Thank you for your interest in this retreat. We regret that, due to measures to prevent the spreading of the COVID-19 coronavirus, unfortunately our practice center will be closed until further notice.
Every year during the summer, Plum Village offers a four-week retreat open to everyone, including families and children. We would like to invite experienced practitioners in Plum Village tradition to come and support us as volunteers in the Summer Service Retreat. Your help is essential as the monastics alone is not enough to take care of all the needs in the retreat, such as guiding mindful service, translation, transportation and in other areas.
The Upper Hamlet receives single men and couple volunteers. The Lower Hamlet and New Hamlet receive single women and couple volunteers.
Children’s programme is offered in different hamlets according to languages:
Upper Hamlet: French, Spanish and Italian (single women are welcome to join the children’s programme volunteer team in Upper Hamlet)
Lower Hamlet: English children’s programme
New Hamlet: General volunteer program invites English-speaking friends to come and support us for the whole 5-week Summer Service Retreat.
Dutch children’s programme will be in the third week and German children’s programme in the fourth week.
We will have a full 5-week program for volunteers from Friday, June 26 to Monday to August 3, 2020 (August 2 in New Hamlet). Lower Hamlet does receive three-week volunteer. You can see more detail about the arrival/departure day in the application form of Lower Hamlet.
Volunteers are invited to arrive one week before the Summer Retreat starts in order to settle down, meet the monastics and the volunteer team. In this week we will come together to learn, practice, play, cultivate our togetherness and prepare for the retreat. During the retreat the monastics will guide and support you. Volunteers will also stay a few extra days after the retreat to help us and to join the farewell gathering.
Volunteers must provide a copy of the ID card, the proof of health insurance and visa if needed. All summer retreat volunteers are required to stay in a tent as dormitory space is limited. Children’s programme members please also provide a copy of the Child Protection Certificate, police check record, or similar document from your country. For residents of France, this can be obtained here: https://www.cjn.justice.gouv.fr/cjn/b3/eje20.
Please note that we cannot consider your application if you have not been to Plum Village or one of our other practice centres before. If you are interested to join us please fill out the form below. Please be patient with us as it may take us a few weeks to get back to you.
