Volunteer Opportunities

The Centre generally has opportunities for:

Short Term Placements (a few days to 2 weeks)

Long Term Placements (usually 3-6 months)
(see list below..)

Short Term placements are generally between April and November. Please apply well in advance to insure we have available space. If you plan to camp, the more the merrier especially during preparation for the Stone Soup Festival. Preparations start in April and continue until August.

Long Term volunteers can stay on or off site depending on the availability of accommodation. Off site, we can help you find accommodation if need be. On site, there are spaces for five volunteers. Campers anytime!

Long Term Volunteers are usually booked some time in advance. They must be able to provide their own means of support, but we do offer room and board (only for on site vols). Site residents take turns cooking and other kitchen chores, so be prepared to join the rotation. LTVs can attend our workshops or courses for free (subject to availability of spare places). English As A Second Language is available at all times from a qualified ESL teacher.

It is an excellent experience to begin or refresh a career in sustainable technology and practices.

Fill out the registration form to get started.

As you look at the following list of departments in need of volunteers, please keep in mind that the Bay of Islands Center is still in its early stages. Much basic ground work needs to be done, some depertments have yet to be formally organized. For volunteers with initiative and some experience, this can be a very interesting multi-disciplinary opportunity and a challenge.

General Office - administration, book keeping, database management, website maintenance, general office duties, customer relations General Mechanical - maintenance of existing equipment, organisation and supervision of tools and materials Publishing - DTP/Editorial/Web Information - Database/research/ responding to enquiries Engineering - all sorts including renewable energy Building - all sorts including trails, eco-tents, work shops, volunteer & visitor accommodations (possibly using straw bale construction methods) Media - press relations, publicity, marketing, arts & culture products (film)	Gardening - including siting, planning and food preparation (in season) Biology - display and experimental gardens, maintenance and composting Hospitality/Food - all aspects of accommodating, feeding and catering to small and medium sized groups. Forestry - remedial silviculture, selection harvesting, road and trail maintenance. Forest Products (non-fiber) - identify and use non-fiber forest products sustainably. Carpentry/ Woodworking - value added utilization of forest thinnings, furniture making, woodcraft Site Management - all aspects of managing and maintaining the visitor circuit, including a little bit of all disciplines. We can use most skills.	special events coordinator membership coordinator volunteer coordinator project developers - perhaps BOI can partner with you to help your community project become a success IT specialists for website maintenance and computer troubleshooting accountants (or those with book keeping skills) administrator and / or administrative assistant engineering, technical forestry, selection cutting, remediation trails building & maintenance wilderness camp construction Carpentry, building, construction, masonry, stonework technical maintenance gardening, food preparation & preservation new technologies, alternative energy value added forestry products research
Last but definitively not least, we would very much appreciate help in the day to day operation and general maintenance of the Center. Cooking, cleaning, organising of social events are areas that can always use some extra help.

Please fill out the registration form, stating which area of work and dates you are interested in. We are looking for people with the maximum of useful experience or skills but welcome all.