The Temples, the Sacred Woods, the organic farms, the workshops — all maintained by volunteers who want to contribute to a living experiment in human potential.
Volunteers contribute to one or more of four main areas of community life, matched to their skills, experience, and preferences. All placements are finalized after an initial conversation with the Welcome team.
Assist with cleaning and basic maintenance of the Temples of Humankind. Work alongside community members who have dedicated years to caring for the sacred spaces. Access to areas closed to standard visitors during maintenance work.
SKILLS: CARE · ATTENTION
Gardening, path maintenance, planting, and seasonal tending of the Sacred Woods — the 8-hectare outdoor spiritual park. Physical work in an extraordinary natural environment. Experience with gardening or forestry helpful but not required.
SKILLS: PHYSICAL · OUTDOOR
Seasonal agricultural work on the community's organic farms — vegetable growing, olive harvest, grape picking, cheese-making with community cheesemongers, wine production support. The community produces a significant portion of its own food.
SKILLS: AGRICULTURAL · SEASONAL
Kitchen assistance, hospitality for visitors, event support, translation (Italian/English/other languages welcome), administrative support. The most varied category — suited to volunteers with diverse skills.
SKILLS: COMMUNICATION · FLEXIBILITY
Minimum one week. Maximum three months for any single placement. Some volunteers return for multiple placements over several years. Extended placements (beyond three months) are possible by arrangement and typically involve a transition toward the New Life or residency process.
Volunteers work 5–6 hours per day, five or six days per week. In exchange, they receive shared accommodation and two main meals per day (breakfast and lunch provided by the community). This is a spiritual work exchange, not employment — there is no pay, and volunteers are not employees of the community.
What volunteers receive in exchange for their work is not just material: they receive full participation in community life during their placement — access to community spaces, to events open to community members, and in some cases to Academy classes that happen to be running during their placement period.
The volunteer programme is not a spiritual retreat — although spiritual deepening is common. It is not a tourist experience — although the Temples and Sacred Woods are extraordinary. It is not a way to avoid paying for accommodation in northern Italy — although that is a secondary benefit.
It is primarily a work exchange: you give time, physical energy, and skill to a community project that has been running for 50 years and is designed to run for 700 more. The community gives you a place within its daily life — not as a visitor, but as a contributor.
The experience is most valued by people who come with genuine interest in what Damanhur is doing, who are willing to be put to work, and who can handle the occasional imperfection of community life without treating it as a personal disappointment.
Volunteers are housed in shared rooms within one of the four nuclei — the residential communities that make up the Damanhur Federation. These are ordinary houses and apartments, not dedicated volunteer facilities: volunteers live alongside community members, not in a separate category.
Rooms are shared: typically 2–4 people per room, depending on availability. Private rooms are occasionally available at an additional cost. All accommodation includes access to shared bathrooms, a community kitchen for self-prepared evening meals, and laundry facilities.
Not provided: evening meals (kitchen access for self-cooking), transport, personal toiletries, personal spending money.
Suggested voluntary contribution: €15–20 per day toward community expenses. This is suggested, not mandatory, and can be discussed in the pre-placement conversation.
Community breakfast — simple, shared, and the best time to meet the people you'll work with. Coffee is excellent.
Four hours of focused work in your placement area. For Sacred Woods volunteers, this often means arriving at the forest as the mist is lifting. For Temple maintenance volunteers, the pre-visitor quiet of the morning is its own experience.
The main meal of the day, prepared by community cooks and eaten together with community members. Meals are generous, primarily vegetable-based with community-produced cheese and cured meats, and almost entirely produced within the valley.
Afternoons are free for personal exploration, rest, or — when available and appropriate — participation in community activities or Academy classes that may be running.
On high-activity days (harvest season, events preparation), some volunteers choose to continue working in the afternoon. This is entirely optional and never required.
Evenings may include community events, Academy classes open to volunteers, informal gatherings with community members, or simple time in the valley — which is extraordinarily quiet and beautiful after dark.
The application process is simple and human. We respond to every inquiry within 5 working days and have a conversation before finalizing any placement.
Write to our volunteer coordinator with:
Write to us at:
welcome@dhwelcome.orgAfter receiving your email, we'll respond within 5 working days with either a request for more information or an invitation to a brief video call. The call typically takes 20–30 minutes and covers practical logistics, your expectations, and our expectations of volunteers.
Following the call, if there is a good fit, we will confirm your dates, assign your work area, and send you practical information about arrival, transport from Turin, and what to bring.
Placements are confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis within each work area. Popular periods (spring and early autumn) fill quickly — apply as early as possible for your preferred dates.
Not appropriate for volunteers: Requests for extended spiritual counselling, attempts to access private community areas, or coming to Damanhur primarily as a way to convert to membership without genuine interest in contributing work.
The community that built nine underground cathedrals by hand is still building. There is always work to do, and it is always meaningful.
Reserve your experience at the Federation of Damanhur
Thank you — our team will respond within 24 hours with full details and a personalised itinerary proposal.
