Social Cooperative Kärngården

Kärngården economic association, with the two houses Kärnhuset and Aspgården, is a social cooperative directed to people who experience mental and social health problems. It is owned by The Swedish National Association for Social and Mental Health, Umeå (RSMH) and IFS, an organisation for relatives and others with an interest in their work. The task of the RSMH is to improve the quality of care and support to people with mental health problems. The RSMH works for a change of attitude and fights prejudice about mental health. The goal of the advocacy work is to affect politicians, care institutions and authorities in order to give people more influence and power over their lives.

The main task in Kärnhuset is to meet people with mental disorder. To make visitors be seen and listened to is very important in the work. Supporting is about strengthening people’s self-confidence by stopping isolation and turn passivity into activity.

Karnhuset arranges a lot of different activities. You can always drop in for the ceramics workshops, the Nordic walking, the music lessons, mindfulness, scrapbooking, handicraft, baking cakes, painting and a lot of other activities you can try. Also for the youngsters between 16-26 there are a lot of activities you can join. Step by to join the games, have fika, watch movies, bake cakes or just for a talk. We also have ones a month special music evenings which are very nice to visit. We even have our own band you can play in.

Students also like to visit Karnhuset. There are many students who did their internship at Karnhuset. We had students all over the world. For students it’s very nice to see the Swedish way of social work and to compare it with their home country. It’s nice to experience that by yourself. Feel free and welcome to contact us any time if you want to know more about Kärnhuset.

Kärnhuset is directly in the centre of Umeå. So come and visit us. Drop by in the cosy cafe for a fika and to meet other people. To build up friendships or just to be with other people.