Volunteering at Drala Mountain
Your Gift of Time and Talent is SO Appreciated!
Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Drala Mountain. Volunteers are an integral part of our organization and we could not exist without you and your offering of time. Thank you for being here! In appreciation of the service of our sangha of volunteers, Drala Mountain is pleased to offer free lodging and meals while you’re helping out, as well as a supportive, community atmosphere, a chance to meet new people, and our deep gratitude for your time and energy.
In addition to our residential volunteer program, volunteers are needed for daily commitments as well as periodic and one-time projects. If you see an activity that interests you or if you want to inquire about other volunteer opportunities, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, at volunteering@dralamountain.org.
Volunteer FAQ’s
Are meals included with volunteer shifts?
If you’re volunteering 4 or more hours in a department at Drala Mountain and the timing works with your shift, you may join for a meal. If so, you will go (usually with the staff member you’re working with) through the line in the (silent) Dining Hall, and eat in a designated staff area (not silent). Please do not eat in the Dining Hall during a residential retreat as that space is reserved for retreatants.
Can I bring my dog to Drala Mountain?
Only service dogs specifically trained to support physical limitations are permitted at our retreat center. For the safety of your pet and the animals that live on this land, and out of respect for the experience of other attendees, Drala Mountain strongly requests that you leave pets at home. It is not safe to allow pets to run free on the land, be tied up outdoors, or be left in a car.
We are Committed to Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity
Drala Mountain is committed to being a spiritual sanctuary and refuge for all. We value and celebrate diversity, inclusivity and respect for all beings. Diversity practice and dharma practice are not separate and we recognize and value both our global connectedness and our differences. We ask our volunteers to exemplify these values during your service here by acknowledging and appreciating differences based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, age, education, background, opinions, experience, physical ability and other social and economic differences.
We Thank You
Thank you for the generosity of your time, talents, and enthusiasm. Your support allows Drala Mountain to fulfill our mission of bringing people to a depth of realization of the Buddha’s path of liberation through direct experience. Your work helps allow our community of practitioners to connect with inspiration and teachings to integrate and manifest wisdom and compassion in all aspects of their lives, for the benefit of all beings.
Current Volunteer Opportunities
Guest Services/Housekeeping/Program Space Department:
Description
Housing and meals are free, free participation in yoga, and some programs, and program credit for future programs are available at no cost. Stay in dorms with excellent beds and nice bathrooms, or bring your own RV/van/tent to stay in.
The Housekeeping & Guest Services volunteer (splitting time between departments as needed). Help check in our overnight guests and welcome day visitors to the land. The housekeeping team cleans lodge rooms and public spaces.
Our volunteer program asks for a 30-hour-per-week commitment in exchange for free housing and free delicious meals (vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, and gluten-free options available at every meal).
The dining room is open 24 hours with coffee/tea/fruits/cereals/bread/jams/various nut butter offered for snacks.
Volunteers receive two full days off each week and can participate in programs depending on their volunteer schedule (check out our calendar at www.dralamountain.org) free of charge during their stay.
We offer optional noon daily 30-minute group staff meditation, guided yoga two times per week, meditation instruction (depending on teacher availability), field trips to nearby hiking and wilderness spots, access to fully equipped fitness space, access to beautiful indoor spaces where you can do your yoga/tai chi/dance, meditate, or study.
Excellent wifi on most areas of campus.
Responsibilities:
As part of the Guest Services Department, our Guest Services Assistants warmly and graciously welcome the many guests who visit DMC. A person in this position has the opportunity to interact with a variety of people coming to visit Drala Mountain Center,
The housekeeping team cleans program spaces, public areas, and guest accommodations.
Maintain daily awareness of guest arrivals/departures and general cleanliness.
Properly set and organize retreat meeting spaces.
Share in the responsibility of being available for last-minute requests.
Perform laundry-related duties.
Assist with maintaining, organizing, and conserving the department’s resources and equipment.
Demonstrate flexibility and ability to accomplish varying workloads and tasks.
Cultivate quality and the view of hospitality among the team as a whole.
Summer Set Up 2023 (Sunday, May 28 through Sunday, June 18)
Arrivals and departures on Sunday with a minimum stay of one week
Description
Want to be outdoors in the Colorado Rocky Mountains? Help us get ready for our busy summer season with our set-up crew. Be part of a team of 10-15 people putting up summer sleeping tents on wooden platforms in the campgrounds on the land.
For three weeks we will be setting up tents and outfitting them with cots and basic furniture for our summer guests and volunteers. Come for one week or stay for the entire three weeks.
Volunteers will stay in our lodge in same-gender dorms with 7 beds in each dorm (nice beds, not bunk beds) with modern bathrooms right across the hall. Or bring your own tent or RV/van!
Delicious meals with vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore options at each meal. Coffee, tea, fruits, bread, cereals, milk, and juice are always available for snacking in the dining room.
Free yoga classes two times per week, meditation instruction is offered (when teachers are available) and gift store discount.
With a crew leader, the set-up crew will begin at 9 am each day, 5 day days a week. Most days will involve loading up tents into a pickup truck and heading to a campground to put the tents up on permanent wooden platforms. We then put cots with foam mattresses and a couple of pieces of small furniture in each tent to get it ready for summer campers.
Lots of walking and visiting all the different areas of this large campus.
Apply Now
Land Crew (Beginning Sunday, June 4 thru Summer)
Description
Volunteers will stay in our lodge in same-sex dorms with 7 beds in each dorm (nice beds, not bunk beds) with modern bathrooms right across the hall. Or bring your own tent or rv/van!
Free yoga classes are two times per week, meditation instruction is offered (when teachers are available). Delicious meals with vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore options at each meal. Coffee, tea, fruits, bread, cereals, milk, and juice are always available for snacking in the dining room.
Free access to any holistic or spiritual programs (space permitting) happening on the land during your downtime. Discount at the gift store. Program credit of $100 per week for future use.
Skills, mindset, personality
Land volunteers must be willing to work outside in all conditions- very hot, cold, rainy, etc. This work can be physically difficult and exhausting and requires good physical condition and a positive mindset. Because natural resources management can sometimes involve harm (cutting down trees, removing invasive species, etc.), a willingness to understand the complexities of difficult ecological decisions and follow through with them is necessary. The majority of on-the-ground land work occurs in just a few months in the summer so efficiency is needed to fulfill management tasks in this limited time frame. Experience and/or interest in ecology, natural resources, and/or land management is desired but not necessary. The ability to use hand tools and/or power tools safely is a plus.
Typical shifts
Could be 4 or 8-hour shifts Monday – Friday. 7 am – 3 pm or 8 am – 4 pm depending on the weather.
Responsibilities
Land volunteers will be assisting with the removal of invasive plants throughout the land. This looks like a day in the field digging up plants ALL DAY (besides lunchtime of course)! It’s hot and it’s tiring but it is rewarding to contribute to ecosystem health! Many times plans change, and we may switch from invasive plant management to helping out in the garden, landscaping projects, trail maintenance, groundskeeping activities like checking fence lines, or ecological restoration projects like replanting native vegetation in burn areas.