My volunteer work in the Husky project in Sweden

My arrival

After I landed in Arvidsjaur, I was picked up along with other guests. It was already late when we arrived, but there was still warm food and all the volunteers were still awake to greet me.

Accommodation in Sweden

I lived in the volunteer room in the main house with three other girls and loved it. We spent so much time together and had a lot of fun. There are also curtains in front of each bed if you need privacy.

The food

During the season, the menu repeats itself weekly and there are always two courses in the evening. There is a lot of local meat, such as elk. But there are also vegetarian alternatives. Outside the season, the volunteers can decide for themselves what they cook.

The orientation program at the Husky Project

The intro days lasted two days for each service, but afterwards I didn't feel like I had to know everything right away. You could always ask if something was unclear and in the beginning you were never assigned to a job alone.

My areas of responsibility

The working days are divided into “Dogs”, “In” and “Help”. You have “Dogs” and “In” twice a week, “Help” once. The work plan is rewritten weekly. At "Dogs" it's all about the dogs (and the sleighs in season), i.e. feeding, letting them out, cleaning, taking the dogs for a walk, etc. In winter, preparing and cleaning up the sleigh is also part of it, just as it is for the guests to help with the dogs. “In” is mainly about cooking and cleaning the main house and guest house. “Help” is basically the jumper that helps where it is needed. After the season, when the snow melts, there are also repairs and improvements, such as repairing or replacing the kennels.

My free time in Lapland

You have two days a week off. Most of the time I used the time to make phone calls or sleep longer, but especially towards the end I always went out and helped with the dogs or sleds. Otherwise, I did a lot of walking with the dogs, snowshoeing or ice fishing. That's why there's nothing going on, that's why you can't get very far without a car, but that didn't bother me at all.

Special experiences

Everything about my experience was special. Up there you live in your own world, independent of the rest of the world. The dogs are incredible and immediately make up for any effort when they greet you in the kennel. The nature (including the northern lights) is of course also unique and tobogganing through this snowy landscape is unforgettable. But even out of season it is no less beautiful. In the summer you have even more time to spend with the individual dogs and spend the whole day playing with them and paying attention.

Why did I choose RGV?

I stumbled across RGV by chance and it was the first organization where I saw such an unusual volunteer project. I always received a super quick and competent answer by email.

Experience report from Hannah, volunteer in the Husky project in Sweden, January to March 2023