6-Weeks of Service
From Soil to Soul: A Sustainable Journey
Are you ready for a meaningful and unforgettable experience that blends community, sustainability, and creativity? Immerse yourself in the heart of Ängsbacka and play a key role in shaping its journey toward becoming a more sustainable and regenerative space, all while gaining valuable skills and forming lifelong connections.
This year, Ängsbacka invites you to join one of our two ESC Volunteering Teams for an inspiring 6-week program building a more sustainable present and future in a transformative community.
What is the European Solidarity Corps
The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) is an initiative by the European Union that empowers young individuals aged 18 to 30 years through volunteering or work projects within their country or abroad. It’s designed to promote solidarity, encourage social engagement, and facilitate personal growth by offering opportunities to contribute to society, gain experience, and develop new skills across diverse activities.
Participants benefit from essential support like food, accommodation, travel, pocket money, insurance, and mentorship throughout their engagement.
Volunteers have the opportunity to learn and grow by engaging in meaningful projects that encourage teamwork, collaboration, and cultural exchange, enabling them to immerse themselves in diverse communities and work collectively. More info about ESC here
Volunteer Profile
We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about community, sustainability, and hands-on projects, highly motivated people ready to dedicate their energy to practical work and communal involvement. We base the selection process mostly on your reasons to apply and willingness to learn.
Volunteers must show an interest in learning and living in a community. Living closely with a community of diverse individuals can be both challenging and amazing, and we seek people who are open to that experience and eager to support our shared values and goals. Please find our Ängsbacka Guidelines here.
We wholeheartedly welcome and encourage individuals facing diverse challenges and fewer opportunities to join us. Ängsbacka is committed to creating an inclusive community where everyone’s unique journey is valued, respected, and supported. (More information available in the application form.)
Practical information about your work as an ESC volunteer
THE WORK
You will be doing a variety of hands-on activities. The tasks will depend on the season and team distribution but you can expect working on the garden and park, planting, cutting wood, putting up or down festival tents and decorations, harvesting and processing food from our garden and sustainable projects. If needed could also be supporting Ängsbacka’s regular teams like the kitchen and house keeping. Most of the tasks could include physical labor and working outdoors.
The volunteer experience is supported by a weekly program of activities such as dance, yoga, singing, meditation, reading groups, movie nights, and a whole variety of practices that provide daily opportunities for exploring ways of meeting oneself in an authentic and meaningful way. The program is put together by the community, so you are most welcome to bring your ideas & gifts and to share your enthusiasm in your area of interest!
As an ESC volunteer, we expect a 35-hour per week commitment from you. You will be supporting Ängsbacka with practical work 5 days per week, 5 hours per day. You will also join the morning circles, community circles, sharings and silent sittings, which are our main community practices. The ESC additionally offers ESC meetings and learning circles. All these activities will make up a total of around 35 hours per week at maximum.
Every week you will have 2 days off. You will also have 2 days holidays for every month, which makes a total of 3 holiday days for 6 weeks of service.
ÄNGSBACKA AND ESC
Ängsbacka Kursgård is Scandinavia’s largest Course and Festival Center, and it hosts volunteers throughout the year. In 2017, we added the EVS/ESC program to our regular volunteer program. We are a working community that aims to contribute to the development of a more conscious life, caring for our planet and living from the heart.
In our organization, all four dimensions of sustainability (the economic, ecological, social, and cultural) are seen as mutually reinforcing. Attention to each is essential for holistic and healthy community development. Here, people learn not only through courses and workshops offered but most importantly through the immersive experience of sharing the sustainable lifestyle incorporated into everyday life in an intentional working community.
ACCOMMODATION
You will live in dorms (bunk beds) with communal showers and toilets. We will provide pillows and duvets and you need to bring your own sheets/sleeping bag and towels. You cannot bring your dog or cat to Ängsbacka to live with you.
FOOD
Our kitchen serves delicious vegetarian and vegan meals 3 times a day. You have access to tea and coffee, fruits or snacks. There is also a separate community kitchen if you want to prepare something special for yourself.
ALCOHOL-FREE & DRUG-FREE
Ängsbacka is best experienced in full presence and therefore we are a completely alcohol- and drug-free environment. If you are found under the influence, we will ask you to leave immediately.
TRANSPORTATION
Ängsbacka is located in the beautiful Swedish countryside, ca. 2 km from the village of Molkom and 30 km from the town of Karlstad. Molkom can easily be reached by foot or a volunteer bike. There you can find a supermarket, a gym, a sports hall and a medical centre. In Karlstad, there are more services, including a public bath, library, hospital and shops. There is a local bus to and from Karlstad.
PRACTICES AND SUPPORt
SHARING
Sharing is at the heart of Ängsbacka and supports everybody here. It is considered a sacred space for speaking and deep listening from the heart. It invites you to be seen in your truth and to see others in theirs, without judgment or fixing. One person shares, while the others sit in silence paying attention to the person sharing. Everyone in the group will have the same amount of time available to them, and everything that is said or done stays in the group. We do not bring it up again outside of sharing. Sharing is an essential and honored practice at Ängsbacka, and we welcome you to this special space with the sensitivity and open-heartedness that is at its core.
SUPPORT
As an ESC volunteer, you are supported by work mentors and a social mentor (Miky Dănăcică) who will assist you with any practical or emotional issues. Sometimes we also use the help of professional coaches if there is an immediate need. For people with fewer opportunities, we offer enforced mentorship/support. We encourage you to participate fully and devote yourself to the daily program and the exploration of how the tools offered in meetings, workshops, and sharing can be of support for you.
SPRING TEAMS (May 12th – June 24th)
25 Participants
This year we will focus on projects that support sustainability and regeneration, increasing ecological resilience, and spreading sustainability awareness through educational initiatives for our community and festival participants. You’ll also contribute to preparing the site for our transformative summer festivals, with hands-on tasks like setting up tents, cutting wood and crafting spaces that host connection, growth, and joy.
HARVESTING TEAMS (August 25nd – October 11th) 15 Participants
Be part of transitioning Ängsbacka from the vibrant summer festival season to autumn. This team focuses on harvesting the garden, processing food, packing down tents and festival structures, and advancing sustainability projects that regenerate the land and strengthen our community.
Whether you’re drawn to the creative buzz of pre-festival preparations or the grounding work of autumnal transitions, both programs offer life changing experiences to contribute, learn, and grow.
If you are a resident or citizen of the EU and under 30 years old, this could be the perfect opportunity for you. Swedish participants warmly welcome too! We are looking for enthusiastic ESC volunteers for each team to co-create the Ängsbacka experience and be part of this transformative journey.
Are you ready to make a difference? Apply now and join us!
JOIN us for 6 weeks of service
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, so apply soon but no later than March 3rd!
Ängsbacka and the European Solidarity Corps
Ängsbacka Kursgård is Scandinavia’s largest Course and Festival Center, and it hosts volunteers throughout the year. In 2017, we added the EVS/ESC program to our regular volunteer program. We are a working community that aims to contribute to the development of more conscious life, caring for our planet and living from the heart.
In our organisation, all four dimensions of sustainability (the economic, ecological, social and cultural) are seen as mutually reinforcing. Attention to each is essential for holistic and healthy community development. Here, people learn not only through courses and workshops offered, but most importantly through the immersive experience of sharing the sustainable lifestyle incorporated into everyday life in an intentional working community.
Service
During your stay at Ängsbacka, we invite you to explore the mindset of service. Not as a concept, but rather as a way of living. Service to your fellow community members, to course participants, to the planet and all its inhabitants, and to yourself.
We believe that through selfless service, through connecting back to our deep need to contribute to the world, we grow in compassion and joy.
Working meditation
Working Meditation is our shared daily practice of service and togetherness. We encourage everyone to use their working hours as active explorations of the present moment. Everything that comes to our minds and bodies is welcomed into the moment. We support each other to remain light-hearted and connected.
Ideally, the time spent in work is happy and fulfilling, regardless of the task. The realisation to be discovered is that the enjoyment of the task comes from within ourselves, not from the nature of the task.
Sharing
Sharing is at the heart of Ängsbacka, and supports everybody here. It is considered a sacred space for speaking and listening from our hearts. It invites you to be seen in your truth and to see others in theirs, without judgement, advice or fixing.
One person shares, while the others sit in silence paying attention to the person sharing. Everyone in the group will have the same amount of time available to them, and everything that is said or done stays in the group. We do not bring it up again outside of sharing.
Sharing is an essential and honored practice at Ängsbacka, and we welcome you to this special space with the sensitivity and open-heartedness that is at its core.