Thanks for thinking of joining the community of teachers at the festival. Our heart is to offer quality teachings on a wide variety of homesteading-related topics, and to provide an engaging and safe space for all who are interested to learn. We warmly invite members of under-represented or marginalized populations to join the community and contribute to a wonderful diversity of ideas and perspectives: this includes 2SLGBTQI+ and BIPOC folks.

Please reach out to us if you'd like to talk. We are continually learning - if you would like to see our language updated, reach out. We're listening.

Take Root teachers:
» Have an informative and/or hands-on, specialized skill/knoweldge to share
» Love building community with folks from ALL walks of life
» Enjoy teaching & interacting with groups
» Have an overall positive attitude
» Are patient

We aim to have each teacher offer at least two sessions, which can be any of: Talks, Workshops, Experiences, or Pop-Ins.

Talks (limited, as we focus on hands-on learning) are exactly what they sound like - you share your specialized knowledge with the group in a presentation. BUT - we avoid the typical conference powerpoint approach. We’re looking for teachers who can engage their audience with information, stories, encouragement, and inspiration. Talks should engage the senses of participants as much as possible, with items to smell, taste, feel, hear, or see - as much hands-on/interaction as possible. In the past, some Talks teachers have brought animals along, passed around honeycomb, invited a few participants up to demonstrate a task, etc. Talks are 1.5 hours in length.

Workshops are hands-on learning experiences where a smaller group of participants are taught how to make or do something right in the moment. Past workshops have included activities like creating a hempcrete wall, building a hugel-bed in the garden, weaving a basket, building a herb spiral, building a composting toilet, planting a medicine garden, building a cob oven, and more. Workshops are 1.5 or 3 hours in length.

Experiences - the teacher guides the participants through an experience, sharing their knowledge and/or skill along the way. This might be a guided plant ID walk, a guided meditation, etc. Experiences are 1.5 hours in length.

Activities & Demos can be presented in 15 minutes or less. Like a summer-camp skills session! Examples include dip-dyeing a piece of fabric, making a print or banner, grain milling, blacksmithing, fleece skirting, goat-milking, and more. This can be in conjunction with a market booth.

Activity/Demo hosts may be business owners, but your main role at the fest is as a teacher - you are at the fest to pass on the important skill you hold, and enrich the experience of the community, and yourself. UNLESS you would like to set up a market booth and offer an activity throughout the day alongside your market space. In this case, your market fee will be waived in lieu of an honorarium.

Market booth activities can be short, fun things to try, like drop spindles at a fibre table, blending herbs into a take-home tea bag at a herbal product table, rolling oats at a grain farm table, etc.

Start by filling out the form below, and we’ll reach out to let you know if your workshop is a good fit. Thanks!

Keep in mind we prioritize hands-on learning and teaching experience is n asset, but not a deal-breaker!

We love promoting local businesses! Business cards, brochures, products you sell and discussions/sign up for your upcoming workshops and sessions are all welcome and encouraged, if applicable. Please keep these things for the end of your workshop, and remember a ratio of 90% teaching, 10% promotion. Thank you!

Though you may be business owner, and keen to connect with a new audience, your main role at the fest is as a teacher - you are at the fest to pass on the important skill you hold, and enrich the experience of the community, and yourself. However, you are welcome to have a market booth set up for the day, if you have someone to manage it for you. And we encourage you to take a few minutes at the end of your talk to let participants know how and where to find you to engage with your business in the future!

And, we do our best to promote your business - part of the reason for the fest was also to build up small, local businesses like yours.

» Payment per workshop. 3 hour: $175, 1.5hr: $125, demo: $100, kids 30-40min $75 (honorarium to be divided if there are co-teachers)

» A % of ticket sales – if you choose to set up a referral code. The more you share, the bigger share you receive.

» Coupon code toward a full fest pass

» Fest lunch on us, for the teacher (spouses and children are responsible for their meals)

» Complimentary market space for Workshop Teachers (how we will set up a market this year is still under consideration).

» Complimentary camper/RV spot

» Mileage up to $50 upon request (& we encourage carpooling!)

» Promotion of your farm, business or product

» Digital copies of any photos we get of your workshop, upon request

We appreciate the work that it takes to organize a well-prepared, engaging workshop and to teach your specialized skill or pass on the knowledge you hold. This package is our way of showing our support for what you do and saying THANK YOU!

You’ll receive a custom link that you can share with friends, family, followers, and anyone you think might be interested in your workshop and Take Root Fest in general.

Our system will track ticket sales that come from your custom link, and you’ll make a % of ticket sales. It’s a win-win!