We came across this summer volunteering opportunity through our Facebook group and thought it could be interesting to share it here, giving the project a little more visibility among people who enjoy slow travel, community life, practical outdoor work and time close to nature.
Volunteer in northern Sweden with Bjärkan this summer
Bjärkan still has a few places left for its summer community gathering in northern Sweden, from 30 June to 11 July 2026. The project is based around one and a half hours north of Östersund, in an area of deep forests, clear lakes and mountain landscapes within the Änsättfjällen region.
This is a no-fee community gathering for people who would like to live, work and share daily life together for twelve days. The group is already forming, but the hosts are still looking for a few more people who can join for the full period and take part in the experience from beginning to end.
The hosts describe this as a community gathering rather than a conventional work exchange. The practical work is real and important, but it is also part of a wider attempt to create a temporary village: people cooking, working, eating, checking in, resting and shaping the days together in a remote and beautiful place.
What volunteers will do
Volunteers can expect hands-on, practical work for around 4-5 hours a day, five days a week. Tasks may include forestry, building, maintenance, cooking, tending the land and helping with the shared spaces.
The work is done together and some of it may be physical or outdoors, so this opportunity is best suited to people who are comfortable contributing actively for a few hours a day. You do not need to arrive with advanced skills, but you should be willing, practical, cooperative and physically able to take part.
During the 12-day gathering, the mornings are mainly for work. The rest of the time is shaped by shared meals, daily check-ins, community time and the natural rhythm of the group.
What is offered in exchange
In exchange for their contribution, volunteers receive accommodation and all meals. Meals are vegetarian.
Accommodation is provided on site, with shared living and sleeping arrangements depending on the final group and available spaces. The hosts also mention that this gathering is not suitable for dogs or children.
Beyond the work, the experience may include hikes, lakes, waterfalls, quiet time in nature, shared conversations, evening fires, community activities and the simple process of living closely with people who were strangers only a few days earlier.
Who this opportunity is for
This volunteer opportunity in northern Sweden may suit people who enjoy simple living, shared spaces, practical outdoor work and cooperative group rhythms.
The hosts are looking for people who can show up fully for the place and for the group. What each person brings matters, and the final shape of the gathering will depend partly on the people who join.
Useful skills may include basic carpentry, building, forestry, cooking, gardening, maintenance, practical repairs or general making-and-mending. Just as important are kindness, flexibility, communication and a genuine interest in community living.
Dates and application
The gathering runs from 30 June to 11 July 2026. The hosts are asking for full-date availability only for this one, so applicants should be able to join for the whole period.
Places are limited and participation is by application. Shortlisted applicants may be invited to a brief online call so both sides can clarify expectations and see whether the exchange feels like a good fit.
Contact and application 🔍📩
Project: Bjärkan
Location: Northern Sweden, about 1.5 hours north of Östersund
Dates: 30 June to 11 July 2026
Availability requested: Full dates only
Fee: No fee
Exchange: 4-5 hours of help per day, five days a week, with accommodation and vegetarian meals provided
Notes: No dogs and no children for this gathering
Email: info AT bjarkan DOT org
Official details: https://www.bjarkan.org/volunteergathering
Original host note from the Facebook group
Just a few places left at Bjärkan this summer.
The group is forming and it’s looking good. But we’re not quite there yet, and the right few people are still out there somewhere.
Twelve days in northern Sweden at the turn of July. A small group living and working together in a place that genuinely stops you in your tracks: deep forest, clear lakes, mountains, the kind of stillness that does something to you after about three days.
The mornings are for work. Forestry, building, maintenance, cooking, tending the land. Four to five hours a day, five days a week, done together.
Beyond that, we’ll hold the conditions for something good to happen. Daily check-ins, shared meals, community time, the structures that help a group of strangers actually become something. We know this land well and we’ll bring people to places that tend to open things up. We’ll offer what we have. But we’re not running a programme and we’re not standing at the front of the room. We’re in it with everyone else, and we’re genuinely inviting the group to shape what this becomes. What people bring matters. What emerges will be its own thing.
That’s what we mean when we say this is a community gathering rather than a work exchange. The work is real and it matters. And it’s also the context for something less easy to describe, the experience of briefly but genuinely becoming a village with people you didn’t know a fortnight ago.
Practical things: full dates only please, 30 June to 11 July. Physical capacity to work a few hours a day. No dogs, no children on this one. Accommodation and all vegetarian meals provided. No fee.
Full details and to apply: www.bjarkan.org/volunteergathering
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