Build an embassy of connection currently located in Crete, Greece

Details

• 

  Description

  We are planting the seeds the seeds for a concept that exceeds surface constructs, temporary activities / bases and grows in such ways as to resiliently outlive us ~ creating bridges rooted in the idea of an embassy of connection and reaching into the wide world, providing healthy anchor points for continuation to be picked up by future generations.
  
  We're dedicated to organizing sustainable gatherings, activities, workshops, festivals, hubs and studio-spaces that celebrate time invested rather than time spent. We are setting this up as a non-profit healing and community sanctuary that sustains itself through its own activities and contributions/support/harvests that we all bring about ~ together!
  
  Let's build a legacy worth passing to the next generations;
  Let's restore our connection to Nature, Land and honor it and all living creatures ~ as we should;
  Let's challenge and dismantle the fabrics of ego - and learn to trust and hope again.
  
  
  ✨ Clarity, genuine involvement, communication & diversity are required to achieve such a social and culturally-expansive feat.
  Therefore, we're seeking to connect with pioneers, supporters, artists and kind souls that find joy in contributing to our collective journey as a species ~ people with genuine interest in team building, care sharing and initiative taking, before, during their stay ~ and beyond!
  People who don't want to become the leaders - but Leadership shareholders.
  
  We are open to connect & collaborate remotely with anyone interested in learning, developing and taking actions together, seeing distance as an opportunity ~ so, dear workawayers: do not hesitate to get in touch and join or invite co-creation ✨
  We are hosting a podcast/interview series called conversing humankindness - and it would be a pleasure to dive into it with anyone who feels called to it! We've had so many beautiful conversations already that we wish we could have shared with more people - so that's how the idea was born! But apart from that, we also offer sessions of compassionate connection in which we volunteer to support humans around and do what we can to support, inspire and
  
  There is much to do, fun to be had, inspiration to be sparked, compassion to be shared, interviews to record, documentaries to film, sustainable actions to be taken: and we invite all of you longing for change and action - to reach us, share stories, reality-check and get to know each other!
  
  
  ⛺
  This February ~ our current yet temporary base will undergo a massive renovation project - hence - be unavailable in itself. That's why, in the project availability, the months past-January are set to red, whilst we work to yellow/green them up by finding another safe-house/s to gather, host and co-create. We are actively working on research and networking this January in order to achieve a 'non-nomad' state past January - but - we are happy to meet, create & continue despite all this - whether is by remote work or in physical, yet-somehow-nomadic versatility.
  Possibilities are all-around for those ready to embark in pioneering!
  
  
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  
  💫Our journey began with resonant conversations & sharing quality time together, which naturally evolved into a co-living situation, with cooking, dancing, exercising, breathing, swimming, playing, discovering and intending to make/maintain a necessary local and global impact whilst nurturing & practicing our evolving stream of interests, skills &. especially - critical thinking.
  
  
  🙌 We value cultural exchange, diversity, harmony, honest communication, consistency and that's why we especially-prefer connecting with people who are guided by Love instead of Ego: people who choose consciously to NOT indulge in substance-consuming behavior/addiction or abuse (coffee, tobacco, etc.) or, are willing to keep such habits/effects to a minimum or - in private. Our goal is to promote sobriety through healthier, deeper ways of relating with each other and to foster a respectful, deeply-rooted community.
  
  💫 We're dedicated to extending the project & creating similar connective hubs, since safe, wellness oriented and ethically rooted spaces to meet, share, learn from & with each other are absolutely necessary, everywhere: Hubs that are concerned with tinkering creative solutions to local, as well as global ~ issues, and are collectively organized, supported and guided - so that they can stand truly resilient in the face of challenges.
  
  🫶 We promote & support slow, thoughtful & sustainable travel, which protects nature and respects local ways of life.
  Achieving sustainability requires individuals to look critically at consumer habits, ego, transportation monopoly and modern economic pressures. We seek to connect with travelers who are already thoughtful or willing to explore these deeper, sometimes difficult, ethical aspects of travel.
  
  
  "Silly tourism"~ is a huge topic nowadays - & is a form of consumerism which, whilst appearing inexpensive ~ causes significant long-term harm:
  ~ environmental cost: it damages the environment, often relying heavily on high-emission travel like air transport, which is becoming less sustainable & more monopolizing by day.
  ~ superficiality: it encourages shallow engagement—traveling primarily for appearance or check-lists rather than seeking genuine cultural immersion or appreciation of the place itself. This focus is often driven by external pressures, such as social media algorithms and the desire to keep up with others - are you aware of how you use social media ~ or rather ~ how it might be the one using you?
  ~ local impact: it often promotes wasteful consumerism (buying unnecessary items) that fails to benefit local communities fairly.
  
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  🏡
  Our temporary place is a multi-level townhouse in the historic, seaside old town (2-minute walk to the Mediterranean Sea).
  While the immediate area is overrun with seasonal tourism for 8 months every year, it does serve as an excellent base for accessing rich local culture, tradition and gorgeous Nature to be discovered around. We're excited to often go on cute, small picnic/camping /cycling/hiking/climbing/ dancing/playing trips, or to share hidden local gems for your own exploration.
  We're quite melancholic that our current base might turn into yet another 'suffocatingBnB'.
  But we are sure new possibilities and doors will open for us - and hold that flow and intention close to our hearts.
  
  💝 In our shared space, we support & encourage art, cultural gigs and initiatives, non-profit events, workshops, jam sessions, concerts, karaoke, spoken poetry, movie nights, clothes-swapping, food-sharing & MORE : as we are so passionate about co-creating an inspiring, refreshing environment and drive positive impact through our action <3
  
  👀 Important clarifications:
  - We are not a business or for-profit;
  - All activities are voluntary—no one is paid: at least not at this early stage of development anyway;
  - We practice and maintain transparency, open communication, active listening & non-violence;
  - We aim to reduce pollution caused by tourism and entertainment ~ by promoting sustainability, community, conscious living & connection.
  
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  If you are committed to innovation and change, value mindfulness, Love Nature, and actively seek a consciously-committed lifestyle, we would love to hear from you: ✍️your inquiry will be kindly considered & we'll probe in order to see if we can move together through some of the journey ahead of us - and how; for that purpose, we have designed an informative description section as well as a questionnaire we'll forward to you, once your initial message has been received.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Elderly Companionship

  Teaching

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
• 

  Interests

  

  Pets

  

  Self development

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Sustainability

  

  Technology

  

  Politics / Social justice

  

  Events & social

  

  Culture

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Hiking

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Cycling

  

  Camping

  

  Dancing

  

  Mountain

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Blogging

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Music

  

  Plant care

  

  Photography

  

  Writing

  

  Performing arts
• 

  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

  

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  What's this?
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We enjoy interacting with visitors—hearing your experiences, sharing ours, and exploring new ideas. We hope to learn about different backgrounds, traditions, perspectives, and to build a community feeling where everyone feels active, inspired and enriched.
  
  Our main reason for hosting is to open doors to diverse cultural exchanges, learning opportunities and build the spirit of an embassy of connection far beyond one specific place.
  
  Anyone and everyone has the potential to become an ambassador or ambassadress 💜 ~ it's a matter of choice, values, necessity and sense.

• 

  Help

  We are not professionals and we don't expect an advanced level of help from visitors ~ just kindness, goodwill & responsibility.
  
  🌈
  We are experienced with alternative traveling, volunteering, hosting activities & have an open mind perspective aiming for refinement and optimization ~ therefore, we trust we'll be able to accommodate pleasant experiences together with our intentional guests ✨
  
  ⌛
  What we ask for is about 10-12 hours of assistance per week.
  In exchange, we can accommodate and, sometimes, share food & snacks.
  Although there is no regular schedule, we welcome adaptation, we communicate the tasks to do in advance & we flow with it through constant feedback, as we want you to feel included & part of the team.
  
  
  The exchange is a flexible, easy going one, with plenty of free time & a main area where we need a hand with:
  
  • 'The Networking & Maintenance Wizz'
  - Writing, translating, researching & establishing communication/connection
  - journalism, interviews, podcasting, film-making, writing stories / editing
  - organize cute little events/gatherings/screenings/discussions with us
  - new initiatives you're inspired by based on our profile or shared time
  - and lalstly, help us maintain our home cozy & our food nourishing
  
  • 'The Spot Keeper' - (currently not a point since we are soon moving out of this base)
  - creative tasks, fixing, decorating, innovating
  - plant/herbs, mini-garden/ compost
  - new initiatives, inspired by you?
  
  
  You're welcome to create your own schedule and follow your own rhythm — there's no need for fixed / imposed hours! Just let us know your preference and ideal agreement. Communication is key though & we need to decide altogether before we go about it all;
  
  We Love Freedom & Harmony, and that's not some dreamy horizon but one that requires constant rebalance - for there's a fine line to be kept in check: we'll have each other's back through feedback sessions, discussion and kind, contributing - attitudes!
  
  👀
  Let us know what your ideas & excitement incline towards;
  We welcome new initiatives, creative pro-activeness & applied inspiring energy, so bring it on!
  
  This is a common, safe space & a cultural playground: what we do is basically play fairly, learning and growing together ~ whilst we all hold the space together! 👐

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  Our interest, as an embassy of connection is, of course, to break through the barrier of language and, for such a feat - we need each and every one of those visionary, inspired or aspiring souls that want to help in shaping such horizons! Help us paint the local picture in every language! <3
• 

  Accommodation

  🛖 ACCOMODATION
  
  - Shared room, possibility to organize the space & create more options
  - We can welcome and accommodate a maximum of 3 guests at the moment; (unless you have a tent or are an easy sleeper and don't mind finding an alternative arrangement);
  - Half of the house is undergoing transformation/slow renovation - but it is safe to Live in, in case you're concerned: Our place is definitely not luxurious, but rather - cozy, magical & improvisational;
  If you're not picky and used to minimalism creativeness, this place will be right up your alley
  
  🍛 FOOD
  - since the few days/hours expected, food will NOT be provided and must not be relied upon - access to kitchen, fridge and cooker is available. We will of course share food & cook together occasionally - but we just can't pledge full coverage. We do not use/cook meat in the house - as we're mostly vegan with a pinch of vegetarianism.
  
  Since we're not a business & our cultural mission is based on voluntary, intentional approach, (we are also volunteers) - it would be hard to support food expenses for our visitors entirely & that is why we chose to create a fair exchange, in which everyone has more time, space TO BE and 'less to do'!
  We really hope you understand and appreciate that;
  
  
  🧿 Local fun fact:
  there are some bakeries and local markets who often giveaway food/fruits/veggies at the end of their working day - so it shouldn't be very difficult to make something of that.

• 

  What else ...

  🙏 We value motivated, cooperative individuals & do our best to safeguard harmony. Our approach - although perhaps unpopular - helps bring about genuine commitments,
  
  
  👁️ BEFORE YOU APPLY
  When possible, please try to contact us at least a week in advance - as we need to prepare + make sure we are on the same page before you arrive: we got a template message we use to forward to our inquiries that contain questions & topics relevant to our decision making.
  
  
  ⚠️ LONGER STAYS
  We need you to acknowledge, understand & agree that we can not remotely commit to long-term hosting ~ immediately, via the internet.
  
  👉A one week TRIAL period is REQUIRED to assess compatibility in person. We're open to discuss specifics, logistics, as well as offer insight & support before your visit; otherwise, please adjust your plans accordingly & be prepared in case a long term extension is not possible beyond the initial trial period.
  
  
  ♻️ How we deal with your requests and what to expect after your initial message-request:
  - a questionnaire will be forwarded to you for compatibility check;
  - if we recognize alignment, we'll invite you on a video/audio call in which we'll go over details, feel into it and follow up on previous questions/clarify/open up the conversation & reach an agreement to co-operate.
  
  
  
  🚲 THE PLACE & AROUND/TRANSPORTATION 🚌
  Everything is within walkable distance: supermarkets, the Mediterranean sea, cooperatives, pubs, parks & shops of all sorts.
  A bus station for both city and outside city travel. You can rent bikes, scooters and find your way anywhere. Hitch-hiking works.
  
  🚆🚍 ARRIVAL
  The bus station is 5 minutes walk from our place, so we are easily reachable.
  On the day of your arrival, you'll have time to settle in.
  Your volunteering/contributive journey begins the following day - or will be communicated to you -as sometimes we're too busy to start immediately and might need a couple days to arrange things!
  
  ✨ YOUR FREE DAYS ✨
  - stay and do your own thing with respect to the other things happening at the place - we would kindly ask you to keep cleaning after yourself or have involvement in the common areas you're using - basically don't just be a passenger;
  - explore the surroundings, go for trips? - there are nice, un/popular beaches, gorges, caves, and many other things happening. Get your tent or hammock and go wild! Just be safe and come back to share the good stories!
  - join others co-creative processes, host yours!
  
  We can always adjust & discuss your contribution in order to meet all our needs and reach consensus. For example, let's say that you want to do your hours in 2 days and have 5 days off. It could be possible as we want to have a harmonious environment & go towards meeting each other's preferences.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  Internet is terrible in the old town - & problematic even for basic things :/

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

• 

  Can possibly accept pets

  Your pet/s must be social with both people and other animals, since we often have guests visiting with their doggos :-)

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  My animals / pets

Website Safety

Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host

Feedback (2)