Work and make
A dependable place for coworking, creative projects, a cup of mate and the conversations that happen in between.
Fellowship of the Gourd · Salt Spring Island
Let’s bring Mateada
to life, together.
A place to work, make things, share ideas and enjoy each other’s company. A pot of mate on the table. A little more life in the room.
A free host pilot · About four shared shifts a month · January opening target
A culture hub,
held by its people.
Mateada’s original vision is still alive: art, music, hospitality, friendship and yerba mate. We’re exploring a member-supported co-op that gives those things a home throughout the week.
The Fellowship of the Gourd is the circle of hosts who help care for the space and shape its everyday life. Members would help sustain it, and the wider community would come together through gatherings, workshops and events.
We’ll start by learning how to run the place together. The co-op structure, membership terms and public opening date will grow from that experience.
Mateada provides the house.The Fellowship keeps the hearth.The members make it sustainable.
What does
a host do?
You and a co-host share a four-hour window, about once a week or four times a month. You help welcome people and look after the room, with time for your own work, creating and connection between those shared duties.
Bring your warmth and your interests. Tea, crafts, a thoughtful conversation or simply a lovely room to work in can all be part of your shift.
4 hoursone weekly window
2 hostssharing each shift
Welcome people
Greet newcomers, help people find their feet and keep the mate flowing.
Learn the building
Follow the shared handbook for opening, closing, keys and security. We’ll learn it together at a walkthrough.
Care for the room
Keep an eye on dishes, surfaces, bathrooms and waste. Leave the space ready for whoever comes next.
Hold the atmosphere
Make room for focused work and good company. Put structured or louder activities in the shared calendar.
Share the responsibility
Agree the shift with your co-host. Give early notice when you’re away and arrange coverage through the Fellowship.
Pass things along
Share useful notes and flag anything that needs attention. David continues to oversee the building and maintenance.
Everyone helps clear their own glass, tidy their workspace and leave the room beautiful. Event organisers arrange their own setup, helpers and reset, with deeper cleaning coordinated separately.
Your part in the room.
You don’t have to produce an event every time you host. The regular shift is about keeping Mateada welcoming and usable.
- 01
Share your availability
Tell us which four-hour windows usually fit, any travel dates and who you’d enjoy co-hosting with. We’ll confirm the actual dates and pairs together.
- 02
Host alongside someone
Welcome people, tend the mate and care for the room. Between those duties, bring your own work, a craft or a quiet project. Help arrange cover when plans change.
- 03
Put bigger offerings on the calendar
A workshop, a paid class or a reserved area needs a separate agreement. We’ll settle its space, sound, price and reset before announcing it.
We’re planning a simple monthly availability check and reminders. For now, the intake records your general availability; it doesn’t book a shift. We’ll explain the monthly process before it begins.
Imagine a day here.
Bring something you’d enjoy doing yourself: crafts, a quiet project or a skill to share. Larger sessions can grow from those interests once the space and timing are agreed.
Mateada University
Occasional lectures with fascinating guests. Science, philosophy and shared learning, with times chosen to protect focused coworking.
Families belong
Mamas and babes, toddler time and gentle family gatherings. Free for families, including those who aren’t members.
Gather after hours
Music, dance, workshops and occasional dinners, each brought to life by people who want to organise and host it.
Members should be able to come in and work during ordinary host hours. A small activity can use an agreed part of the room while the rest stays available. Lectures, amplified activities and special events need a calendar agreement and advance notice. Prices, reserved areas and any exception to coworking access are still to be settled.
First, we learn
the room together.
Our next milestone is a founding circle of seven committed people who can help get the pilot moving. A full weekday roster still needs 20 host positions: two people per four-hour window, Monday to Friday. We’ll open the hours we can cover together.
The pilot is free for hosts. We’re gathering commitments through October, working toward a dependable roster in November and a hosted opening in January. A free January trial followed by discounted paid memberships in February remains the working proposal; dates and terms still need agreement.
Suite access, event terms and membership prices remain provisional. We’ll open only the hours we can reliably hold together.
There’s room for you in this.
Tell us when you’re available, what you’d enjoy bringing and what you’d like to learn. You can express interest even if you’d like a conversation before committing.
About 6 minutes. Already answered? Use the same email to update your response.
From interested
to in it together.
The next step is a committed circle with a rhythm we can count on. We’ll begin with our own networks and grow from there.
Hosts share everyday care. Weekly deep cleaning is being planned as a paid role, and events need a trained team and an agreed reset before a booking is confirmed. These are working arrangements we’ll settle together.