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Safe Space Ethics at Yuyo

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Updated
Bysmerdjakoff

A community rooted in clarity, presence and collective responsibility.

1. Why Yuyo is a Safe Space

Yuyo is not just a finca.
It is a place built on decades of lived experience with addiction, recovery, relapse, and the long work of becoming present in one’s own life again.

Between us, we carry over 40 years of being clean from alcohol, weed, stimulants, downers, psychedelics, and every other mind-altering substance.
We know what it means to fall, to get up, to rebuild, and to protect the fragile space in which real transformation can happen.

This makes Yuyo a place where clarity is not just preferred — it is essential.
Not because we moralize, but because we know the consequences, the dynamics, and the risks.

Keeping Yuyo clean is how we honor our own past and protect our future.

2. What “drug-free” means here

For us, “drug-free” does not only refer to illegal or recreational substances.
It includes any substance that alters presence, mood, consciousness or emotional stability, such as:

  • alcohol
  • cannabis
  • stimulants
  • benzos and downers
  • psychedelics
  • cocaine and other party drugs
  • and also prescribed psychopharmaceuticals

Volunteers and residents must be able to live, work and communicate clearly.
People who wish to drink a beer or smoke a joint may do so off the property — but not here.

This isn’t about perfection.
It’s about protecting a space where community is built on honesty, mutual reliability, and full presence.

3. Why we include prescribed psychopharmaceuticals

We do not judge individuals who take medication.
We fully understand that many people rely on antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds or mood stabilizers in moments of difficulty.

What we question — openly and thoughtfully — is the system:

  • A society that treats natural human despair as a chemical imbalance.
  • A culture where pain is individualized instead of addressed collectively.
  • A world where structural issues are medicated instead of transformed.
  • A pharmaceutical industry that profits from lifelong dependency.
  • A political climate in which revolutionary potential is softened, not supported.

None of this is the fault of any single person.

But it is why we say clearly:
Yuyo is a place for presence, not chemical stabilization.

Someone who still needs medication is simply not in a stable phase suitable for a communal, work-based volunteer experience.

That is not a judgment — it is a responsibility.

4. Volunteering vs. Therapeutic Support

These are two completely different paths, and we treat them as such.

Volunteering at Yuyo means:

  • being clean and stable
  • being able to work in a community
  • being emotionally present and reliable
  • being able to handle daily tasks without needing substances
  • contributing to collective well-being

Therapeutic accompaniment means:

  • facing personal patterns and dependencies
  • participating in self-help structures
  • committing to a process of honesty
  • possibly tapering off medication safely
  • having different expectations and responsibilities
  • contributing financially in a fair, non-profit way
  • prioritizing healing over productivity

Trying to mix both leads to chaos.
We have seen this before.

Therefore:

🔸 Volunteering is not possible for anyone who still relies on psychopharmaceuticals.

🔸 Therapeutic accompaniment is only an option if someone truly wants to stop — and only after further conversations in which we understand whether we can responsibly offer that support.

If we determine together that the process is beyond what we can provide, we will help to connect the person with other resources or local support networks.

5. What we can offer

For those who genuinely want to reclaim their lives from substances or medication, Yuyo can be a powerful bridge into something new.

We offer:

  • connection to local 12-step groups
  • participation in our own self-help meetings
  • a supportive, present community
  • structure, rhythm, purpose and grounded daily life
  • honest conversations
  • the philosophy of “just for today”
  • and the lived experience of people who have walked this path

This is not a medical facility.
We do not replace professional treatment.
But community can be transformative — and we believe deeply in that.

6. What we cannot offer

To be transparent:

  • We cannot take responsibility for someone who stops medication suddenly.
  • We cannot host someone who is unstable, intoxicated or dissociated.
  • We cannot provide crisis intervention or 24/7 support.
  • We cannot mix therapy and volunteer work.
  • We cannot be a last-minute escape for people overwhelmed by life.
  • And we cannot compromise the safety of the community.

Our boundaries protect everyone — including the person who wishes to stay.

7. Our guiding values

Everything we do at Yuyo is based on:

  • Presence instead of escape
  • Responsibility instead of avoidance
  • Community instead of isolation
  • Clarity instead of numbing
  • Solidarity instead of competition
  • Honesty instead of convenience
  • Transformation instead of sedation

We believe in human closeness.
We believe in collective healing.
We believe in the power of a clean and conscious community.

And yes — we believe in ethical AI too.
That’s part of our future.

8. An Invitation

If you are stable, clear and ready to contribute — you are welcome to volunteer with us.

If you struggle with substances or medication but truly want to change — we can talk about a different type of stay.

If neither is your path right now — we still wish you strength, clarity and community on your journey.

Yuyo is not for everyone.
And that is exactly why it works.

🌿 Welcome to a place built on presence, care and courage. 🌿

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