Norway’s Unique Way of Volunteering (Dugnad)

So, what exactly is dugnad?

If you’re visiting Norway and notice a group of people tidying up a carpark, or working in a garden connected to an apartment, it’s very likely you have just witnessed dugnad in action.

Dugnad is not an easy word to translate into English. You may find it translated as volunteer work’ or perhaps helping, but these terms don’t encompass everything that the simple word dugnad involves.

The word and the activities surrounding it have their roots in a time when most Norwegians were farmers and fishermen and a community effort was required to complete tasks like building a barn or mending fences. Unlike other words and traditions that have been forgotten, thanks in part to socialist ideals dugnad (https://norgesbriketten.no/dugnad/) has become a notable part of modern Norwegian culture, so much so that dugnad was voted as Norway’s word of the year in 2004.

The activity comes in various forms

While there is little call for a community to come together and build a barn, a modern-day dugnad can take on many forms, and most people will be involved in more than one, sometimes even more than one a week. The concept of a social contract is quite strong in Norway, even if it is not something that is explicitly mentioned there is a keen sense of doing your duty, contributing to the community and making things better for everyone. This is one of the key things that makes dugnad so strong. It’s not something to be missed, and in many communities, someone missing a dugnad will be noticed.

A person living in Norway can be expected to undertake dugnad for each of the communities they are involved with, which could be the apartment block they live in, the school that their children attend and any sporting or interest groups that they are a part of.

Some dugnad are more formal than others. Many of the apartment dugnads have a committee set up, which will determine the tasks that need to be accomplished and ensure they are completed. The tasks you could expect to do as part of a dugnad are varied and include things such as sweeping leaves, undertaking minor repairs, painting, gardening, and general tidying. If your dugnad relates to a sporting community, also known as salgsdugnad for idrettslag (https://norgesbriketten.no/dugnad-idrettslag/), you might find yourself assisting with transportation, refereeing a match or providing the drinks at half time. The dugnad helps make you feel a stronger connection to the communities that you belong too.

Benefits of volunteering

Another benefit of dugnad is in its ability to enable new people to make connections and friendships within a community. Because everyone is generally invited and involved in dugnad, it is an excellent time to meet neighbors or other parents in the school community. A dugnad can be a great way for people new to an area, or even new to Norway, start to settle in and become a part of the community.

There is another tradition that goes along with the dugnad. It’s not uncommon for the group to come together and celebrate when the work is done. For those conducting some tidying up around the apartment block that might just mean finishing up with some traditional Norwegian waffles and coffee. So if you're ever living in Norway and are invited to a dugnad it's a very good idea to say yes.

If you want to have a laugh, check out this funny video from a Norwegian TV-show called "Hvite Gutter". I have also added another video explaining the concept of dugnad.