There are seven sections in this application. The application will not save your work, so we recommend that you type your answers in a separate document and copy and paste them into this form as you complete it.

• Section One:
  
  
  • Navigating this application
  • Determine if this program is for you
  • Review Application Fee
  • Time Commitment
  • Your Rights and Responsibilities in Community
  • Other Noteworthy Points
  • Available Internship Roles
    Note that your choices at this step will customize which position questions you answer in section five. You must select all positions you plan to apply for here. 

• Section Two: About You and Your Intentions for Applying

  This is where we gather any info we need to be able to host you and where you get to share resumes, referral letters, your intentions for applying and how you learned about us.
  
  
  

• Section Three: Assessment of Fit for our Internship Program
  

  We want to empower you to explore your passions as well as give you the opportunity to learn from the land and all of its stewards. We are looking for self-organized & self-motivated folks who will meet deadlines without reminders and will set up and consistently maintain their schedules.
  
  
  

• Section Four: Assessment of Fit for Living and Learning with the Community

  Here we ask you to go deeper into reflections on living in community, your personal philosophies & unique skills and understandings for creating a more sustainable and regenerative world. These questions are divided into the categories according to GAIA Education's Sustainability Wheel: World View, Social, Economic and Ecological.
  
  
  

• Section Five: Selected Position Questions From Introduction and Program Details Section
  
  You will see the specific questions as per the selection you made earlier. If you do not see these questions, please use the back button provided (NOT your browswers back button) to go back to the introduction page to make your selection. Each position you selected will have it's own about page and questions.
  
  

• Section Six: Payment & Application Submission
  

  Safety and security are important to our community and we ask everyone joining us to complete a background check. The fee to complete it is $57. A $300 refundable security deposit is required for any potential property damages. If none occur that amount will be refunded at the end of your stay. 
  

This internship is designed primarily for individuals who are interested in gaining new skills in permaculture, land stewardship, and community resilience through an immersive, yet co-created learning experience. Minimum age requirement is 21.

Important traits we look for in applicants include:

• Curious and self-motivated
• Service-oriented and self-aware
• Enthusiastic about living in community
• Passionate about ecological living and the more-than-human world
• Value consent, equity, transparency, diversity, inclusion, and accountability

Age: 21 or over

Application & Background Check Cost

There is a $54.99 total cost to completing this application

• Application Fee = $27 paid at the end of this application
• Background Check = $27.99 paid through Saferent. (You will recieve a link in your email inbox to complete the background check after this application has been submitted.)
• Payment must be made prior to submitting your application.

Application Requirements

• Security Deposit: Interns who are accepted into the program will be required to pay a $300 security deposit. This deposit will be returned within 30 days of completion of the program, with consideration of any deductions for damages or fees. If an accepted intern does not appear or leaves within 14 days, parties agree that deposit is forfeited as liquidated damages.
• If accepted into the program, interns must provide proof of a valid Food Handlers Card issued in the State of Oregon for only $10 that will allow access to kitchens. This will not be reimbursed.
• Interns may be required to provide evidence of a negative COVID test within 48 hours of arrival into the community. This will not be reimbursed.

18-20 hours/week with a 3-month commitment in exchange for a camp site or single use dormitory-style accommodations. 

 Example of dorm accommodation:

• Long-term guests
  Interns are considered students, not residents or employees. Interns are required to attend a number of community meetings to learn about our governance and decision-making processes and encouraged to be involved with community activities that interest them. However, they do not have a "voice" in the community decision making process and cannot hold leadership roles. If an intern needs clarification on anything that intersects with their community experience, they are encouraged to seek out guidance from the Internship Coordinator.

• The Principle of Observing before Interacting
  Moving to a new community will always have a variety of new challenges. The first principle in Permaculture can be a guide for the transition into a new community: observe and interact. As an intern you are a guest of the community. It is important to use the first three months of the internship program as a time to observe the functionality of the community, before interjecting areas in which it could improve. In order to fix issues if we need to have a complete understanding of how systems function first. 

• Abide by the Community Living Agreements
  The agreements are a pillar of the community, lessons learned over 33 years of experience. Everyone who comes as a resident, student, intern or visitor agrees to abide by them. You will be asked to sign off on them, so it’s good to check beforehand to see if anything covered in them is an issue for you. You can read them here.

• Lost Valley is...
  a thriving intergenerational community of people who are constantly seeking to improve the way in which we live together. We acknowledge the land we reside on was once the Winefelly band of the Kalapuya nation. We seek to model cooperation between people, connection to the Earth, and health within ourselves. We work towards increasing literacy around consent, boundaries, privilege, and diversity.
  
  
  
• Living in community is a lot of fun.
  You will have access to an 87 acre campus with a wood fired sauna, a creek, edible food forest, fresh produce, 5 gardens, basketball court, outdoor kitchen and shower, and so much more!
  
  
  
• Communication Tactics
  Living in community can sometimes be very challenging. Having strong interpersonal skills such as conflict resolution, non-violent communication, and an understanding of sociocratic governance can be extremely valuable.
  
  
  

• Financial Support
  The Internship Program is not an employment agreement with Lost Valley Educational Center. Interns are considered students and should plan to arrive on campus with sufficient savings to provide for their material needs, including food to supplement the basic staple items provided. Dexter is a rural area with limited work opportunities.
  
  
• What happens when your internship ends
• Option 1: Intern can apply for an extension of their agreement for another 3 month term. They must successfully complete all requirements of their first term to be considered. In order to extend the agreement, the intern would have to pass a Check-in with our Resident Application Process (RAP) Committee.

• Option 2: Leave campus at the end of the three month agreement.

• Option 3: Apply for Residency
  • Residency application is requested to be turned in a month before the end of the agreement. This allows for RAP to schedule the community interview in a timely manner.
  • If an intern submits their residency application less than 1 month before the term ends, they may be able to extend their internship for the duration of their application process.
  • Intern must successfully complete the program in order for their residency application to be prioritized amongst new residency applications.
    
    
  • Denial of the application
    
    • In case the application is denied, the intern must vacate the campus within 5 days.

• This is an alcohol, tobacco, and drug restricted educational facility.
  Public drinking is not tolerated and tobacco and marijuana use are limited to authorized areas only. Under no circumstances are interns permitted to smoke in their rooms or in the dorms. If you are a heavy drinker, smoker, or drug user, please explore options other than this program. 

Permaculture Internship

• Agroforestry projects
• Biochar
• Fire mitigation
• Brush clearing / trail maintenance
• Felling & milling
• Weeding, harvesting, sowing seeds
• Food preservation & processing
• Bed preparation for the next season
• Managing watering systems  & schedule

Administration Internship

• Have previous experience with business and/or nonprofit administration
• Have excellent organizational communication skills
• Support educational program development
• Attend meetings, manage agendas and meeting minutes
• Maintain and update spreadsheets
• Familiarity with using Jotform, Flodesk, Squarespace, Canva, Google Office Suite
• Social media and Marketing

Social Media and Marketing Internship

• Experience managing business social media accounts
• Awareness of current trends in social media and algorithm function
• Create video and photo content while attending work parties, events, celebrations, daily activities
• Interacting with other relevant business/organization/people's social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
• Thorough understanding of Lost Valley's mission and vision and ability to clearly communicate them through text and image
• Graphic Design skills
• Familiarity with Squarespace, Google adwords, Canva, and all social media platforms

Maintenance Internship

• Have previous experience with building maintenance
• Perform basic carpentry
• Understand mechanical systems
• Interest in physically demanding work
• Self-motivated and quick to learn
• Support with trenching, painting, basic structural repairs
• Assist maintenance team
• Respond to maintenance requests

Understanding Our Active Sociocratic Circles - Updated 1/7/22

The graphics below represent Lost Valley's Current Socioicracy-inspired Circles. This will help you visualize the flow of communication and informaiton throughout Lost Valley and better understand where your internship position(s) sit(s) within our governance structure.