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Short-term volunteers come to help with our work for certain pre-arranged weeks in the spring, summer and fall each year. They are asked to contribute for bed & board - $5.00 (if you're employed) or $4.00 (low-waged or unemployed) per weekday, and $6.00/$5.00 per weekend day. Since we take only four volunteers per week and demand is great, especially in summer, the Programme tends to get fully booked up fairly early each year.

We always recommend that potential volunteers have a good think about why they want to come in the light of what we have to offer. The Volunteer Programme is not a course, and we do not give any formal training or instruction. Conditions are far from luxurious. Volunteers have the chance to learn and experience what we are doing through working, talking to people, consulting information material, etc.. It is very much up to the individual.

A variety of different work tasks are undertaken in each volunteer week, and an element of flexibility is essential (especially dependent on the weather!). Sometimes volunteers are simply asked to help with whatever jobs are most urgent at the time.

It is easy to imagine that we spend all our time erecting windmills or building solar panels, but actually most of the work we do is pretty ordinary: digging holes and barrowing rocks about, fixing leaks, cooking, cleaning, word processing, answering letters, removing slugs or making firewood ....... We do try to use people's skills appropriately where possible, but volunteers may well end up doing routine stuff. It is therefore best to bear this in mind!

Accommodation is basic Youth Hostel-style, shared with other volunteers. Food, drinks, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tampons, etc., are all provided. Volunteers need to bring a sleeping-bag, a flashlight, strong and warm work clothes, sturdy footwear, rubber boots and waterproof clothing - depending on the season, it could rain a lot! We ask you not to bring any animals and we do not tolerate drugs. The minimum age for residential participation is 18.

We ask volunteers to try to arrive on the Monday of the week they are booked, not Sunday. There is no work organised for volunteers at the weekend, but they are welcome to stay through the weekend until the following Monday morning. Travel to Moser River is fairly easy by car, bus or thumb. A bus runs daily from and to Halifax.

For dates and a booking form please contact us giving your postal address and/or fax no.

Please note that our short term volunteer programme is very popular (luckily for us!) and tends to be fully booked by the end of March each year. Book early if you want a place.

If the date you wanted is full we do sometimes have cancellations - please let us know if you would like to be put on a short list for cancellations - contact us for dates.