May has been an tremendously beautiful month with the heat of the sun showing his face here in the high desert, punctuated with the eloquence of thunderstorms. We’ve found our Natural Building Coordinator to move toward completion of the community straw bale building. Individualized summer internships are available in natural building, permaculture, and community building. And we have paid positions for Youth Mentors for our Teen “Apprentorship” program. See the bottom of this message!
Cob is Natural Building and Community Building… The ten day ‘cob workshop’ has been a ceremony of natural building and community building…although difficult to part from the family created by working together making beauty, we each carry much needed inspiration and skills to share with our friends and family. Cob is not only a beautiful, efficient, affordable, and healthy building material, but a movement of people remembering and sharing how to shelter and nurture ourselves and our communities. “Allow one’s sphere of concern to be close to one’s sphere of influence…” let us be at home and close to our hearts with actions of powerful change. We invite you to come to our upcoming June Service Learning weekend if you’d like to experience putting your hands and hearts into the cob!
EVENTS AND PROGRAMS
SERVICE LEARNING WEEKENDS
No Cost. Food is potluck with kitchen facilities and community gathering space to share. Tent camping or camp ‘inside’ straw bale community building with other folks (under construction) if needed. Families welcome. RSVP (please include your phone number and email address) and receive directions at info@quailsprings.org or 805-886-7239.
Saturday, June 10 & Sunday, June 11 – Continuation of building a small, beautiful, cob cabin
Come see the simple beauty of a cob home and experience cob building for yourself! Where May’s 10 day workshop leaves off, we’ll pick up…this MAY include building walls, creating details, plastering, preparing a living roof, or earthen flooring…
SUMMER RESIDENTIAL TEEN “APPRENTORSHIP” PROGRAM
Dates: July 3-23, 2006 Cost: $1,500 (Partial scholarships are available)
This unique and innovative 3-week intensive will offer the youth, aged 13-18 an opportunity to gain hands on personal development and vocational skills in natural building, permaculture design, sustainable food systems, composting, energy orders, simple aquaculture, ecological restoration, animal stewardship, wild animal tracking, healthy food preparation, nature appreciation and awareness, personal and community relationship building, “old way” earth skills, and many other activities and learning around the farm and in the surrounding wilderness. This program will have a limited capacity, keeping the group small to allow depth of experience for youth participants. See our website www.quailsprings.org for more info.
“TENDING THE FIRES OF REMEMBRANCE, stepping on the trail of vision and hope” with Barry Brailsford and Warren Brush
Saturday and Sunday, July 8th and 9th
Renowned New Zealand wisdom keeper and storyteller, Barry Brailsford, is returning for another weekend of Tending the Fires of Remembrance. The workshop in April, which was at capacity, was such a success in its great weaving of spirit and story for all who were fortunate to participate that he and his wife, Cushla, have changed their travel plans to return here to host another two-day intensive along with Warren Brush and the other caretakers at Quail Springs. This will be a unique 2-day intensive opportunity to nurture our approach toward our inherent gifts and visions of relevance.
Join renowned New Zealand author, storyteller, elder, wisdom keeper, and teacher, Barry Brailsford and local California storyteller, poet, and teacher, Warren Brush in weaving together two concerted days of learning through stories, sensory activities, and reflection among the gifts of nature. This retreat is designed to light your fire of awakening and awareness that will support and nurture your traverse of your own unique and inspired trail of vision and hope. We will interlace stories of old and new, from Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Turtle Island (N. America) along with hands-on, experiential activities to stimulate the recognition of your inherent gifts, attunement of your senses, and a wakeful surrender to your original instructions.
There is very limited space in this workshop and we ask that if you are interested in attending that you register soon on our website at www.quailsprings.org or email Warren Brush at w@quailsprings.org.
POSITIONS AND INTERNSHIPS
HIRING MENTORS FOR SUMMER TEEN “APPRENTORSHIP” PROGRAM
June 27th to July 22nd live-in/full time (paid positions with camping and board)
We have two positions available to work as mentors and guides for teenaged youth who are attending our Teen Apprentorship Program. We are looking for good hearted souls who walk with integrity and who have varying experience with youth, the natural world, stewardship, sustainability and healthy communication. Each position will be responsible for the day to day care and well-being of no more than four teenaged youth as they are immersed in our community supported environment. The youth and the paid mentors will be learning through hands on experience in natural building, permaculture design and application, earth skills, observation and reflection, stewardship and the honoring of those things that sustain us. The folks we hire for these positions will the type of people who “jump right in” when work is at hand, the flow of things needs assistance, and when the elders need chairs… To apply please send a message to Warren Brush at w@quailsprings.org.
Internships in Natural Building, Permaculture, and Community Building
June through October, 2006 with flexible one to three month lengths of stay, live-in/full time (camping and board)
Internship positions are available in varying lengths from June through October 2006. These are individualized internships based upon your interests and abilities and our needs and availability. Desire for direct work experience in natural building, permaculture and community building required. Experience or training in natural building or permaculture is beneficial, but not required. You must have a good sense of humor, a community minded approach to life, an honorable work ethic, a great appreciation for the earth, and a willingness to share with youth and adults. These are full time, live-in internships which provide meals and camping accommodations in a nurturing community environment. For consideration, please email your resume and cover letter to info@quailsprings.org.