SAWA ROCK FARM PERMACULTURE + NATURAL BUILD RESIDENCY

Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share

A unique opportunity to practice the art of living, permaculture, mindfulness, natural building, community living, appropriate technology, composting, harvesting, foraging, nurturing soils and plants for 6 weeks this Autumn!!

ROCK FARM MEETS SAWA

Rock Farm , market garden, community space and horticultural therapy centre, facilitator Ben SAWA , a collective of environmental and socially mindful design professionals, facilitator Ed

WHERE: Rock Farm, Washington, Pulborough West Sussex, UK, RH20 3GR

WHEN: Residency
Friday Course Days

Volunteers Days

Sunday 13th of Sept – Saturday 24th Oct 2020. 25th Sep, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, Oct 2020
Every Monday to Thursday

WHAT: We will be co designing and self building a solar collecting cabin, round house, compost loo, compost hot water shower, rainwater collection, pond and swale system and beautiful permaculture artworks. To provide the therapeutic volunteers with shelter in the colder months.

WHO: Calling permaculture designers, plumbers, sparkies, chippies, brickies, wets, mud slappers, growers, makers, meditators, architecture students, ecologists and all to co-facilitate.

HOW: The priority will not be achievement based but rather therapeutic, practicing nonviolent communication at all times and being most mindful of keeping a peaceful environment for vulnerable visitors, PTSD, learning differences, autism, neuro-diversities and ethnic minorities etc. Smoking and alcohol are not allowed on site.

COVID: given the recent news of the pandemic and updates from the government, we are being extra careful; please note the work happening at Rock farm is important work in the provision of food for veg boxes distributed locally. Social distancing and mask wearing to be maintained as per guidance (see below). Camping will of course follow safe distancing protocol.

COST: The residency is completely funded by the charity of others. Donations will be split between Rock Farm, SAWA and Co facilitators. The Course Days are pay-what-you-can, with a recommended cash donation is £25 / person.

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS EMAIL: sawa.engage@gmail.com

PLEASE COMPLETE FORM BEFORE VOLUNTEERING:

https://forms.gle/B8U3UjjXjwyK9Qs96

COME JOIN US?

1: DAY VOLUNTEER

• ●  All are welcome to join Mon-Thu.
• ●  Start 10am finish at 4pm.
• ●  Basic wholesome Farm Lunch provided (bring supplemental snacks).

  2: RESIDENT VOLUNTEER

• ●  We have limited spaces max for the 6 weeks. Preference to full timers.
• ●  Camp onsite and learn permaculture by living it with us!
• ●  Food: Communal cooking self organised, chip in to the pot. Free lunches on volunteer

  and course days.

• ●  Residential Volunteers will be on a rota to help organise and cook communal food +

  compost

• ●  Daily meditations, site is alcohol and smoke free
• ●  Compost loos, outdoor showers, living on beautiful farm in community
• ●  Resident volunteers must apply by sawa.engage@gmail.com with CV + 300 words

  3: COURSE ATTENDEE

  Fridays: 25th Sept, 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd Oct.

• ●  Practical and theoretical workshops on the farm! Hands on! Showcasing the ethics and

  principles of permaculture and how you can apply this at home in your community!

• ●  Natural Building with Clay, Straw Timber + Lime, Solar Collecting, Compost Heated

  Shower, Companion Planting, Swale Design, Group Workshops and Mindfulness

  Meditation and More!

• ●  Lead teachers: Ed an Architect and Natural Builder, + Ben, Grower and Permculture

  Designer.

• ●  Includes: Organic Vegan Farm Lunch.
• ●  Minibus lift from Brighton or Station pick up, limited places
• ●  Pay what you can, recommended donation £ 25 / person per Friday.
• ●  Kids welcome, but talk will be aimed for adults.
• ●  Start at 10am – Finish 5pm.
• ●  Places are limited, register interest now by email.

  4: CO FACILITATOR

• ●  We need permaculture designers, builders, architects, designers, plumbers with 2 years plus relevant experience to Co-facilitate, build, course assist and grow these community structures.
• ●  Come camp on site for 6 weeks.

• ●  Like all residents you will be on a rota to help organise and cook communal food + compost.
• ●  Communal cooking self organised.
• ●  Free lunches on volunteer and course days.
• ●  Daily short group mindfulness meditations.
• ●  Compost loos, outdoor showers, living on beautiful farm in the community.
• ●  In exchange will receive a 15/1th share of course donations, estimated (£ 25 x 30 ppl x 5

  courses/15 = £250

• ●  Apply now by email please include 300 word reasons for application + CV + portfolio of

  project work.

  GENERAL INFORMATION

  Radical Inclusion

  Is fundamentally what Rock Farm does. It’s the entire reason the farm exists, and our whole model is set up to include and engage marginalised vulnerable people. They are the community, they’re not tokenistic or exceptions, they are the reason the project is here. Let priorities be their needs on site at all times. Please keep a calm and peaceful atmosphere on site at all times. We can always be more inclusive. But our position on a day-to-day level is basically, “How can we make this site accessible to you?”

  COVID

  Please can we all follow updated UK Government Covid Guidelines . As we are all volunteers on the Rock Farm Market Farm Project, the site can be considered as an outdoor workplace. So please:

• –  Maintain 2m social distancing where possible
• –  Wear a mask when working in close proximity
• –  Wash your hands regularly at hand washing stations especially between sharing tools

  etc

• –  Please don’t crowd any areas of the site, particularly around the kitchen cabin
• –  Please don’t go inside sheds in close proximity to each other, go in small indoor spaces

  one at time

• –  Some of the Rock Farm visitors may be more vulnerable to Covid than others, e.g.

  people with underlying health conditions.

• –  Stay safe, think of others.

  Atmosphere on site

  Given the primary user group for the site, we want to maintain a healthy, happy and peaceful energy to the space. Practising non violent communications at all times. Please be as mindful

and aware as possible of the impact of your actions on those around you. People with Autism may take things very literally and be sensitive to loud noises, like hammering nails in. Please consider this when working. Please try to practice compassionate listening and loving kindness as much as possible.

Circle Time, Meetings and Meditations

As part of learning and practice of living in community, it is very important we all work on the health of our minds. We plan to have daily circles as a group to check in with each other, to check we are aware of anyone’s challenges or sufferings. Short mindfulness meditations before lunch each day will offer an opportunity to re-engage awareness of the body and senses, and to rest the mind – which can often become overactive and stressed.

Travel

Rock farm has a minivan that goes to and from Brighton, and can take people on volunteer and course days (Wednesday, Thursday and Friday).
Nearest railway stations to site Pulborough and Worthing. Potential to organise a pick up + drop off on course days in the Minivan.

There is Car Parking for 20+ cars on site. Plenty of spaces for bike parking. Be green and clean: CYCLE!
Google pin location of car park is here: https://goo.gl/maps/tpfJHipWVs4v7CqCA

Food

Rock Farm Lunch provided for Volunteers Monday to Thursday, and on Friday Course Days. Produce will come from Rock Farm, and local farms and organic wholefood providers. Local, Seasonal, Organic and Vegan! Let us know if you have dietary requirements on the form.

Water + Electricity

Please note there is no mains electricity; some campervans may have capacity to charge phones. We will have a generator for some building activities.

There is mains water on site and we will be making a compost heated shower to heat it – should be up in running at the end of the first week.

What to bring?

Working clothes, up to you depending on weather, long sleeves, rain racket, hat, working gloves. Covid: face Mask, hand sanitiser is always useful. Water bottle + snacks. For specialist tools, ask Ed what is happening that day.

Camping

We have limited spaces, please apply soon for these spots. Preference for 6 weeks. Tent and Campervans welcome.

FRIDAY COURSE DAY – A 5 PART SERIES

Overview

SAWA in Collaboration with Rock Farm and a team of Co-Facilitators and Residential Volunteers will be camping out on the Farm for 6 weeks, Monday 14th September – Saturday 24th Oct 2020.

A unique opportunity to practice the art of living, with daily group meetings, meditations, natural building, appropriate technology, community living, composting, harvesting, foraging, nurturing soils and plants, for 6 weeks this Autumn.

We will be co-designing and self-building a solar collecting cabin, round house, compost loo, compost hot water shower, rainwater collection system and beautiful informative artworks!

We will be running five, one day courses (Fridays). Each course will cover an Introduction to Permaculture but will then showcase some examples in more detail. The five workshops are themed around the 5 elements. Earth, Water, Wind, Fire and Spirit.

This course series should give you the foundation principles on how to live a more sustainable, regenerative and healthy life for you, the world and others around you. It will give you some practical skills and knowledge of how to apply this to your life. As well as a systematic conceptual shift away from the product-based extractive system, we live to a cyclical, ethical, ecological and balanced system of living based around fairness of sharing and valuing all beings, energy and matter.

A great way to spend the day with friends and family, learning and growing together.

Course Day Timings

10.00 am Introduction Talk Principles and Ethic of Permaculture + Walking Tour of progressive natural builds onsite.

11.30 am 1.00 pm 1.10 pm 2.00 pm 4.00 pm 4.10 pm

Theory and Practical Example One of Five Elements (Changes each week) A Short Mindfulness Meditation/Moment
Free Farm Lunch
Theory and Practical Example One of Five Elements (Changes each week) Short Mindfulness Meditation/Moment

Final Closing Talk Discussion + Closing Circle

Weekly Content Topics

1. 25th Sept – Fire Element
   1. 1.1.  Biochar making and applications
   2. 1.2.  Hot compost making for hot showers
2. 2nd Oct – Wind Element
   1. 2.1.  Framed structures cross bracing + hazel willow bending + planting
   2. 2.2.  Garden layout, companion planting.
3. 9th Oct – Water Element
   1. 3.1.  Rainwater collection
   2. 3.2.  Pond + Swale design
4. 16th Oct – Earth Element
   1. 4.1.  Identifying mixing earth clays, limes and sands types for construction
   2. 4.2.  Applications for earth blocks, cob, wattles’n’daubes and plasters
5. 23rd Oct – Spirit Element
   1. 5.1.  Seeds Saving and Sharing
   2. 5.2.  Social permaculture, community and collective intelligence.

The course subjects may be subject to change slightly, given the opportunities and that might arise on site. Permaculture/ ingenious design style.

Cost – Fair Share

The project is being run on a shoestring charitable budget. Donations will be split between Rock Farm Running Costs, SAWA Professional Time and Co facilitators. Please donate generously so projects like these can grow!
Please bring cash, pay what you can, recommended donation £ 25 / person. Kids are welcome and can pay less. Ben has a card reader and can also invoice people via email.

FOR ALL APPLICATIONS CONTACT SAWA BY EMAIL:

sawa.engage@gmail.com

Join WhatsApp Group Here

https://chat.whatsapp.com/ErCqH9OLvlg6UwgWa36C1j

PLEASE EVERYONE MUST COMPLETE THIS FORM/S BEFORE VOLUNTEERING

https://forms.gle/B8U3UjjXjwyK9Qs96