Read IAL's annual report as a PDF here (in Swedish): Annual Report 2025 for IAL.
2025 has been a year that in many ways confirms why IAL's work is needed. At a time when conflicts and wars continue to characterise the world, we want to contribute to a different direction: a peace work that takes its starting point in people's meetings, in practical solidarity and in the belief that peace is possible—when we build it together.
IAL is a religiously and politically independent organization working for a peaceful world. For us, peace is not just about the absence of war: it is about justice, human rights, non-violence, respect and compassion—and about the understanding that humans are dependent on nature and the ecosystems we are part of.
Our goal is to contribute to such understanding, and we do this primarily through international volunteer camps in Sweden and by placing participants in volunteer camps in other countries.
More communication and more ways to meet
During the year, a digital after-camp meeting was held where participants and association members could share experiences and reflections after the summer. In 2025, work also continued on developing IAL's communication, including through an updated and more functional website thanks to new involvement from Wiktoria Drezner, as well as ongoing updates on social media by board members.
In January 2025, we arranged an inspiration day in Stockholm, something we look forward to repeating this year. At the inspiration meeting, more people have the chance to participate and shape IAL's work, come up with ideas and directions for what this year's work should look like within the association.
We also held an annual meeting in April with both association formalities and elements that created community and inspiration, when we received a visit from one of our camp leaders who participated in the camp at Bäckedals Folk High School.
A small digital IAL community is emerging on the communication tool Discord. There you can get updates on what's going on and, above all, chat with other former or current active members.
Volunteer Year 2025: camps in Sweden and more outgoing volunteers
In 2025, IAL arranged two international volunteer camps in Sweden. One was held at the Viking Village Storholmen in Norrtälje, where volunteers participated in the summer in the work of welcoming visitors and learning about the Viking Age. The collaboration with the Viking Village is long-standing and 2025 marked another year in a tradition that spans two decades.
IAL also ran a camp for the second year at Bäckedals Folk High School in Härjedalen, focusing on practical work, sustainability and community. The volunteers participated in, among other things, the restoration of buildings and work with crops, and the camp also included a study section on sustainability.
At the same time, 2025 has meant a clear positive development for IAL's international volunteer exchange. The number of outgoing volunteers increased significantly compared to the previous year, which is both pleasing in itself and shows the relevance of the association. As more people travel abroad and participate in volunteer projects, more contacts, experiences and stories are created that can contribute to engagement back home in Sweden.
Member development and association life
Being a non-profit association means that our work is based on voluntary efforts and 2025 has been a year where a lot has moved forward, not least when it comes to the number of outgoing volunteers. We on the board are pleased to see that more people are getting involved in different parts of the operation even here at home, even though we are still taking small steps forward. We depend on many people getting involved, albeit in small ways. It can be about being a supporting member, taking responsibility for a specific effort, giving a small donation or talking about IAL! The more voices that talk about us, the more power we get.
International work and common issues
IAL is part of the international organization SCI (Service Civil International). In 2025, IAL participated in two international meetings with SCI. Our representative Tanya Möller Forastieri traveled to both the EPM, which is a preparatory meeting, and the ICM, which is SCI's highest decision-making meeting. The meetings are an important part of holding international peace work together, sharing experiences between countries and jointly shaping the direction forward.
It is worth mentioning that international SCI has chosen to change the name of the word workcamp this year; now the official name is volunteer camp. We at IAL view the name change positively, as we already call the camps volunteer camps.
Looking ahead: 2026
In 2026, we want to continue developing IAL so that more people can contribute—whether you want to go to camp, be a camp leader, help recruit new volunteers, participate in club life, or just get to know others who want to work practically for peace and sustainability.
We want to continue to strengthen our volunteer camps in Sweden, implement them well and create good conditions for both participants and partners. We also want to continue to make it easier to become an outgoing volunteer and reach those who are curious but don't really know where to start.
This year's big activity: Inspiration meeting January 24
The year started with an activity we were all looking forward to: Inspiration meeting with IAL on January 24th. It was an opportunity to meet, gain insight into IAL's operations, share ideas and talk about how we can together develop the association's work in 2026.
Greetings from the IAL Board of Directors 2025
Kristina Hellqvist, Jacob Christman, Johanna Lundqvist, Hanna Zandin, Caroline Kyhlbäck & Tanya Möller Forastieri
Do you want to join?
Building a more peaceful world may sound a bit hopeless right now, but in good IAL tradition, we are working on the concrete: in meetings, in joint work and in the experience of people being able to cooperate across borders. In 2026, we will therefore continue to create more opportunities to participate in international volunteer work, in Sweden and around the world. New camps are released continuously, so keep your eyes peeled in February/March!
Welcome to follow us, become a member or get in touch if you want to get involved!
Email us at: info@ial.se
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ialsciSweden
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ial_sci_sweden/
