Help at our property and enjoy the gifts and pleasures of Salt Spring Island, Canada

Infos

• 

  Description

  About Us: For 35 years my life partner Shera Street and I were the owners of the place by the Sea Retreat on Galiano Island, where served the people who came on vacation and in retreat. We "grew" relationships, gardens. We were both travellers and took people on Enter the Mystery tours to Machu Picchu for 18 years, and also to Bali and Thailand.
  
  Although Shera has passed on, she has not "left", and Volunteers have loved sensing her energy is very much present on the property, in her gallery and in the stories I share. I am an author and have written a book documenting her continuing love and influence since she passed.
  
  A Family Home and Gardens: a rural property with lots happening (see below) we are only 2 km from the gifts and pleasures of Ganges, the town centre of Salt Spring Island, Canada
  
  Vegetables: We are not a farm, however we have several pocket gardens, each in its own micro-climate. We grow fruit and vegetables to supplement our largely-organic diet.
  
  Japanese Garden: Develop a Japanese water garden, an exciting project with ponds, and waterfalls. Plans for a Japanese Gate.
  
  Art Gallery: There is also work possible in a beautiful gallery here filled with inspiring works of my partner Shera.
  
  Scenic Home: The house is a light-filled home, perched above the garden facing south. Panoramic views to the west of the tidal waters and the ever-changing face the Booth Canal.
  
  Lots of Variety: Varied chores, often with options to choose from. These include gardening, weeding, watering landscaping, including a Japanese garden, light construction, carpentry projects, collecting and splitting and stacking firewood, food management and preserving. Lots more details below.
  
  We always want to know who you are and what you want from being with us, in order to support you getting the best out of being here. Please check our reviews from other sites.
  
  Personal support: I have skills in supporting others in personal transformation and moving you toward your dreams and future often with fresh insights and perspectives on the choices before you, and living more consciously, joyfully and on purpose.
  
  Creativity: We always encourage creativity and play--and you will always be encouraged here to express your own creativity!
  
  Odds and Ends: You will enjoy browsing through our transformational library, listening to the toning bowls, playing in our "creative outbursts" of writing, dancing and music, as well as the occasional massage.
  
  Feeling blessed!: We have loved the people who come to us as volunteers, and many have become special friends and 'family'.
  
  I look forward to meeting you.
  
  (We’re new to workaway, so the following reviews are from another website while we were on Galiano Island before moving here to Salt Spring Island in 2017.)
  
  Karl van Roon shared a post with Chidakash or Sh...
  June 11, 2015 at 08:33am
  After so many years as hosts and so few comments... I totally understand why after having volunteered here for 5 months. Words are hard to find to describe the magic that transpires with Shera and Chidakash. They are two of the most special and influential people I have ever met (after traveling the world for 16 years).
  
  My life had come to a stand still after everything got swept out from under me twice in a row. When they asked what I was looking to get out of volunteering I said to learn more about what my dreams are and how to make them a reality. This being their first question, I soon learned, represents their immeasurable passion for people and life itself. The wealth of experience these two have to share is worth everything to me. They are masters in the art of cohabitation and living in general and in the end showed me much more than I ever dreamed was possible in life!
  
  From the moment I walked through their door, they made me feel like the place was mine as much as theirs. Love does not discriminate and they are seasoned experts in hosting! They live and behave with authority and freedom in character, which allowed me to encounter and own myself as an individual and in essence experience the richness of life itself... Relationship, when the truth of who we are is accepted and engaged with another, harmoniously, and most importantly in their differences.
  
  I cannot speak highly enough about Shera and Chidakash! They live in a utopia and whoever finds them will be thankful! It is now that I am off on my own that I realize how much I learned from living with them! Sustainable and healthy food practices, and sourcing. Most of all other than finding myself eating healthier than ever and effortlessly, I find my gratitude falling on what I've learned from them in regards to what it is to just be a loving human, and the joy found in behaving responsibly to one another and the environment.
  
  In exchange Shera and Chidakash have found some prime realestate in my heart and it is my pleasure to host them there till the end of time :)
  No comments
  
  Kendrick Dettmers shared a post with Chidakash or Sh...
  April 26, 2014 at 06:47am
  How do I make a review about this place? I’ve been wracking my brain trying to conjure an answer to this question. I’ve lived with Shera and Chidakash for nearly three months now. When I look back on my time here everything is a mix of varied household / carpentry related chores, sprinkled with island adventures only photos could do justice to, sweetened with interpersonal connections and served with a helping hand of growth-stimulating conversations that will stay with me a lifetime.
  
  The fact that I’m leaving in a couple of days hasn’t even sunk in yet, but it’s beginning to. If it’s one thing I can say it’s that here, time moves at variable speeds.
  
  The location IS a treat of its own. The cliffside house offers glorious views that would make any photographer keep a camera nearby. Creativity is everywhere and inspiration is often a mere turn of the head away. The people living here and those that visit have helped shape some of the most unforgettable memories. The different spirits, perspectives and backgrounds that everyone brought stimulated just the kind of personal growth I aspired to undergo during my time here.
  
  
  
  This place is host to a gallery’s worth of vibrant paintings by Shera, and her elegant drawings and tantalizing doodles invoke a range of emotions best experienced for oneself. Shera is one of the best sources of inspiration and strength I have had the pleasure of meeting.
  
  
  
  If I could give one piece of advice to anyone looking to volunteer here it’d be, “Give yourself time.” How much time you ask? Well that depends on individual of course, but I’ve found that one week is not enough and quite frankly neither is two. After the second week I thought, ‘I might have trouble leaving’. I shuffled this thought quickly under the rug remembering just how much time I had left. I thought that was just last week.
  
  
  
  This has been my first experience and the warmth and energy that keeps this place running is like none other I have encountered. I couldn’t imagine it having gone any better. The things I’ve learned and the bonds I’ve formed here will stay with me a lifetime and I hope to be finding my way back someday soon.
  No comments
  
  Tate Kelly shared a post with Chidakash or Sh...
  January 9, 2014 at 06:05pm
  Chidakash and Shera are two of the most special individuals I have ever come across. Volunteers will have a peace and calming sensation from the second they step into the couples beautiful house. They are truly looking to better the lives of the individuals who make the decision to volunteer with them. They always have projects and love to work with their volunteers which is inspiring. If you are looking for a volunteer experience that will better you as a person and will make for a memorable experience then come to Galiano Island to work with this wonderful couple.
  
  
  
  Chidakash or Sh... shared a post
  March 1, 2012 at 11:26am
  It was wonderful having you both here sharing your energy! The new gardens and the pond are beautiful. Thank you thank you!
  No comments
  
  CiaranEtJudith shared a post with Chidakash or Sh...
  March 1, 2012 at 07:39am
  Shera and Chidakash are wonderful, peaceful people. Thanks to them we got a chance to enjoy a bit of Galiano Island.
  
  Although we've only stayed with them for a short while they definitely made our travels a whole lot more pleasant.
  
  Expect family style togetherness and a variety of hard and less hard work. Good accomodations and healthy food! Thank you and I hope you get that diving platform set up for Summer!:)

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  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

  Our love of new people, experiences and cultures have inspired Shera and I in our extensive travels around the world. Even with her leaving, I carry on the traditions we established together:
  As a story tellers (and listener!) with lots of stories to share.
  
  I intend to pass forward the remarkable generosity and support we have received in our travels to any travellers who find their way to our home.
  
  I understand what it means to be finding one’s way in a new language and culture and enjoy coaching anyone interested in improving their English—and I’m good at it. (I speak a little German, Norwegian and Spanish.)
  
  I enjoy visitors to the gifts and pleasures of Salt Spring Island, it’s galleries, walks, events and special Nature spots.
  
  I also want to know your passion and how you express your creativity. Creativity is always a priority in our home and a wonderful part of seeing things in a new and deeper way.
  
  I welcome the chance to offer support others in personal transformation and furthering their dreams.

• 

  Aide

  SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! We are thrilled to find ourselves living in such a remarkable place and are currently shaping it to be an expression of who we are as artists and lovers of Gardens, Nature and creativity. As a result we have projects for many skill sets:
  GARDENING of course: weeding, transplanting, building compost and harvesting and preserves.
  LANDSCAPING and DESIGN: Garden beds and paths, Japanese waterfall garden.
  CARPENTRY : building arbors, terracing, raised garden beds and compost bins.
  CONSTRUCTION : patio roof; house renovation—(kitchen, bathroom, and remodeling rooms).
  STROKE REHAB and right hand wo/man: facilitating Shera in her remarkable recovery—speech, strength, balance, movement—while helping her in her garden and gallery projects!
  COMPUTER: to clean up, back up and streamline my computer setup.
  PROMOTION: of Shera’s as an extraordinarily talented artist in a new gallery—we want to develop an innovative campaign to launch it effectively into the art world
  ELECTRICAL: making sense of insane circuitry and relocating light switches.
  HOUSE KEEPING and ORGANIZING things: house work, organizing books (like a whole library‘s worth!) and boxes of ‘stuff’ (as we’ve moved from a bigger property, sorting through and organizing workshop and tools.

• 

  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Allemand: Intermédiaire
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire
  Norwegian: Intermédiaire

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  I have families in Peru and want to learn more to speak and understand Spanish.
• 

  Hébergement

  Depending on who is already here when you arrive you may be staying in a large bedroom, the gallery, the den, or a temporary space. We offer three wholesome and largely organic meals a day and a snack later in the morning. Extra snacks and goodies are arranged privately by each worker. (It’s very easy to hitch the 1-2 km to the shops.)
  There’s no smoking allowed indoors. Minimal to no Drugs or alcohol please.

• 

  Autres infos...

  I welcome a direct call at any time. I will always want to talk with you anyway before you come, so if I have not seen your application, please call me!
  
  Entertainment: We have kayaks for use on the Canal and there are many hikes, walks and lookouts on the island.
  The Saturday market here is both famous and extraordinarily diverse and high quality. A smaller version is offered on Tuesdays.
  Music is offered on most nights in restaurants and/or pubs somewhere.
  Special events, concerts, shows and dances are common fare and listed in events calendars that are easy to obtain.

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il aimait accueillir les digital nomads.

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

• 

  Nombre d'heures attendues

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

Feedback (5)