Lost valley educational doesn't worry about the neighborhood which they live in. They are only out for themselves. They are rude. The people that come through. They drive too fast. They have loud parties. These parties will go on for three days with no regard to the locals that live here. read more

When recently visiting the Pacific Northwest in Dexter near Eugene Oregon. I came upon an "intentional community" that boasts of many things: clothing & gender optional, gardens with abundant produce (wonderful) , programs for individuals & groups which generate health & longevity. These include classes that attract many new age fans about gardening, sustainability etc. The problem with this collective mentality is expectations of the seeker will always be thwarted by someone in the community who is trying to "protect" the group, thus sacrificing the individual, which unfortunately may only be a visitor. I experienced this with the weather change & a toothache resulting in an incredible headache. A member named Glenn who I had just met saw me crossing the road in much pain on my way to see the nurse. He misinterpreted my facial anguish & out of fear to protect the group complained to management that visitors should not be allowed. He was not comfortable with new people on the property. Lost? Not a place for wise seniors....only queers may apply. read more

I'm writing this review from the perspective of a resident of Meadowsong Ecovillage. This review is not reflective of the Education department, which has been doing lots of great work, and is worth checking out. Like most co-living spaces, LV may be the right fit for some folks. As a young leftist woman, it wasn't the right fit for me. Though it's home to some great individuals, the organization as a whole felt chaotic and emotionally draining. I've created a list of pros and cons, for easy digestion. Pros: - Community living - A study of self-governance structures - Financially accessible + cheaper-than-average rent + Opportunities to earn rent-discounts - Focus on permaculture - Great land stewardship department - Great education department - A good place to meet people if you're new to OR - Access to nature - Access to education programs - Opportunities to rent spaces (yurt, big workshop, classrooms) Cons: - Very poor orientation for new residents - Lack of welcoming/community-building/value of new residents' skills + It was pretty difficult to break into any social circles at LV. I've heard that the quick turnaround of new residents is difficult for more long-term residents, but in my experience, if new residents feel isolated and unappreciated, they are more likely to leave. + There was no community event to welcome new folks (I think this should happen at least once a season) + There was no practice of learning or keeping track of new residents' skills. Many talents went unused because the org either didn't know about them or didn't think to use them. - Confusing systems/disorganization of documents & protocols - Little to no systems of accountability + When an older man crossed physical (& other) boundaries with multiple young femme people, the community prioritized that man's comfort over the feelings of respect/security of 5+ women/femmes. Very few members of the community ever reached out to these women to hear their stories/concerns. As a community that claims to prioritize consent, this was extremely concerning. This was the first time I realized I felt unsafe/unsupported at LV, and lost faith in my ability to feel safe there again. + When a different older man harassed a pool of volunteers and staff members for months, no processes of accountability were taken, and to my knowledge, he was never asked to stop. Nearly all staff/leadership left soon after, leaving the community in even more disorganization/disarray. - Extreme resistance to justice work + In my experience, when words like "justice," were spoken, a decent amount of folks responded in fear, defensiveness, or anger. Though I understand the fear of shame/cancel culture, it didn't need to be present in order for certain folks to strongly resist any sort of justice/sensitivity training. Trying to implement such training caused the incredibly new "Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion," Circle to receive borderline harassment, stopped by no one in the community. I do not recommend this community for POC w/ race-related trauma or women/femmes with SA trauma. - A lack of a common goal. + Many individuals arrive at LV with a vision in mind. When you first arrive, you think, "fantastic--I can do anything I want here!," but with a lack of a cohesive vision, your personal vision is bound to butt heads with the other 40+ there. This is something LV is working on, and I hope they're successful. I'm grateful for the lessons I learned & people I met during my 9 months at LV. I hope any resident reading this knows that this review isn't personal, however LV has a history of blocking out challenging feedback instead of learning from it. I hope that changes. If there were standard processes for exit-interviews or feedback forums, I would have taken that route first. I know LV is going through a difficult transition right now, but so many people have left LV heartbroken and discouraged in the past year+, and I think it's time to start listening. Best wishes to anyone reading. read more

Great Teachers! Great Cook! As a couple, my wife and I were able to learn together the principles of Permaculture. We were able to talk about what we learned during the week and make new like-minded friends along the way. We can now pursue our property dreams together. read more

I feel like lv is not really a safe place for youth to be educated.The social structure between the residents and students is messy and there's a lot if sexual and emotional boundary crossing. I am making this unsafe space known so other unsuspecting youth like myself don't get taken advantage of. Lost valley appears to be a professional school, and their permaculture program is informative. However some of the residents that live here have little respect for the students who come and go and this should be taken into consideration. If and when you move here or any intentional community, know yourself and have established personal boundies. -UPDATE- Shortly after leaving this review Lost Valley reached out to me. I was greatful for this, as they seemed genuinely concerned.They told me the residents who took advantage of me still live there and that the matter will be dealt with professionally .They let me know that the Board will be calling me to hear my accounts, they told me if I did not agree to speak to the board that they would have to respond to my review publicly. I told them, I'll talk to the board in order to to help bring clarity to what happend and help your communities flaws get worked out. But you should still respond to my review because I don't intend on deleting it after speaking with you,I will not be silenced. Since then I have not heard from them for a full month! They never reached out to me to hear my account they never gave me an update on what happend with the residents that they were going to work with. They didn't really try to heal to their community and make a more safe space for students like they said they would.. How long am I supposed to wait? At this point I can only assume that them reaching out to me with "support" was just a manipulative attempt to get me to delete this review and "preserve" their "good" name. read more

I received my Permaculture Design Certificate at Lost Valley. Aside from top-quality instruction with some superstar guest instructors, I learned more from having an in-person course where they live by permaculture ethics than I have from all my reading and YouTube. Easy 5/5 stars. read more

I have absolutely enjoyed all of my time at Lost Valley! My first time visiting was taking a tour as part of the Permaculture Convergence in 2015. I thought it was interesting but not exactly my thing. Then a few years later, I attended a Heart of Now weekend workshop which included eating in the lodge, sleeping in the dorms, and in my free time I wandered many of the forest paths. I love the rustic, natural feel of it all, and the efficient systems that keep everything running smoothly. I came back for several more events, and felt very drawn to the land and community. I am now a resident here, and I am filled with joy every day to be part of this community and to call this little piece of the forest "home." I have found a simple but essential component which is lacking in our modern culture-- connection with the people around you. I highly recommend booking a visit or attending an event or educational course here! read more

5 Stars! Lost Valley is Beautiful! This is spiritual summer camp! Really beautiful people that I love and home to the world's best Ecstatic Dance! If you are slightly curious about Ecstatic Dance you really owe it to yourself to go to Lost Valley's dance- it's so-good! I feel called to share my experience at Lost Valley so I will include it within this review. Lost Valley, like everything else, is a mirror. I've had numerous visits spanning months at Lost Valley and used this time to process my inner relationship and strengthen my clarity. Lost Valley is a combination of land, people and a culture that holds one another ACCOUNTABLE for their EMOTIONS. This "inner accountability" accompanied with this community that does not enable destructive-disconnected behavior is definitely not easy to live within, but oh is it powerful! This is what makes Lost Valley a powerful mirror! There is nowhere to run, hide, separate or distract myself from sitting 'squarely within' and 'communicating from' your inner relationship. My time at Lost Valley has really opened my eyes to how I distract and self-bypass, and how I learned and connect this behavior to my traditional western upbringing. I connect that TV, diet, alcohol consumption, and my constant storytelling was an 'all too easy' alternative when feeling overwhelmed from my inner work. I chose to distract myself from feeling scared, lonely and separated from love. This is why Lost Valley Is mine-I connected with myself here! I experienced what it feels like to love myself and to have love/compassion for everyone and everything. This connection is very important and special to me and I connect this love I feel straight back to this community that holds the mirror. To this community that holds me to my highest truth-Lost Valley has been a great gift and I feel so full with gratitude and love and I feel so so fortunate to have this experience in my life. Inner work is NOT easy, living at Lost Valley is NOT easy (just read the negative reviews) but I strongly recommend Lost Valley for those who are looking to go deep within. If you are looking for greater connection within- this is the community for you. If Lost Valley is showing up in your life I PRAY that you celebrate yourself! To me this is DEFINITELY a sign that you are on the right path and you need to clear emotional/energetic blocks like: -ego -physical/emotional/energetic trauma/self-doubt/feeling separate from love. The opportunity for this healing is abundant here- 5 Stars P read more

I am pretty sure that interested visitors, students, or potential residents will research multiple sources to educate themselves on a community like Lost Valley. Reading the negative review here, I feel compelled to add my experience and reflection in an effort to put things into perspective. I have visited several education programs at intentional communities all over the globe (Germany, Portugal, and multiple organizations in the US) with stays ranging from one week to several months. I was at Lost Valley for 3 months at the end of 2017, participating in their HSS program. Comparing my experience at Lost Valley with the other communities I visited, I can say that for me personally, the educational program at LV was the best I have encountered so far. It was excellently prepared, professionally executed by very dedicated and knowledgeable trainers, and perfectly balanced between theory and practice, curriculum, group-needs, and individual needs. It tied social, economic, ecological, and world-view aspects together in an exciting and illuminating holistic perspective. Even outside and beyond the official curriculum, the teachers and residents, in my experience, were super accessible, supportive, and open. I was able to connect with many residents well on a personal level. I have never noticed signs of pressuring or coercing individuals, only respect and integrity. I learned a lot on so many levels in this inspiring community and beautiful environment which I am very grateful for. Now, would I say Lost Valley is heaven on earth? Probably not! Like every individual, group, and community, Lost Valley faces external challenges, problems, and differences between individuals. The question is how these are being dealt with. Do they translate into different power levels within the community, exclusion, or even violence? Or are they embraced with openness, met with the desire to find a solution that works for all, using tools and processes by loving individuals working the issues on a value system based on respect and non-violence? In my experience of immersing and observing Lost Valley over 3 months I came to the conclusion that this community is guided by an inspiring vision, has loving and caring people, has good processes in place, utilizes inclusive decision-making models, and is experienced in practicing communication methods that are an excellent toolkit to tackle any challenges. This is my personal opinion, and I am sure others may see and experience things differently. Therefore I can agree with the other reviewer, in that "If you are considering this place, then you might want to do more research and consider other options" That is what I am doing as well, but I am already looking forward to visiting Lost Valley again; hopefully sooner than later :-) read more

Former student turned resident before moving back to Texas! I enrolled in the Holistic Sustainability Semester to earn my Permaculture and Ecovillage Design Certifications because I'm interested in sustainability and community. But what I found was a life changing experience with a group of people who I would've never met in Texas. I loved my educational experience and the community I helped build, so I decided to stay past the program's end and become a resident. I highly recommend the HSS program, or using the site to host overnight events, or even just staying for a period of time to see what it's like in an aspiring ecovillage! read more