Imagine this: you arrive, tuck your phone away in a drawer, and step outside. The air smells different. Time slows. By dusk, you’re sitting with a handful of strangers who already feel like kin, watching the first stars appear. You’re not here to ‘consume’ an experience. You’re here to remember what life feels like when you stop performing it.
The Farmastery is half farm / half monastery; a transitional space for people in recovery from late-stage capitalism. It’s a place to step out of the shackles of modernity and experience what comes next. It’s not therapy, but it is therapeutic. Each day is structured by a morning circle, shared meals, time for work and rest, and collaborative experiments in resilience.
Stepping outside each morning, I was greeted by an orchestra of bird song and the scent of evergreens, soil, and mist. Carrying my container of chicken feed, I slowly made my way towards the lightening sky, unhurriedly walking the path that leads to the coop. I heard excited clucks of 10 hens increase in volume as they registered my approach. This was just one of many daily rituals that felt ‘right.’
The Farmastery is a fit for you if…
You need a place to exhale, reset, or think more slowly than your day-to-day life allows.
You’re exploring regenerative, relational, community, or lifeboat-building experiments and want a direct experience of them on the land.
You value simplicity, seasonality, and the intelligence of place.
You’re drawn to land-based learning, embodied practice, and slowing down.
You want a place to gather your group, guild, or circle for deeper work.
You’re interested in timeshares, residencies, or place-based stewardship.
You want to experience the Farmastery before considering deeper involvement.
The Farmastery is not a fit if:
You want a commercial event space on demand
You require polished, resort-style accommodations
You’re looking for high throughput, quick turnaround hosting
You need a transactional venue rather than a relational place
At heart, it’s about grounding, embodiment, experimentation, and place-based learning.
Whether you stay for a weekend, a week, or a month, the Farmastery is a place where you can experience tending the land and the land tending you back. From goat walks to egg collecting to watering the gardens, there are ample opportunities to engage in intentional, sacred relationship with land, community and self.
Farmastery Retreats are offered on a pay-it-forward basis. Your financial contribution makes it possible for us to keep the lights on and continue offering this unique experience to others.
In between the chores were wonderful moments of conversation, learning, reflecting, and growing. The joy of a companiable silence as the fire crackles in the wood stove is like a balm. The other Lifeboat Builders have lived, read, and experienced a lot. I learned so much from them in such a short time. They live what they say – kindness, curiosity, compassion, experimentation. Do not skip circle time!!
Hear from Our Guests
What an incredible, healing week with Ben and Roland at Lifeboat Academy. A word I keep coming back to is ‘flow.’
Stepping outside each morning, I was greeted by an orchestra of bird song and the scent of evergreens, soil, and mist. Carrying my container of chicken feed, I slowly made my way towards the lightening sky, unhurriedly walking the path that leads to the coop. I heard excited clucks of 10 hens increase in volume as they registered my approach. This was just one of many daily rituals that felt ‘right.’
The mix of tasks that I needed to do were a well-fitting variety. I got to feel the power in my body when splitting wood and adding soil to a vegetable bed. I also had the privilege to cook in beautiful, well stocked kitchen, following Roland’s excellent recipes. I felt supported to do what I needed to do, and comfortable to ask for any guidance.
In between the chores were wonderful moments of conversation, learning, reflecting, and growing. The joy of a companiable silence as the fire crackles in the wood stove is like a balm. Ben & Roland both have lived, read, and experienced a lot. I learned so much from them in such a short time. They live what they say – kindness, curiosity, compassion, experimentation. Do not skip circle time!!
I am deeply grateful for the time I got to spend at Lifeboat Academy. It is a place to find your shoulders relaxing, a place to find yourself breathing deeply, and a place for healing from the modern horrors of late-stage capitalism.
— Sanja B. WWOOFer / Farmastery Guest
I have stayed at the Farmestery on several occasions. I am 77 years young and the privilege of staying at the farm is one of the joys of my life because it exudes the kind of serenity that is hard to find. Spending time with Roland and Ben, who are informed conversationalists, is a bonus.
— Rosabella Farmastery Guest
I lived at the Farmastery on S,DÁYES for 14 months and it’s honestly difficult to describe the fullness of my experience.
The structure and rhythm of each day on the farm created many opportunities for connection, reflection, learning and growth. I got to live in nature, care for the goats and chickens, cook for the community using Roland’s fabulous recipes, and learn Indigenous Tools for Living that allowed me to process and heal some deep trauma with compassionate witness.
I plugged into the Lifeboat Academy project (and had a hand in naming it!) in ways that nurtured my interests and gifts. Ben, Roland and I navigated some pretty big challenges together, including moving the Farmastery from one parcel of land to another across the island. With their support and mentorship, I learned a treasure trove of skills that I’m now applying in multiple communities where I live. I’m growing more food in my backyard than I ever have, and I feel much more confident and impactful as a community facilitator.
I hold deep gratitude, respect and reverence for what Ben and Roland are doing, and for the many years of hard work (inner and outer) that have gone into making what the Farmastery is today: a place to heal from and hospice the dominant culture while simultaneously birthing a new one that centers and honors life.
If you’re serious about building resilient community and are ready to show up authentically, try new things, and learn about how to be in right relationship with land and people, the Farmastery experience will provide all of that and more. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
— Ronnie G. WWOOFer / Lifeboat Builder
I spent 10 days at Lifeboat Academy and found the community, connection, and nature I’d been craving, woven through grounding circles, mindful work, and shared meals. It’s a place where care, collaboration, and harmony with the land turn daily life into quiet healing.
— Heather N. Lifeboat Builder
My two-night stay at Lifeboat Academy was a delicious blend of rest, laughter, and the kind of earthy wisdom that seeps in when you’re not looking. Ben, Roland, and their two- and four-legged kin tend the place with such care and humour — and Matilda, the elder goat, might just have been my cheekiest mentor yet.
— Pamela Lifeboat Builder and Network Weaver
We spent a wonderful weekend at the farm, taking a course, enjoying the farm, the peace, the food and the company. Thanks to Ben and Roland. Great hosts and great food.
— Paola Farmastery Guest
I spent some wonderful and very inspiring weeks with the Lifeboat Academy. In the midst of a beautiful green forest on Pender Island, the Lifeboat Academy provides a space to learn from each other, share thoughts and stories, and reflect on our role in society and in our daily actions.
My time there has broadened my perspective on our complex world and given me new approaches for my personal engagement. I especially appreciated the openness for new ideas, the exchange on equal terms – and of course, the good food!
The Lifeboat Academy is doing meaningful, sustainable work for the future of our planet and our communities. I hope that many more people will have the chance to experience this space of learning and inspiration.
— Janine Z. WWOOFer / Lifeboat Builder
Wow, what a special place these guys have built. I stayed at the Lifeboat Academy for a month in July 2025. There were variety of other volunteers on the farm during my stay, plus Ben and Roland.
Here are a few things that make this project unique: – Very strong focus on individual & group wellness – Guided meditation & reflection every morning – Self-led work – we chose our priorities as a group at the start of each week – A beautiful beach, a warm lake, and a hike with a spectacular view all within 30 mins walk from the farm! – Daily lessons on sociocracy with Ben – Amazing food by chef Roland – I still dream about that chocolate pie!
In short, I highly recommend Lifeboat Academy as a radical model of ‘big picture’ sustainability and a break from mainstream culture. Thanks a bunch Ben & Roland!
— Laura K. WWOOFer
I had an amazing time with Ben and Roland—their blend of morning meditation, meaningful work, and thoughtful conversation helped me go from feeling scattered to grounded and confident in my next steps. They’re creating a truly special space for connection, inspiration, and purposeful living—I can’t recommend this farmstay/Lifeboat Academy enough.
