In kinship with the land · Ongoing invitation

Volunteers hands on the land, presence in the ritual

Five sacred acres in the Russian River corridor need care — the paths, the garden, the altars, the redwoods that hold the ceremonies we build together. The rituals themselves need hands: to prepare, to welcome, to hold space, to break down when the fire goes out.

An open invitation to folx called to serve. In return: participation in the open rituals and festivals we host on the land.

✦

I. What this is

An ongoing invitation to serve on the land.

The Jambalaya Center sits on five acres in the Russian River corridor, on overlapping unceded Pomo and Coast Miwok territory. Chief Iyanifa Yeye Luisah Teish lives on this land. The ritual work of the Ile happens on this land. The garden, the paths, the sacred clearings — all of it needs care through the seasons.

We are calling folx into ongoing volunteer service. Not tied to a single festival. Not one weekend a year. A living relationship with the land, the elders, and the work.

When you volunteer, you become part of the rhythm of the Center. You show up when the land calls. In exchange, you are invited into the rituals and festivals we open to the wider community — as a participant, not as staff.

II. The exchange

Service is reciprocity, not transaction.

What you bring

Your hands — land work, garden work, path clearing, defensible space, seasonal maintenance
Your presence in ritual — setup, breakdown, holding space while ceremony unfolds
A spirit of service that does not seek elevation or platform
Willingness to receive direction from Yeye, the Egbe, and senior staff without performing expertise
Right relationship with your own spiritual tradition — whether Ifa, another diasporic practice, or an Indigenous tradition you carry
Openness to what emerges — the work is dictated by the season, the moon, and the needs of the land

What you receive

Participation in future open rituals and festivals we host on the land — the primary ebó in return for your service
Direct time with the land and with the elders who steward it
Learning by doing — you don't come to a workshop, you come to the work itself
Community — the folx who show up together, again and again, across the seasons
Consideration for deeper involvement over time — some volunteers move into Egbe pathways, though this is not the reason to come

III. The work itself

What volunteers actually do.

The work shifts with the season and what the land is asking for. You may be called for one thing this month and something else the next.

Land care — garden, paths, defensible space clearing, seasonal maintenance, tending the redwoods and the creek edge
Ritual preparation — altars, ceremonial spaces, materials, offerings
Festival hands — setup, kitchen, welcome, breakdown for the open festivals we host
Sacred space stewardship — presence during rituals, holding the perimeter, tending the fire
Kitchen work — meal prep, service, and cleanup during gatherings
Welcoming — greeting the arriving, orienting them to the land, holding the tone of the Center
Behind-the-scenes support — the small tasks that outside eyes do not see and that make everything else possible

IV. Material offerings

You can also send things.

Volunteering with your hands is one form of gift. Sending what the Center needs is another. Ceramic kilns and looms for the Sacred Arts school. Land tools and animals for the acres. Medicine for the Egbe Osain apothecary. Ritual candles and cloth. Everything from knife sets to tiny homes.

Every gift is received as ebó. A 501(c)(3) tax-deduction letter is provided for gifts of any size.

See the full list of needs →

V. How we begin

Fill the form. We reach out.

The volunteer form is short. Tell us who you are, how you have come to know the Ile or Yeye, what gifts you bring, and where you feel called to serve.

We receive every form and respond personally. Not every volunteer will be called into every task, and matching happens over time, in conversation, with attention to what the land needs and what you bring. This is a relationship, not a hiring pipeline.

Volunteer inquiries reviewed in conversation with Iya Sobande Greer, Oludari of Egbe Osain and Master Herbalist, and Shylah Hamilton-Touré, Executive Director.

Ready to serve? Begin here.

Fill the volunteer form. We'll be in touch as the seasons open opportunities that match what you bring.

Volunteer with the Center →

Questions before you begin? Write to shy@jambalayacenter.org.

Land acknowledgment The five acres at 11900 Hwy 116 in Guerneville sit on overlapping unceded Pomo and Coast Miwok territory. We steward these acres in kinship with the land and its first peoples, and hold their sovereignty as we do our own. Aboru Aboye.