In the city of Turku, there are many opportunities to influence the surrounding environment by volunteering.

On this page

Residents’ workday

Organise a local residents’ workday!

Would you like to organise a volunteer workday in your neighbourhood? The city lends tools and helps with permits. During the volunteer workday, you can clean up green areas, rake parks or tidy up the nearby forests. You can also come up with a new idea for a volunteer workday – all residents, day-care centres, schools, organisations and associations active in Turku are welcome to join.

How to organise a volunteer workday?

  1. Contact us via the city’s feedback service: Feedback service
  2. Tell us about your idea for a volunteer workday at least one week in advance.
  3. The city helps you plan the workday, takes care of the permit procedure, and offers guidance during the work process, if needed.

Where can a volunteer workday take place?

  • On city-owned land, such as parks, traffic areas and forests.

What can volunteers do?

  • Clean up the environment
  • Rake
  • Take care of meadows
  • Renovate paths
  • Thin thickets
  • Paint park furniture
  • Remove invasive alien species
  • Or whatever you can think of!

The City of Turku also organises different types of volunteer workdays based on residents’ wishes. In 2023, we organised 77 volunteer workdays with approximately 4,500 participants. Join us to make a difference!

Volunteering at parks

Volunteer at your local park!

Anyone in Turku can volunteer to take care of a park. You can either volunteer on your own or together with others. You don’t need any professional skills; enthusiasm is enough!

Voluntary park maintenance activities differ from residents’ voluntary work in that they are continuous and regular. You and the other participants decide how and when to take care of the park. 

How to become a volunteer at a park?

  1. Sign up online: Use the Feedback form
  2. On the Voluntary environmental workgroups page, enter your contact details and the name of the park where you want to volunteer.
  3. We will contact you.
  4. The city helps with the preparation of the maintenance plan, lends tools and takes away the rubbish and green waste. 

Where can you take part in voluntary work?

  • On city-owned land, such as nearby forests, parks or meadows.

What can volunteers do?

  • Rake
  • Collect rubbish
  • Spread wood chips on paths
  • Remove twigs
  • Organise a hay harvest
  • Brainstorm more!

Volunteers maintaining ice rinks

Residents can volunteer to freeze certain ice rinks in Turku. The upkeep of the ice rinks has so far been handled by local resident groups, neighbourhood volunteers, and similar community efforts.

Volunteers commit to maintaining the ice rink at the start of each winter season. The ice rinks are frozen in winter from week 52 to week 8. 

How to organise a voluntary workgroup?

  1. During October, contact Sports Facility Manager Timo Koljonen, timo.koljonen@turku.fi, tel. +358 50 554 6221.
  2. Volunteers sign a written agreement for the maintenance of the ice rink.
  3. The city gives the changing facility keys to the volunteers maintaining the ice rink (if the rink has a changing facility). At the same time, the volunteers agree to follow the instructions they have received and the rules of the ice rink.
  4. The city provides the hoses and snow sled shovels, and pays for the water and electricity used for freezing. The city also offers assistance to volunteers regarding the upkeep of the ice rink, if necessary.

Important to remember

The most important and technical part is the use of the fire hydrant. The water comes from a fire hydrant located on the side of or near the ice rink. After each freezing session, the appliance must be emptied very carefully. Water freezing in the pipes can easily damage the fire hydrant.

During a snowy winter, it is important to recognise the physical demands of snow clearing done by volunteers.

Ice rinks suitable for maintenance by volunteers

Ice rinks can be managed by volunteers where ever there is a fire hydrant nearby. 

The link opens up the location in the Turku Region Map Service 

You can also enquire about the situation in other outdoor sports fields.