By popular demand, I am starting a new Apprenticeship Program for those individuals who want to learn first hand what it takes to live off grid, be self governing and self sufficient.  We have lived off grid for five years and we learned a lot on what it takes to be successful and how to live in harmony with the cycles of nature.  Now is your chance to have a mentor and completely submerse yourself in hands on, real life learning.  The program will run from July to October and those who participate will have opportunities to experience all aspects of off grid life and learn what it really takes to make it work.

This is a great opportunity for those who are serious about learning from experienced individuals and for those who love to learn through hands on experience.  You will experience how to solve problems creatively using materials or tools available to you.  We will utilized donated or salvaged materials from a list of creative sources.  Thinking outside the box and implementing creativity to solve problems is a necessary skill that will be demonstrated out here.  We will also expose you to multiple sources of resources that can really help you survive off grid without a lot of cash flow.  There is a heavy problem solving, thinking outside of the box component to this program and as such we will challenge you on how to solve problems creatively with resources at hand.  This will also be an exercise in working with nature in a respectful and balanced way.  Being flexible and learning to ‘go with the flow’ is i mportant as each day is different due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.  Each morning we will have a planning session to work out what needs to be done each day and who will accomplish the tasks.

Through this summer and fall we will be working on the following items.  There is no guarantee that you will experience all this but we will do our best to ensure you do.

Harvesting fire wood – Selecting wood from the bush, bucking up the wood with chain saws and splitting the wood with axes and wood splitter.  The wood is then stacked for drying or stored in the wood shed.  Wood shed also needs some minor repairs too.

Construction – We are working on alternative earth rammed greenhouse to grow food all year round.  Some earth ramming is left to do.  Framing, installing windows, doors and plastic is yet to be accomplished.  There is also a rocket stove to build, benches, tables, water systems, plumbing and raised garden beds.  An aquaponics system will also be set up so that we can also raise fish as well.

We also have chicken tractors, fences and other outbuildings that needs to be constructed this summer too.  We need to get pens setup so that we can separate our male goat from the females to control breeding and get ready for raising pigs.

We may also clear sites for a barn and five off grid cabins.  Depending on funding we will also build these cabins (earthship, straw bale, cob, container and traditional stick cabin) and hiking trails so th at we can access each of them.

Taking care of live stock – You will have opportunities to care for the goats, chickens and turkeys.  May include milking, collecting eggs, feeding, watering, changing bedding, acquiring feed, etc.  We will also show you what to watch for in regards to behaviors that could indicate illness or other problems that needs to be addressed and how to treat them should they occur.

Maintenance – There will be opportunities to maintain the solar system, batteries, water systems, outbuildings, generators, small engines, fences, etc.  The generator needs to be rebuilt and the root cellar also needs to be completed before winter in order to store the produce from the garden.  So some mechanical work and tire pounding will be completed and earth moved using the tractor.  These skills are good if you are interested in building earthships or using tires for building earth berm or if you want to learn how to build a root cellar.  We also have solar panels to mount on the roof, fascia, soffit, siding, doors, frames and a cistern to finish on mom’s house.  So if you want some experience on installing these plus learn about plumbing and electrical then there is some opportunities there too.  Mom’s house is also completely off grid, so you will work with several off grid structures and see the differences and benefits of each.

Harvesting – This fall we have the garden that needs to be harvested and there will also be opportunities to learn how to slaughter chickens, turkeys and goats.  The harvest will involve freezing, canning, butchering and / or storing meat and vegetables for the winter using methods that are conducive to off grid living.  There are many tasks that need to be done to prepare for winter and ensuring it gets done before the winter freeze.

Food preparation – There will be multiple opportunities to learn how to make your own food as well.  My wife is a great baker and forager.  So we do eat home made food, wild food and home grown food as much as we can.  There will be opportunities to learn what foods can be eaten (leaves, flowers, buds, fruit, nuts, mushrooms, etc) and how to collect and prepare them.

Self Governance training – You will receive a life time membership to the website where you can attend the online workshops and classes.  This will round out your training on more of the intellectual aspects of self governance.

Time commitment – We are asking that those interested in being an apprentice commit to 120 hours through 8 weekends over the full four months.  That will ensure a good range of experiences is accomplished over that time period.

Consideration – We ask for 120 hours of your time (over 4 months) plus $100 for individual or $125 for a couple per weekend (to cover food, etc) and in exchange I will provide a life time membership to the website plus life altering, hands on training and experience, so that you can learn how to live off grid and govern the self.  I am also willing to spend time with you to teach or talk about other subject matter related to the work that we do out here on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.

I will share all that I can on breaks so that you have the experience and skills necessary to get back to the basics.  I am convinced that you will leave here with the confidence and skills necessary to tackle what most people perceive as a very daunting and overwhelming task of letting go of the system and becoming completely self sufficient and living in harmony with nature – as God intended us to do.  The time you spend out here will save you hundreds or even thousands of hours of effort as you have access to individuals who learned the hard way and are willing to share lessons learned at the school of hard knocks.

Space is very limited as we will only accept a small number of apprentices this year.  If you are interested in the program then please contact me by filling in the form at the bottom of the page as possible as we will start the second weekend in July and run it on a specific schedule till the end of October.

Schedule will be worked out during the first work weekend with all those who attend and there is a private contract and confidentiality agreement to be signed when the program starts.  I reserve the right to pre-qualify people for the Apprenticeship Program as I will only accept people who are serious about learning, working and finishing the program.  It is hard work and hard learning.  Only those who are serious about learning are encouraged to apply.  People must maintain a reasonable level of physical fitness in order to participate in this program as the work can be demanding.
Apprentices who successfully complete the program may receive offers to come out and participate in a leadership program so that these skills can be passed on to more people in the future.

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