Many of our applicants find us through WWOOF Mexico.
What is WWOOFing?
WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. It's a world wide program which connects organic farmers with a source of low cost labor. Farming organically is still very labor intensive, as mechanical methods of weed and insect control haven't received the attention or research that chemical methods have. WWOOFers and volunteers at the Bosque help for about five and a half hours a day, five days a week, at a variety of jobs on the property. In return, volunteers receive room and board and have a chance to see a lot more of the world than they would staying in hotels and eating out all the time. If you are unfamiliar with WWOOFing please review this site: Aims of WWOOF.
Volunteering at the Bosque Village:
We host volunteers from all over: US, Mexico, and overseas. In addition to being an organic farm we follow permaculture practices. If you are unfamiliar with permaculture please read here: Permaculture Wikipedia.
We have over 100 gardens in different microclimates that offer the opportunity for our long term volunteers to experiment with and explore the worlds of organic farming and permaculture.
We have a friendly but hard working program. We offer a variety of work and great opportunities to learn. All volunteers will work 5-6 hours a day and help with chores around the houses for a small amount of time.
Seasonal and Ongoing Projects
While you're here, you may work on several of the projects listed below. We give every volunteer a variety of different tasks to provide an enriching experience.
Seasonal:
April, May: garden prep
June: cuttings, plantings galore!
July, August, September, November, December: garden maintenance and harvesting
Ongoing:
Natural building: cob, cobwood, adobe, strawbale, earthships, earth roofs, earthen floors.
Trail maintenance
Cleaning, cooking
Mural painting
Trail marking
Creating rain and temperature charts
GPS and mapmaking
Plant identification and research of plant uses
Product development
Requirements:
- All participants must speak functional English or Spanish.
- Previous job experience required. Manual labor experience preferred.
- Volunteering requires work for about 5-6 hours a day. Since this is physical labor, you should ensure that you are physically fit to do the work. If you have concerns or special needs please let us know in your application. We are at a high altitude, so even the most fit people will need a couple of days to adjust if traveling from low altitude locations.
- We expect our volunteers to work hard. While our program is friendly, we are very serious about our project! Volunteers who stay here but do not fulfill the commitment to work during scheduled hours will be asked to find other accommodations, or pay for a personal retreat.
- You will work with both residents of the Bosque, other volunteers, and crew from a local village. You must be willing to communicate with people who don't speak your native language (hand signals work!). You should also be willing to work alone.
- We do not have facilities for your pets.
- You must like dogs as there are 10 on the farm. They are goofy and friendly.
- Be prepared to pitch in as needed on your own accord - sweeping out the guesthouse, cabana, terraces, doing dishes, etc. As a volunteer, you'll be a resident of the Bosque during your stay. By helping care for our buildings, gardens, and forest you will have a more fulfilling experience.
- You must be prepared for our very rural location. The closest village (of around 400 people) is a 3km walk.
- There is no smoking on our property and we discourage unhealthy foods. Alcohol is acceptable outside of working hours.
- All participants are required to be covered by insurance. See this page: WWOOFer Insurance. All visitors and volunteers sign a liability waiver.
- While we do have a two week minimum commitment, we also hold an evaluation one week into your volunteer time with us. If for any reason either party is not satisfied, we will ask you to look for other opportunities.
Cost:
Our volunteer program costs $500 pesos per week. Click here for approximate euros per week. Click here for approximate dollars per week. The volunteer program is a way to visit the Bosque for a discounted stay (you save $1250 pesos per week), learn about how a project like this works, and actively participate in creating this space!
Your contribution goes towards food, lodging, and supporting the project.
Click here if you are interested in knowing more details about why we charge.
Benefits:
- An opportunity to interact closely with people from different cultures.
- Internet access on a guest computer.
- Practical training on the concepts and techniques involved in organic and permaculture farming.
- Natural building training and experience.
- A taste of living off the grid in a rural setting.
- Hot shower facilities - run by our solar hot water heater.
- Healthy, vegetarian meals. Vegan options available when the need exists. Visitors are welcome to bring meat if they wish.
- Enjoying a vacation in a different way that involves a lot of learning and less monetary expenditure.
- Some physical exercise in the forest and countryside.
- A chance to explore this area of Michoacán, Mexico.
Testimonials
Many of our past volunteers have written testimonials about their time working with us.
Tips for Volunteers:
- Plan your visit well in advance so we can see what is available. Keep us up to date on changes to your plans.
- Check what type of work we have for the time you would like to visit. Activities vary according to the season. Planting is in June.
- WWOOF Myths Held by WWOOFers
- Make sure you pack appropriately. Some visitors don't believe that Mexico can be cold at times - bring layers! We will send you a good packing list on acceptance of your application. If you arrive without a headlamp or watch we will expect you to buy one.
Accommodations:
- Accommodation is in wooden cabanas which are cold at night. We provide blankets, but if you have a nice warm sleeping bag you may want to bring it. Mattresses are comfortable. See the packing list to be sure you are prepared for the work and the climate.
- We offer our guesthouse to volunteers for use of the kitchen, shower, and living area. You may make fires in the guesthouse in mornings and evenings - especially in the winter and chilly parts of the rainy season. We expect volunteers to keep shared spaces clean and orderly.
- Simple breakfasts in the guesthouse - granola, oatmeal, and fresh fruits are available. A mid-day meal and light dinner are provided daily - volunteers help cook during working hours.
Positions currently available:
We can schedule a phone conversation with all applicants interested in volunteering with us. If you are interested in long term volunteering (over one month) we will schedule a mandatory phone chat.
- Standard Volunteer: Participate in ongoing projects which vary according to season. Depending on when you come to help, you may learn about natural building, organic permaculture gardening, humanure composting, solar and cob ovens, solar panels and alternative energy, vegetarian cooking and outdoor cooking, and ecological living. You can expect to work on a variety of tasks based on our needs and your interests. Minimum commitment: 2 weeks.
- Garden and Plant Propagation Manager: This position requires the applicant to be skilled in the management and maintenance of an annual based garden system of nearly 5 acres of gardens. Applicants with considerable garden experience are encouraged to apply. Ongoing projects on the farm and in the local community will also enrich your experience. Minimum commitment: 2 months. We prefer Garden Managers start on or before June 1st.
- Web writer and translation : This position requires native Spanish and fluent English. Must have excellent written and spoken communication. Your days will include translation along with normal volunteer tasks. Minimum commitment: 2 weeks.
- Kitchen Manager: Must have base knowledge of running a kitchen. We will train you in food prep. Should be able to manage peers who work with you. Your days will include kitchen help along with normal volunteer tasks. Minimum commitment: 2 months.
- Internships: We seek graduate students in the areas of landscape architecture, alternative technologies, event planning, engineering, botany, eco-village design, permaculture, MBA (with a focus on sustainability, social-justice, or environmental values), and other relevant fields. We are interested in setting up programs with universities and working in partnership with students studying fields related to what we are doing here at the Bosque.
- Other skills needed: Yoga and movement instruction, activity leadership, graphic design, mapmaking, programming (MySQL, php, etc), builders.
Application:
We do require that potential volunteers fill out our application.
We are happy to host couples and friends, but every person in your group must fill out a separate application. Please do not use the same essay.
