-stedsans staff page-
Dear everyone arriving to Stedsans to work this season:
Here we have collected a bunch of answers to questions you may have.
How to get here
Our address is: Bohult 109, 31491 Hyltebruk, Sweden.
The nearest international airports are Copenhagen, Malmö/Sturup or Gothenburg. Most people fly into Copenhagen to get here.
If you travel from South (Copenhagen etc.) or from the Swedish West coast/Norway you take the train to Halmstad. From Halmstad you take either the bus 400 to Hyltebruk (get off at Staffansbo) or the local train to Torup. You can plan your trip to Halmstad with SJ.se . The trip from Halmstad can be planned with hallandstrafiken.se . Both SJ and Hallandstrafiken have handy apps where you can buy tickets, see time schedules etc.
If you need to be picked up at the bus in Hyltebruk or the train station in Torup: Please send us your estimated time of arrival a few days in advance by email mette@stedsans.org or to Flemming’s phone: (+46)706362017.
If you arrive from North-East (Stockholm) it’s a bit more tricky. You take the train to Alvesta. From there you can take a local train and then a bus to Landeryd + another bus to Hyltebruk. You use the same websites/apps as mentioned above to plan this trip.
About Bohult and the area
Bohult is a tiny little village. Besides from Stedsans 3 other families live here + more in the summertime. The nearest town, Hyltebruk, is 13 kilometers away. It has pharmacy, grocery stores, clothes shopping, hair dressers, library, post office and so on. It also has a very good shop for buying outdoor gear should you be in need of anything.
Unnaryd is a little town 17 kilometers away that we like very much. Here we have quite a lot of friends who are musicians/creative people who arrange festivals and events during summertime.
The nearest bigger cities are Gothenburg, Malmö and Copenhagen - all worth the trip when you have a few days off.
The ocean is 1 hour away, by Halmstad.
We have lots and lots of forest, hiking trails and lakes in our area.
Getting around
The nearest bus stop is in Rydöbruk or Hyltebruk, about the same distance. However, the busstop in Rydöbruk can be reached by a quite nice bike ride while the trip to Hylte is not as nice. We have a car for staff to use and a plan of getting some bikes too.
What to bring
We do have a limited amount of towels and sheets for staff to use, but we prefer if you bring your own. This is because we have lost a lot of sheets during the years, after lending them out to staff, unfortunately. We provide you with duvets, pillows etc. of course.
As all water is recycled we only use fully biodegradable toiletries. We provide soap, conditioner and shampoo and you are also welcome to bring your own as long as they meet the criteria.
Bring clothes for working under all weather conditions. Even in summertime we can have nights when the temperature drops to around 0 degrees celsius around the time of the full moon. Rain gear, rubber boots, hiking boots and warm woolen sweaters are all nice and handy to have in the forest. We have a limited amount of these items to lend out and also some nice thrift stores in the area so there’s no need to go shopping if you don’t have everything you need before your trip. We work with fire, soil and in the rain so bring only clothes that you are okay with getting dirty.
We have aprons, work overalls and so on but no work uniform as such. We expect you to leave everything you borrow in the forest at departure so other staff members can use them later on.
Don’t forget your swim clothes! We light up the sauna and go swimming in the lake all year round.
If you have music instruments you want to play, please bring them.
What to do here
We have yoga mats, canoes and SUP’s you can use. We also have a limited amount of fishing gear to lend out if you promise to take good care of it. And we have lots of good books.
We encourage staff to arrange social activities or trips during days off. You are welcome to use the sauna/boat house/ceremony room anytime you want outside of service hours.
Accomodation
We have 10 caravans for staff to use in addition to the cabins. The caravans have light, heat and electricity. The cabins can be used by staff when they are not in use (usually we need all cabins during the weekend). We have shared compost toilets for staff to use as well as an indoor and an outdoor shower.
All staff members (who are not couples) have their own caravan/cabin. We value your privacy and individual needs.
Some also choose to bring their own camper van, which is fine. It can be parked at the staff camp which has electricity, water etc.
Wifi and phone connection
Our wifi is not the most reliable but works for most things. Using phones is no problem except for some areas of the forest.
Guests
You are welcome to have a limited number of guests during your stay - especially if they want to help out :-)
Staff food
Usually we provide 2 staff meals per day + breakfast that you take care of yourself. Our food is clean, healthy and simple. We use both carefully selected animal products and lots of plants but of course vegetarian/vegan options are provided too if needed. We believe in balance, and our kitchen is not free of grains or sugar, but we try to limit both.
Some days you may have to cook your own meals, if for example most staff is off/away.
How many people work and live here?
In the summertime we are 8-12 interns/volunteers + 4-6 people on the steady team. Besides from that we have carpenters, musicians, retreat facilitators and more coming to stay for longer or shorter periods of time. We also have 4 kids aged 1-16 who help out in different ways.
Insurance
Our insurance covers work-related accidents but as a foreigner you need to have a travel insurance that covers general medical costs and hospitalization.
Contract
We can make you a contract if you need it. Please reach out if this is the case.
Work schedule
You will get your work schedule when you are here. We work 5 days per week (usually Wednesday-Sunday), and have 2 days off each week to rest and rewind. Work hours are 30-40 hours per week. You commit to working every week while you are here, unless otherwise arranged. Team members who stay for more than 3 months will have at least 1 week off. We try to work in ways that are sustainable and healthy, and individual needs are respected.
How to prepare for your stay
We would like you to read our staff manual - find it at the bottom of this page.
The forest is a wild and wonderful place in so many ways and you will for sure learn and grow here. What many people don’t know is that by putting yourself in a natural environment surrounded only by safe, heartshaped people, you also expose yourself to whole new levels of awareness around your needs and feelings. This is good to know and be prepared for, as it can be triggering to old wounds that will, for many, rise to the surface and create some emotional turbulence. It’s all good, but easier to cope with when we know this is what happens. Those of us who have been in the forest for a while know what to look out for, and can assist in navigating these processes.
Contact information
Mette’s email: mette@stedsans.org
Flemming’s phone number/WhatsApp: +46706362017
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions!
