About the WWOOF Ireland Learning Guide
The WWOOF Ireland Learning Guide is designed to assist WWOOFers and Hosts to consolidate the practical learning shared during the day-to-day running of an Irish farm/small holding/home garden. At the end of a WWOOFer's time with WWOOF Ireland, they will be able to apply for various Certificates showing the skills that they have learned.
The Learning Guide Topics cover most skills that WWOOFer may encounter during their stay with a Host. Some of the subjects are quite specialised and so may not be in use in all the host locations. Some of the subjects have definite right and wrong ways to do things, many can be done in a variety of different ways, as long as the end goal is achieved using organic and sustainable principles.
How to get the best out of the WWOOF Ireland Learning Guide
For the WWOOFer
Ask your host which of the subjects you will be working with during your stay. These may vary throughout the seasons of the year, or they may be things that happen every day throughout the year.
- Take time to read through the subject, and enjoy following the links which will take you through to more in-depth knowledge.
- Remember to take notes and ask questions. No question is too simple, if it's something you want to know, asking questions is the way to find out.
- Each subject has a link to the "WWOOFer Experience". Write down your findings on how things work at this place, on the "WWOOFer Experience" Sheet, which can be accessed via the associated PDF for each topic.
- Towards the end of your stay, write down your thoughts, and complete the quiz on the subject that you will find in the "WWOOFer Experience".
- Ask your Host to look through your completed worksheet and you can discuss. Once your host is happy, ask them to sign that you have completed as written.
- When you have completed and submitted all the WWOOFer Experience Quizzes and they have been verified, you will be sent a WWOOF Learning Guide Certificate by email. The certificate will list the skills that you have mastered while WWOOFing with WWOOF Ireland. One certificate will be issued with all skills listed at the end of your trip to Ireland.
For the Host
The aim of the Learning Guide is to help both Hosts and WWOOFers to get the best out of the WWOOFing Ireland experience.
- The list of subjects is intended to be broad enough to cover most activities that a WWOOFer will encounter, it is up to the Host and the WWOOFer to decide together which subjects suit you both.
- If you can't find an appropriate subject that covers what you are doing, email us and we'll do our best to create it for you.
- There is no minimum/maximum number of subjects expected, some WWOOFers will enjoy the experience and wish to tackle as many as they can, others will only wish to do what they have interest in.
- Some WWOOFers will not wish to take part in the Learning Guide, that's okay, too. The Learning Guide has been designed to promote discussion and interest in the tasks that Hosts ask WWOOFers to undertake.
- The Learning Guide has been designed to support WWOOFers with their learning journey without being too much work for busy Hosts. Each farm will have it's own way of working, discussion of the articles that the WWOOFer is reading/watching should help the WWOOFer to understand what the Host is asking of them.