Apprenticeship Program
April 1 - 25, 2008
May 1 – 25, 2008
Sep 1-25, 2008
Oct 1-25, 2008
Ecovillage Apprenticeships
Summertown, TN, The Farm community.
Apprenticeship program in either organic food production or natural building. Organic gardening program includes production from seed through harvest, biodynamic and permaculture methodologies, and soil building. Construction program includes hands-on experience with natural buildings of all types as well as the fundamentals of permaculture and ecovillage master planning. This year we will be continuing work on our 11,000 sq.ft. constructed wetlands, our cob visitors center, our cob, strawbale and earthbag sauna, unique "hipitats" and compost toilets, our 3-story fidobe brick office building, Mexican styles of bamboo/earthen walls, plaster, and thatch, and many other interesting projects. Participants in either apprenticeship will learn ecology, energy and resource conservation, social and community skills, and the economics of sustainability. A small weekly fee is charged to offset food and lodging costs. To apply, contact us at ecovillage at thefarm dot org.
June and July, 2008
Apprenticeship in Education and Ecovillage Coordination
We are offering an apprenticeship in permaculture and ecovillage education. This apprenticeship will focus on educational coordination and outreach and will offer the opportunity to learn and teach permaculture through hands-on group facilitation. Apprentices will participate in our Permaculture Fundamentals and Ecovillage Design courses. This is a great opportunity for people interested in teaching ecological education or facilitation techniques. Come live and learn at the Ecovillage Training Center. This program is open to all interested applicants, however candidates with prior instructor experience and/or a permaculture design certificate are preferred.
View Apprentice Web Journal
Former Apprentices: Add to Apprentice Web Journal!
The selection process is competitive. Each year we receive more applications than we can approve. There is no form to use. Applicants should send an email explaining their interest and qualifications and stating what dates are best for them. The process of selection for upcoming apprenticeships generally closes some months in advance of the starting dates. Some openings may still occur due to cancellations so apply anyway if you are late in applying. We always consider additional programs or work-exchange between programs if demand is high enough.
Our goal in creating this program is to promote systemic social changes towards sustainable human habitats and to encourage loving personal growth, free artistic expression, caring relationships, deep environmental awareness, and celebration of cultural and individual differences. We hope to inspire people to work for something bigger than themselves.
The more immediate goals are:
- To help catalyze the creation of more ecovillages;
- To move students from understanding and concept development to practice;
- To explore sustainability issues in all myriad forms;
- To provide hands-on, experiential learning in the environment of a 30-year experimental community.
Our expectations of students:
Students will spend at least 30 hours per week on assignments and tasks related to the Program. At times we may adopt the "Amish diet" of long, physical work days.
Students will endeavor to work well with one another and with the staff. They will also have time to enjoy the vastness of the Milky Way, the chilll of a dawn swim in a pure stream, and the stimulus of exceptional company.
Students will have a deeper experience of The Farm community than a casual visit or short course might provide.
Class size limited so early registration is recommended.
Accommodations:
Bunk houses and camp sites are available for the entire course. There are showers, bathrooms and laundry machines available. Bedding is provided. A limited number of private rooms are available at typically $30 per night. Wheelchair access provided. Language translation services and limited childcare might be arranged. Bring rain gear, swim gear, comfortable walking shoes, flashlight and towels. Bring a bicycle if you wish.
Apprenticeship FAQ
Q. What is a FAQ?
A. A FAQ is Internet jargon for a Frequently Asked Question.
Q. Do you have internet connections?
A. Yes, these are free, as are local phone calls. We have wireless high speed broadband. You will need a phone card for long distance calls unless you Skype. We do not provide any workstations for apprentices to use for email and internet surfing, so we receommend you bring your own laptop or wireless device.
Q. Will you accept apprentices from other countries?
A. Yes, but apprentices need to have sufficient English language skill to follow instructions accurately.
Q. Can you help me obtain a visa?.
A. Yes. We charge additionally for that service. But note that since 2001 the current administration in Washington has made obtaining visas to the US extremely difficult.
Q. How much work will I have to do?
A. Typically, we expect apprentices to do 30 hours of weekly activities, including any required training to understand that activity. Some weeks have more lengthy and intense schedules, depending on the weather, season and projects, but we balance extra work with extra play.
Q. What skills do I need?
A. You must be able to understand spoken English well enough to follow instructions. No other skills are required, though we do like to know what other skills you bring as we may employ them from time to time.
Q. Will I have to work very hard?
A. We are far more interested in efficiency, quality of work done, and enjoyment of the activity and the setting, than in how much energy you expend. If you want to do the minimum of work for what you can get in training, you are not thinking in a way that fits here. Neither is it useful to obsessively work. Right effort is a middle way. When you discover that, it is no longer effort, it is just you. The work should be a part of a good life.
Q. What activities will I be doing?
A. That’s a good question, but not one simply answered. We have so many useful things that can be done here that it is very easy for us to tailor a large part of an apprentice's assignments to meet the apprentice's goals. Garden apprentices will learn organic and biodynamic gardening, Construction apprentices will learn all aspects of natural building. Both will learn the principles of permaculture. Also, everyone here shares in the routine tasks, and not all of them are equally interesting, so we may use a chorewheel rotation
Q. How much decision-making leeway would I have as an apprentice?
A. Initially, very little. We will assign your tasks and provide whatever training is needed for you to complete them. As you become more attuned to our program, or where a certain type of experience would be helpful on your resume, we will assign a project that will be mostly your responsibility.
Q. Will I learn Permaculture Design as an apprentice?
A. Yes, but this is not a formal certification program. That is offered separately in June and July.
Q. I will need some income if I apprentice. How can I earn it?
A. Mainly, there are three ways.
1) The most obvious one is to get a part time job before you come, save up, and use that to join us for 4 weeks.
2) Write grants for various projects that we do not yet undertake due to lack of funds. The apprentice writes him/herself into the grant as some kind of assistant. We have material on grant writing and can help in the program narrative and budget development aspects of such projects. There is no point in thinking about option 2 in, say, an apprenticeship of only one month.
3) Before or after the apprenticeship program we may have limited staff opportunities. We pay $250 per week (or $150/wk if we provide you food and lodging).
Q. Can I get college credit for the program?
A. That depends on your college. We have provided accepted credit for many universities in the past. If your major field of study is somehow allied to permaculture or sustainable living, you may even be able to arrange special credit where no formal university credit policy exists. Our courses and programs offer credit towards a degree from Gaia University.
Q. Can I get an Americorps grant for this training program?
A: Possibly, depending on Americorps program requirements at the present time, but it is complex, and you will need to make your agreement with Americorps well in advance.
Q. Will you house and feed me?
A. Yes. We provide dormitory housing or campsites and full vegan meals. You will be asked to help maintain order and share kitchen duties. You may also have your own personal food specialities and will be given cupboard space for those in the kitchen. The only restriction we have is on dead animals. If you purchase meat or fish, you have to keep it in an outdoor cooler and cannot use our cuttlery, dishware, pots, or preparation and cleaning surfaces, because we maintain a kosher kitchen and do not combine meat and dairy products.
Q. What about my dog?
A. We are a wildlife sanctuary and do not permit domestic pets. You will have to kennel your dog or leave it with a friend.
Q. Do you have a drug policy?
A. We do not want illegal drugs, alcohol, dead animals or tobacco on our property, period. This is not a judgment regarding people who use these substances, simply an expression of how we relate to a high-visibility demonstration space that receives public (federal, state and inter-governmental) and private donor funding.
Q. What kinds of people are you looking for?
A. The most important traits are 1) absolute honesty and forthrightness and 2) Deep respect for private space and boundaries. 3) Almost as important is motivation and the desire to learn what we can teach. 4) As we have already suggested, the lazy person and the workaholic are equally inappropriate here. 5) We will probably become friends if you also have a sense of humor and a deep appreciation of beauty. A reverence for life would not hurt. 6) If you have the knack for knowing when to take initiative and when to come back for guidance, that is great, but a willingness to acquire this rare skill is almost as good. 7) We do not much care about race, color, sexual preference, etc., and we would not enjoy the company of people who make an issue of these matters. 8) We will rejoice in any skills you happen to bring, but we do not weigh them a whole lot in screening applicants. Your quality of character is our major interest.
Q. Sounds great! How do I sign up?
A. We have a fairly formal screening process. Obviously, screening is mutual and we put all the negative stuff we can think of out front so that we can avoid wasted time. If you remain interested, first email us to introduce yourself as a person, so we can get a sense of to whom we are talking. Then you should state your goals for an apprenticeship with us. You can append a resume if you like. We will review the communication and make a decision. If you are accepted, you will be informed by email and your statement of goals may be later used in designing your work program.
Q. All this screening sounds like a lot of fuss. Is it OK if I just call and/or drop by and talk with you for a few hours and look your place over.
A. No. Absolutely not. Don’t even think about it. We have experience living in an "ecovillage zoo" and don’t like it. Because we receive thousands of inquiries, we communicate only by email and most of our responses are automated. It is not part of our personal lifestyle design to answer the same question 1000 times per year, even in the best humor. Because we are a demonstration site for sustainable living, we do welcome self-guided tours and we also take requests for guided tours, generally well in advance. Guided tours need to be a rain or shine commitment, as we divert time from other tasks to prepare for the tour.
Do you have any other questions? Please ask them.
Contact: ecovillage at thefarm dot org
Visit our current course schedule.
The Eco-Hostel is an old Farm house that has been recently renovated and expanded. The house was originally constructed by members of the Farm in the late 70's out of completely recycled materials. Our renovations have included three dormitories, four solar showers, rainwater collection, solar electricity, solar hot water, and wastewater recycling. We have a 2-story passive solar greenhouse with a third story observation deck.
Ecovillage Training Center
I would like to thank you for creating this space which has allowed me to grow in many ways. I did not know how many lessons on invisible architecture and zone zero would happen for me. My relationships have been all very lesson-packed. The courses have been fantastic and I feel like most of the economic value of this apprenticeship has been supported by them.
