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 is inviting volunteers to northern Sweden for a summer community gathering from 30 June to 11 July 2026. The project is based in northern Sweden, around one and a half hours north of Östersund, in an area of forests, lakes and mountain landscapes within the Änsättfjällen region.
This is a no-fee volunteer exchange for people who would like to live and work together as a temporary community. Around 10-15 volunteers will gather for twelve days, helping to care for the land, buildings and shared spaces while also taking part in a wider experience of community life.
The hosts are especially hoping to receive more applications from men, as most applications so far have come from women. At the same time, women are still very welcome to apply. The aim is simply to create a balanced and cooperative group of people who are willing to show up for the place and for each other.
What volunteers will do
Volunteers can expect hands-on, practical work for around 4-5 hours a day. Tasks may include forestry, preparing wood supplies, light building, painting, carpentry, maintenance, cooking, kitchen support and care of communal spaces. Some work may be physical and outdoors, so this opportunity is best suited to people who are comfortable contributing actively for several hours a day.
During the 12-day Volunteer Community Gathering there will be 8 shared work days, 2 full rest days, and lighter days for arrival, departure and group rhythm.
What is offered in exchange
In exchange for their contribution, volunteers receive shared accommodation and all meals. Meals are vegetarian, and the hosts say they can usually accommodate vegan and gluten-free diets with prior notice.
Accommodation is mostly in shared twin or double rooms in the farmhouse or guest cabin. There may also be limited space for camping and a small number of spaces for live-in vans.
Alongside the work, the gathering includes shared community life, daily check-ins, workshops, simple rituals, optional meditation, hikes, waterfalls, lake swimming, wood-fired sauna, hot tub, games, evening fires, stories, songs and relaxed time in nature.
Who this opportunity is for
This volunteer opportunity in northern Sweden may suit people who enjoy simple living, shared spaces and cooperative group rhythms. You do not need to be highly skilled, but the hosts are looking for people who are willing, present, physically able to help, and open to communication and shared responsibility.
Useful skills may include basic carpentry, building, painting, forestry, cooking, gardening, maintenance, practical repairs or general making-and-mending. Curiosity, kindness and a genuine interest in community living also seem important for this experience.
Dates and application
The main Volunteer Community Gathering runs from 30 June to 11 July 2026. Priority is given to people who can stay for the full period, although shorter stays may be considered after full-term applicants.
Bjärkan also offers summer volunteering between 12 July and 23 August 2026 for people who cannot join the main gathering. For this later period, a minimum stay of one week is preferred.
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 for the main gathering
Fee: No fee
Exchange: 4-5 hours of help per day, shared accommodation and vegetarian meals provided
Apply through the official form
Email: info AT bjarkan DOT org
Official details: https://www.bjarkan.org/volunteergathering
Original host note from the Facebook group
Where are the men?
Almost every application we’ve received so far has come from a woman. The women coming are brilliant, and we’re very glad they’re coming. But we’d love a better mix.
So, men: this one’s for you.
Bjärkan is in northern Sweden, within the Änsättfjallen area known as Sweden’s Alaska, surrounded by forests and lakes about an hour and a half north of Östersund. High summer here is something else entirely.
From 30 June to 11 July we’re gathering a group of around fifteen volunteers to live and work together for twelve days. Working together on the beautiful land to support with forestry, light-building and maintenance. Four to five hours a day, five days a week, as a community.
Good accommodation and all meals are provided in exchange, alongside the kind of things that actually make a community: daily check-ins, workshops, learning to work and live well together, hiking in the mountains, visiting waterfalls, wood-fired saunas and hot-tub, games, evening fires with stories and song, meditation, and plenty of unhurried time to just be somewhere beautiful with good people.
We’re not just looking for willing hands. We’re looking for people who want to genuinely show up, to each other and to the place.
No fee. Places are limited and by application.
Full details at: https://www.bjarkan.org/volunteergathering
If you know a man who needs to get off the grid and into something real this summer, tag him. And we are also more than happy to have a full women crew if that’s how it works out, so if you’re a woman who’d like to join an already amazing group of women, do apply!