others how to take care of themselves through homesteading, and how to work with the land!
The Trade:
This summer we are both working full time, so we are only accepting volunteers on the weekends (Friday-Sunday) UNLESS you are a couple or an individual who would be capable and happy to work alone while we are at work during the week. During the week, volunteers would be responsible for cooking their own meals with food we will provide. For those staying longer than a weekend, 4 hours of work per day 5 days a week is what we ask.
For those coming only for the weekend, lunches and dinners will be shared (breakfast food provided for you to prepare before our day begins) and we ask 5 hours of work per day.
We are flexible can arrange a schedule that works for everyone!
Our accommodation options include tenting, sleeping the in hay loft, or sleeping in our bunkhouse, which has 4 single bunk beds and a double mattress for the floor. We can provide a tent and sleeping bags if needed. We have an outhouse, and running water next to the barn.
We are off-grid, but we can charge cell phones and computers. We now have Wifi!!
Your time off can be spent hiking, laying in the hammock, biking around our rural neighbourhood, and enjoying the quiet. Our community has potlucks on Thursday evenings!
More logistics:
-We live in a very rural and remote place with no public transportation, but lots of beautiful hikes around and we can visit local swimming holes and such.
-Short stays are welcome (As short as a day if you have your own transport!) and longer stays (Over a week) are a possibility. After one week, we will see how everyone is feeling about the match to see if we will carry on for a longer stay.
-Families with children are welcome, but please plan for the children to be involved (We cannot provide separate childcare)
-We speak English, Sparrow can manage in Spanish. We love new languages!
-We try to respond to emails every day but we are often outside, please be patient with us
-We don't smoke, but smoking is acceptable on property if butts are thrown away in the trash
Folks who love the countryside and want to learn more about homesteading and off-grid living will love the farm!
We look forward to hearing from you!
Organic methods: Permaculture- pasture management, hugelkulture beds, no till, chicken tractors, duck pest management, compost
Certifications: Not certified because we are a new farm and we don't produce enough outgoing goods to seek certification right now.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Babysitting and creative play
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Pets
Farming
Gardening
Carpentry
DIY & crafts
Books
Animals
Camping
Nature
Beach
Outdoor activities
Hiking
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We love to meet new people and hear about the lives of others. New foods are fun, you are welcome to teach us how to cook your favourite dish, and we will cook ours for you! We also find new languages fun to practice, and we will happily help you with English if that is something you seek.
Help
This summer, we are building a deck, painting our barn, renovating our bunkhouse, working in the gardens, harvesting medicinal wild plants, and creating new animal pastures.
Volunteers can expect to learn about farm animal care, gardening, basic carpentry, and other homesteading skills. We love to teach others how to take care of themselves through homesteading, and how to work with the land!
Languages
Languages spoken
Spanish: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
I used to be conversational in Spanish, though my skill has dwindled from lack of use. I am trying to learn French too, and I love learning words in any language.
Accommodation
We have a bunkhouse with bunkbeds that have mattresses. Volunteers should bring a sleeping bag if possible but bedding can be provided if needed. We also offer tenting space (We have a tent and bedding to borrow if need be) that is set a little bit away from the main house for privacy. We have an outhouse for washrooms, and bathing is done outside using a sun-heated shower bag. We will share our meals, mostly organic food, mostly local or right from our farm! It's rustic, off grid living, and it's good fun!
What else ...
We live in a unique area- it is very rural, with amazing hidden swimming holes and mountain views to be explored. We have bikes to borrow, and our property is large enough to enjoy exploring. We also live adjacent to a land-trust community, and we have potlucks each thursday.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have starlink, though it does not reach to the bunkhouse.
Space for parking camper vans
We have a flat spot where a van/camper can be parked, but we do not have hook ups for water or electric.
Can possibly accept pets
Any pets must be good with livestock.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
