Voluntary work in Norway
Information & guidance about volunteering projects in Norway
Norway, known as the outdoor wonderland of Scandinavia, comprised of mountains, forests, glaciers and of course the fjords. Many individuals may not even consider the Scandinavian countries for voluntary work, yet this is a mistake! Norway may keep this quiet but they are actually a leader country in volunteerism – with nearly half of the population participating in some form of voluntary work for their community, therefore they welcome other volunteers with open arms.
Where to volunteer in Norway
Norway has an extremely high quality of life, where its universal health care and Nordic welfare model encourage individuals lives as well as upward social mobility. In order to optimize your voluntary work in Norway, consider the major cities it offers, which all have more to offer in terms of volunteer opportunities in various sectors!
Oslo is the capital city of Norway, the city where you will find a large volume of international tourist and many tourist attractions. Oslo is a great place to find voluntary work in Norway due to being Norway’s largest city. Oslo is known to offer several volunteering opportunities for community development, as the city has many volunteer centers throughout the city.
Bergen is Norway’s second largest city and is known to be one of the gateways to the famous fjords. Since Bergen is another major city, you can expect to find plenty of volunteering opportunities in the tourism industry here too, and like Oslo, there are various voluntary projects involving with community service such as the Human Rights House, in which volunteers can be involved in providing services for local NGOs as well as advocating for human rights.
Stavanger is known to be the industrial city of Norway, in which is popular with both international and Norwegian travelers with its close proximity to Europe and the UK. Stavanger has close links to multiple farms, which makes it a great city for the volunteers looking for agriculture voluntary work in Norway, where they can be involved with small organic farms or more local projects. Stavanger is also home to the annual Chamber Music Festival, a week long music event that occurs every summer that is a popular volunteering option too!
Volunteering projects in Norway
Norway is a very large country in which comprises a wide variety of landscapes, allowing volunteers to have a huge range of options to choose from for voluntary work.
For volunteers interested in the agricultural sector, voluntary work in Norway is a popular location. Volunteers often find themselves planting, harvesting or attending to livestock at organic farms owned by Norwegian families. If you have more of an interest in animals, volunteers can venture more north of the Arctic Circle. These types of volunteering opportunities could include assisting with operations or maintenance of a guest lodge or even joining projects that help gather information about whale behavior in order to guide their protection, a once in a lifetime opportunity!
With the countries high quality of life, voluntary work in Norway is popular in the community sector, such as projects who help with the development in tourism and hospitality industries as well as assistance with children or disabled adults. The length of voluntary work in Norway varies widely from one week to a few months, and most placements do not require volunteers to speak Norwegian, but it’s always a benefit to know general phrases!
