Restore, restart & rebuild our nature restoration and community living project in Alentejo , Portugal

Detalhes

• 

  Descrição

  Our project is a land-based living project in the Alentejo, one of Europe's driest and most climate-stressed regions. Over 850 humans from more than 110 countries have come through this space in five and a half years, to volunteer, to learn, to contribute, and to be part of something bigger than themselves. We are a registered non-profit association (associação sem fins lucrativos) focused on nature restoration and helping regenerate the human connection with the natural world both internally and externally.
  The land was depleted when we arrived and is slowly returning to life! We are building self-sufficiency systems, water retention, soil regeneration, revegetation, reforestation systems, and natural infrastructure, working toward more sustainable and more regenerative ways of living in a dying Mediterranean dryland.
  
  Many ask us '' why even try, it's almost impossible !?! '' - and thats exactly part of the reason: we are not here because its easy, we are here because its necessary! We are here to be examples of what it can look like when intelligent, powerful, creative, responsible and mature individuals come together as a collective to grow and heal something larger than themselves, and through that, we experience the same and may share it beyond this land! As the world is going to face more and more extrememes , it will look to the places who have learned not only to survive but also thrive under extreme circumstances. Building resilient ecosystems requires us to become resilent , and those of us who practice and embody that now when things are not perfect but definitely easier than what they most likely will be in 5, 10 or 20 years, will have the embodied knowledge, skills , resources and network to not only not fall as easily victim, but to support the worlds that we so dearly love ! To live in a world that is not absent of chaos, but learning how to live in healthier relation to its changing nature, thus integrating the chaos in a more balanced way!
  
  Work changes with the seasons. In summer the focus is resilience, infrastructure building and maintenance, water management , helping the establishish reforestation work, artistic and creative work. This autumn we will be preparing the house and land for the next cycle of this place's future ensuring that it can continue to grow as a project and rotational community to serve nature and people, the quality and depth of that depends on what we can grow now as we tend back to the foundation of the space again.
  
  Where we are right now
  
  After five and a half years of building this, we are taking a quieter chapter. It comes after a long and full stretch, and we are choosing it deliberately. Time to reset the space, listen to the land, and decide carefully how this project continues next with the help of a few aligned individuals.
  
  The focus right now is resetting the space: decluttering, cleaning, clearing, and caring for the life already here, the plants and the animals. We will maintain and create new spaces that can hold the active community and the one to come. To ensure an environment where people are more empowered and aligned to serve something larger than self again and in this case, nature regeneration.
  We are keeping the group small,up to 10 people, and the structure light. For that, we are looking for a few mature and responsible people who not only align with our values in theory and want to try this style of living - but who have deeper experience and embodiment of what we speak of. People who are considering a space like ours not just as a short stay and experience but also as the possibility to be part of it maybe throughout several chapters of their lives, with the opportunity to create it as one of their bases and homes of this large and crazy world. A place they can call home even if its just a few times every few years, another sanctuary where humans, nature and evolving consciousness whether it be our own or working alongside technology like AI (artifical intelligence) to live in healthier relationship with the worlds around us as part of a growing regenerative network.
  
  So with this being said:
  Please note that alongside volunteers, there may be occasional guests or co-livers staying with us over these next months.
  
  This quieter chapter runs this Autumn and Winter.
  
  From middle October/ November we expect to shift toward longer stays. If you are drawn to being here through the winter and helping a smaller, more intentional group take shape, say so in your message. That is the direction we are moving in, with a group of people who will stay around three months or longer, if it aligns, and if we can co-exist with both our light and our darkness. Living in community, those who know, know: it is not something to be blindly romanticised, and it has its challenges. It is not about not having challenges, conflict and tension arise, but rather how we can respond to them when they do. If done well, they can be incredibly empowering and connecting, but it does take a certain type of consciousness and energy to do so.
  
  As the main hosts, you'll meet:
  
  Anthony — the founder and steward of this place. Born and raised in Africa, he bridges knowledge between worlds, leveraging his experience growing up in nature and being a social entrepreneur helping people and organisations transition to a more value-based, regenerative way of being.
  
  Ana — co-steward of the land. Born in Spain, raised in Portugal, with a background in liberal arts and creative writing. These days her life is devoted to clinical herbalism, sacred feminine practices, cyclical living, and yoga.
  
  As hosts, our focus is on envisioning, resetting, and restructuring the space, not only physically but also its governance and stewardship model, so that this place can continue to serve nature and people through communal, intentional living, without depending on the founders. In the near future, we hope to have several aligned stewards who wish to continue and share some of the stewardship of this land and the project it carries, which at its core aims to empower humans and land to learn what it means to live in a more educated, empowered, and healthy way with the earth and its fellow life.
  
  Joining us currently :
  
  Four to six weeks minimum. Intake happens in waves. Many humans find the most nourishment, transformation, meaning, and empowerment with extra time, so come with an open departure date if you can.
  
  Intake Days :
  28th September
  October 12th, October 26th

• 

  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Projetos artísticos

  Ajuda em projetos ambientais

  Ensino

  Jardinagem geral

  Projetos DIY criativos

  Cuidar de animais

  Ajuda em fazenda

  Ajuda a cuidar da casa

  Manutenção geral

  Ajuda com computadores/internet

  Cuidar de casas e pets
• 

  Interesses

  

  Criação de vídeos

  

  Tecnologia

  

  Política/justiça social

  

  Eventos e social

  

  LGBTQ

  

  Vegetariano/vegano

  

  Sustentabilidade

  

  Mascotes

  

  Vida na estrada

  

  Cultura

  

  Autodesenvolvimento

  

  Trabalho beneficente

  

  Arte e design

  

  Faça você mesmo

  

  Música

  

  Cuidar de plantas

  

  Artes performáticas

  

  Jardinagem

  

  Carpintaria

  

  Astronomia

  

  Animais

  

  Caminhada

  

  Dança

  

  Camping

  

  Naturaleza

  

  Yoga/bem-estar

  

  Atividades ao ar livre
• 

  Objetivos de sustentabilidade da ONU que este anfitrião quer atingir

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  O que é isso?
• 

  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  💫 What you can learn and explore here, as well as what we hope to learn more with you:
  
  ✨ Animal care: learning to care for horses, dogs, cats, and chickens, holistically
  
  ✨ Sustainable and regenerative living: self-sufficiency systems, communal living, and personal autonomy within interconnected systems that work in evolvingly healthier ways with nature rather than against it
  
  ✨ Skills and mindsets for adaptive climate resilience
  
  ✨ Personal growth: radical responsibility and a powerful space to recalibrate and align your next steps
  
  ✨ Skill-sharing: not limited to what we offer, and can include land stewardship, water systems, community dynamics, creative expression, and sacred femininity, shared between whoever is here at the time, including us when we have the capacity for it
  
  This chapter has a retreat-like pace to it, though it is not a paid retreat, more a return to yourself, to nature, to contemplation, to simply being. A slower, cottage-core rhythm. The property has many chill areas, art supplies, musical instruments, slackline and some workout equipment, body and mindfulness platform and sunset deck, a pizza oven, walking trails, and a small pond a few minutes' walk away, and more. All of it is there for you to use and to organise around respectfully.
  
  💡 What's particular about the place
  
  We bring together influences and approaches that are unusual to find in one place, rooted in practical land work, with the resilience of African ways of being and the structure of European living. We are not purists, and we are not a wellness retreat. We are experimental, adaptive, and serious about building systems that work dynamically.
  
  As a non-profit, our focus is on what we can build, test and share. Because the community rotates internationally, the exchange goes in every direction.
  
  🌱 We celebrate diversity and welcome humans of all backgrounds including. We aim to co-create an inclusive and liberatory space rooted in care, presence, and respect for the Earth and each other and sharing that presence in itself is a life changing experience

• 

  Instituição de caridade registrada

  Esse anfitrião é uma instituição de caridade registrada em seu país e está procurando voluntários para ajudar em seu(s) projeto(s).

• 

  Ajuda

  We're a not-for-profit project focused on ecological restoration,
  
  We’re looking for reliable, self-directed, and experienced humans , who have a keen willingness to contribute and support. If you are ready to contribute meaningfully, take initiative, and bring love into your daily actions, we would be keen to co-create with you. Practicing radical responsibility, conscious communication, and knowing how to self-regulate are skills that are deeply valuable here, simply - leave people, life and places better than you found it!
  
  Below we list examples of the type of practical skills, work, and experiences we can share with you depending on our current situation since we work with the elements that are present (for example, we do a lot of landscape water retention work on the land during the rain months but not in the summer) :
  
  Animal care: 2 horses, chickens and roosters, 2 dogs, 3 cats
  
  Land stewardship & Self-sufficency systems
  
  Resetting the space, cleaning , decluttering and reorganising storage built up over years of upcycling work
  
  Plant care, houseplants, established reforestation efforts and young propagation stock
  
  House, infrastructure, land maintenance, cleaning and decluttering
  
  Land stewardship and water retention work, depending on the season, since we work with the elements as they are present, heavy on landscape water retention during the rain months
  
  Systems design and AI - Human collaboration - (we implement and work with artificial intelligence systems to help create and maintain regenerative systems - and of course needing to learn more as this is contineously evolving)
  
  Brand Identiy, Community Governance, Community systems and Design
  
  ///on the side, we also have spaces to welcome and share///
  
  Coaching, embodiment, healing, or educational facilitation, which you can also do and facilitate in your private time and exchange within the space if you desire to use this opportunity for a cultural/educational or otherwise exchange.
  
  Mornings are for work, roughly until early afternoon, with breaks you manage yourself. Weekends are free once the animals are covered and you have arranged it with us.
  
  Flexible schedules are possible especially if you need it for remote work, therapy or just need space to honor your body- it requires communication and balancing responsabilities.

• 

  Idiomas

  Alemão: Fluente
  Inglês: Fluente
  Espanhol: Fluente
  Português: Fluente
  Afrikaans: Iniciante
  Francês: Iniciante

• 

  Acomodação

  Where you'll sleep
  
  Shared bell tents, private camping tents, a caravan, a minivan, hammocks, camper van spots, or bring your own setup. Compost toilets, outdoor showers, shared indoor and outdoor spaces which include an additional outdoor kitchen, Yoga Platform, and many areas to chill out.
  
  Flexible and adaptable contributions
  
  We are a not-for-profit nature restoration project, and Anthony finances the majority of costs, so we have built a set of exchange options that let the project exist, honor the humans who come, and keep this possible for travellers. These options are fluid. You can move between them as your capacity changes, as long as responsibilities are met, since some want to work more hours, some less, some prefer food provided, others prefer to bring their own.
  
  All options include: accommodation & plant-based staple ingredients
  
  🌀 Work Exchange Options:
  
  15 hrs/week →OPTIONAL no provided food (bring your own) or contribute €45/week with access to food for+3 meals per day
  
  20 hrs/week → OPTIONAL 2 meals per day or +3 meals for €30 / week
  
  25 hrs/week → no financial contribution - 3 meals per day
  
  If you need another model that is not mentioned above you can let us know and we can see if we can create an experience that works with your personal needs and respects the project and life here together.
  
  ✨ Private accommodation available for anchors or those offering specialized skills or extra hours - let us know
  
  🚌 Pickup from local town bus stop is available upon request for arrival/departure
  
  🥬 Food
  We provide plant-based staple ingredients and have 2 x shared kitchens. Meals are generally self-organised, with occasional shared meals when people decide to.
  **Special dietary needs or extras beyond our staples are your responsibility to bring or purchase.
  
  Cleaning Responsibilities: Maintaining general cleanliness and a pleasant environment, whether communal or your private area, is a duty that is not counted as work hours. Everyone must make regular, consistent efforts to uphold the cleanliness and well-being of the spaces we inhabit. *See a neeed, fill a need*
  
  PLEASE NOTE: If you do not clean up after yourself, then this is not the place for you

• 

  Algo mais...

  🌿 Some honest words before you apply
  
  The space is still evolving. Some things are raw, some are being built, some are being cleared and reset entirely right now. Volunteers help us with that work. If you arrive ready to contribute to something growing, and comfortable with a quieter, less structured chapter, you will find your place here.
  
  The group at any given time is small, international, and English-speaking.
  
  🌊 Be ready for
  
  Limited water: we are in one of Europe's driest regions
  Solar hot water: works well on sunny days
  Compost toilets, not flush
  Insects and wildlife: ants, flies, mosquitoes, occasional mice, birds, bats and other wildlife are part of living in the countryside
  Four kilometres from the nearest village (40 min walk, 15 min bike, 7 min car)
  Sleeping spaces may not be fully private by default
  Shared living: you will live closely with others
  
  🌍 Apply if
  
  You want to contribute meaningfully towards resetting and creating an empowering co-living space
  You are ready for real conditions in a real environment that occasionally get challenging
  You want to learn by doing: holistic animal care, dryland water work in season, plant propagation and care, and the practical craft of resetting a place
  You are curious, humble, proactive, and can handle discomfort and know how to regulate alone and with others
  You are comfortable with independence and quiet, and looking for a meaningful exchange, not a cheap holiday
  
  ✍️ When you reach out, please tell us
  
  Why this project specifically, not just any volunteer project
  Your ability to responsibly work with very little supervision
  What you would like to learn or contribute
  Your available dates
  Which exchange option you are aiming for
  Any needs, limitations, or desires we should know about
  
  We welcome humans of all backgrounds and identities: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodivergent, and more. If you have specific access or support needs, please share them in your message so we can be honest about what we can accommodate.
  
  If what resonates with you is this project as it normally runs, the fuller community and programme, and you would rather not join under these current conditions, check back with us in around six months. Following us on Instagram is a good way to stay connected in the meantime.
  
  If you have read the whole profile, use the codeword 'Purpose & Responsibility' when applying, so we know you are serious 😉
  
  We read applications carefully. You will usually hear back within a week. If not, a gentle follow-up is always welcome.
  
  Much respect and love,
  Anthony & Ana and the life here at ***not allowed to name our project here on Workaway haha ***

• 

  Mais alguns detalhes

  • 

    Acesso à internet

  • 

    Acesso à internet limitado

  • 

    Temos mascotes

  • 

    Somos fumantes

  • 

    Pode hospedar famílias

• 

  Pode hospedar nômades digitais

  The space has unlimited wifi but it doesn't reach everywhere

• 

  Espaço para estacionar campervans

  We love having people who bring their vans and own setups - we are also happy to provide a variety of project materials so you can also make your setup space more enjoyable during your stay

• 

  Pode aceitar animais

  Due to our dog Cacao (17kg) who has trauma with other dogs, we can only potentially per individual request welcome other dogs who are generally bigger than her, are social and not overly sensitive. Their humans need to be able to be trauma informed on some level and be able to work with the potential integration conflict that could take place whilst the dogs adjust and get to respect each other.

• 

  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  Mais de 2

• 

  Meus animais / animais de estimação

  Rambo

• 

  Este anfitrião cobra uma taxa

  Saiba mais

  Por que a Workaway permite que alguns anfitriões cobrem uma taxa?
  

  A Workaway oferece oportunidades de intercâmbios culturais não monetários, em que os anfitriões fornecem alimentação e acomodação em troca da ajuda dos Workawayers. Em alguns casos excepcionais, uma pequena taxa/pedido de doação (normalmente não mais do que 5 dólares por dia) pode ser aprovada para anfitriões, como instituições de caridade registradas com histórico de feedback positivo de voluntários. Qualquer taxa deve ir diretamente para a instituição de caridade e só pode ser usada para cobrir os custos de alimentação dos voluntários. Isso será claramente indicado na listagem do anfitrião.
  

  São estritamente proibidas as listagens feitas por agentes, "intermediários" ou projetos que pareçam lucrar com a estadia de um voluntário. Quaisquer taxas devem ser discutidas e aprovadas com antecedência pela equipe do Workaway.

  €45/week for food

Segurança do site

Converse com Workawayers que já visitaram este anfitrião

+83

Comentário (91)