Volunteer Opportunities
Happy Farm Volunteering
The Happy Farm project has just begun and we are excited to announce openings for six-month volunteers! Please follow the links below for more info.
Retreat Volunteer Application
Wake Up Retreat Volunteer Program: April 22 to May 4, 2025
Applications are now closed for volunteering for this retreat
Family Retreat Volunteer Program: June 12 to June 22, 2025
Applications will open soon
Teen Camp Volunteer Program: July 3 to July 13, 2025
Applications will open soon
Vietnamese Retreat Volunteer Program: August 1 to August 11, 2025
Applications will open soon
Before, during, and after a special retreat, we need additional help, so we are inviting mindfulness practitioners who have already attended a 7-day retreat (or longer) at Deer Park Monastery to apply for the volunteer program. We ask that the 7-day retreat be completed at least one month prior to your application to volunteer.
We ask that applicants apply a minimum of one month prior to the volunteer program. Additionally, it is preferable if applicants have officially received a transmission of the Five Mindfulness Trainings.
For the Wake Up Retreat, we ask that volunteers are young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 years old. For the Family Retreat, we ask that volunteers are not the sole parent or guardian responsible for a child or teen attending the retreat. For the Teen Camp, we ask that volunteers are not parents, stepparents, or guardians of a teen attending camp.
During this period of time, you are asked to set aside other responsibilities to be fully present for the program. There is no partial volunteer period and/or coming and going from the monastery during your designated program dates. Applicants pay a minimum $25 non-refundable application fee (unless your application is declined). There is also an option to contribute more financially to support the retreat.
Please be aware that many of the tasks that volunteers help us with involve physical work. Serving as a volunteer is often a rewarding and fulfilling experience, working together in joy and community. Here are some of the qualities we are looking for in volunteers:
- Ability to speak basic English (and volunteers for the Vietnamese Retreat must be able to speak Vietnamese fluently)
- Being in good physical and mental health
- Ability to listen deeply to others and be open to the ideas of others
- Being mindful and keeping calm even in difficult situations
- Working well on a team
- Capable of guiding a group in work
- Responsible, diligent, and thorough in your work
- Creative and energetic
In addition, we are looking for people with first aid experience or a medical background. Please mention any such background that you have in your application with the understanding that experience in this field is not a requirement to serve as a volunteer.
All volunteers are asked to follow the retreat schedule and/or their work assignment schedule. The day typically begins at 5:00 AM and ends at 9:30 PM with a rest period during each day.
Volunteers may be asked to coordinate and lead family groups in their assigned work. Examples of work assignments include kitchen duties, pot-washing, dining hall cleaning, meditation hall set-up, restroom responsibilities, and compost, trash and recycling. There will be regular meetings with monastic leaders to learn from each other and nourish harmony within the retreat.
Thank you for your aspiration to help bring joy and peace to many people in the retreat.