Holistic Retreat Center in a forest reserve in the lake region of northern Patagonia

About the workproject

We need 11 volunteers

Volunteers required for various indoor and outdoor activities at a holistic retreat center in a forest reserve in remote northern Patagonia.

We are currently accepting volunteers.

OUR VISION AND HOW WE CHOOSE TO LIVE
To empower humanity, inspire connection and to awaken our true potential through experiential learning.

We have been welcoming international volunteers to our home for over 6 years, living together in a large barn in the middle of the forest. 80% of our land is an old growth forest reserve and for the cultivated land, the overall vision is to produce fruits, vegetables, grains, livestock and honey for ourselves, guests and eventually to the surrounding communities.

Between January to April, we hold our own week long retreats of personal transformation to guests from all over the world and we host retreats led by international practitioners. There may be opportunities for volunteers to participate in our own retreats at a discounted rate.

Much of the work here is of a physical nature, however, the main requirement we ask for is to have a positive attitude, flexibility and a willingness to work and learn. As we are all living together, we are all responsible for various communal tasks in our free time as this is essential for basic cleanliness and comfort which is in the spirit of the retreat center e.g. keeping the kitchen clean at all times, bathrooms, our bedrooms, indoor and outdoor communal spaces.

Life here offers opportunities to practice honest and effective communication, the gift of giving and serving others, the capacity to live in balance with nature and our environment, the art of creative expression and the value and dynamics of cooperation. Our home has become known as a safe space that nurtures personal growth and provides an opportunity to develop personal life skills.

Travelers can be exposed to the local community of farmers in the area. The predominant language spoken here is English though there are usually native Spanish speakers as well.

Fun stuff to do here: cultural exchange, walking in the forest, hiking up the mountain or to the thermal springs, swimming in the lake or waterfall, jam sessions, deep and meaningful conversations and connections.

In general, the help can involve, chopping wood, digging, sowing seeds, gardening, cooking, baking, cleaning, hospitality, road maintenance, construction, renovation, painting, plumbing, electrical, beekeeping, marketing, fundraising and admin help on computers.

If you have any unique skills or experience in any of the above list, we would love to hear about it. Preference will be given to volunteers who can assist us in our immediate needs. Gardening work may only be available to experienced gardeners. We especially welcome help from master gardeners, beekeepers, yoga teachers, massage therapists, healers, nutritionists and social media professionals. We do try to match your skills and passions to the work available through priority is Always given to our needs at the time. Volunteers need to be flexible, as work shifts and work days can vary from week to week. Hours consist of 6 hours a day, 5 days a week.

We encourage our volunteers to host skill-based workshops of things that they are passionate about during the free time. In the past, volunteers have offered yoga, guided meditations, Tai Chi, massages, energy healing, etc. When we share our knowledge, what we feel passionate about then we can all learn form each other.

From 1st Oct to 30th April, we require a 6-week commitment. We ask all our volunteers to commit to staying to these periods as we feel it takes this amount of time to fully integrate into this environment and for us all to have the best possible experience. After the first week, we will review your situation with you to check you have settled in and that you are able to live in alignment with our core values. Our high season in the summer, is from 1st Oct through to 30th April, during this period we can accommodate 25 to 35 volunteers at one time. In the winter (May to September, when the weather is colder and wetter) we may drop to 10 volunteers or less. We only require a 4 week commitment between 1 May 2020 to 30th Sept 2020.

There may be a possibility of staying on longer though this would be discussed after arrival and would be by mutual agreement. As in any relationship, it will ultimately depend on our mutual experience and on the degree to which initiative, quality of work and commitment has been demonstrated.

To apply, please try to contact us in advance and let us know which Monday you would like to arrive, how long you would like to stay for, what your skill set and abilities are, why you would like to come here and what your contribution would be.

Please let us know if there are any health concerns you would like us to be aware of.

We ask everyone to arrive in Osorno on a Monday in time to catch the local 2pm bus. The bus will drop you off at the end of the road. From there you have 2 options, first option is to have a car bring you down, we can arrange this for you if you confirm with us. The cost is $6000 pesos per car ride which can be divided by the number of passengers being picked up. The second option is to walk down a distance of 5k which will take about 1 ½ hours. You can take an overnight bus from Santiago to Osorno.

As we are opening our home to you, we are only able to accept volunteers who have a total commitment to a healthy and holistic approach to life and who truly appreciate the beauty of nature.

In our way of living here, we try to stay as close to nature as possible and we will not accept any of the following on our property:
- Dishonesty
- Smoking
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Wastage as in damage/neglect of our property and litter
- Pets ( we already have disharmony with our cats and dogs)
- Excessive noise
- Poor timekeeping

This is fundamental to us and we are committed to our policies. We reserve the right to ask you to leave if you are having difficulty aligning to our core values. There will be no negotiation on this. If you feel you cannot align with our policies, then you should consider applying elsewhere.

Please remember that it is Your responsibility to have the correct insurance whilst travelling and volunteering. we do recommend that you have insurance in place before leaving home especially in relation to any medical coverage. To ensure your insurance policy fits your requirements, make sure to read everything in your policy including the small print.
Workaway and HelpX both recommend using World Nomads for insurance.

So that I know you have fully read our profile, please include “I have read your profile thoroughly” when messaging us and the Monday date you are thinking of arriving.

Look forward to hearing from you,
Love and light, Helen and Greg