THE ISLAND OF EKSKÄRET
The Ekskäret island is the heart of the Ekskäret Foundation — the physical space where our work takes form, deepens, and becomes embodied. The island is located in the Äpplarö Nature Reserve in Stockholm’s mid-archipelago, approximately two hours from central Stockholm. It is here that we create the spaces, rhythms, and relationships that make genuine inner and outer development possible.
Ekskäret emerged from a vision held by founder Tomas Björkman: to create, in close relationship with nature, a gathering place for initiatives, conversations, organisations, and people who wish to contribute to long-term sustainable development for humanity and society.
In a time of increasing complexity, it has become ever clearer that we need to develop more than technical solutions and rational strategies. We also need to strengthen our cognitive and emotional capacities — our ability for presence, empathy, perspective-taking, responsibility, and meaning-making.
In this context, the island of Ekskäret has, since its emergence in 2008, served as a living learning lab — a place where intentional design, the active presence of nature as a co-creative partner, and shared experiences invite participants into deeper self-awareness, genuine human connection, and a lived sense of reciprocity and belonging with the more-than-human world.
A SPACE FOR LEARNING AND PRESENCE
The architecture, designed by Landström Arkitekter and nominated for Building of the Year by the Swedish Association of Architects, is created to support inner work and collective process. The buildings are connected by wooden decks that form natural flows between conversation, silence, and movement in nature.
The facility offers 22 bedrooms with 39 beds, a large meeting room for up to 40 people, two smaller group rooms for approximately 5–10 people, and a studio space for shared lunches and dinners — creating an intimate and cohesive environment for groups to live, work, and gather together.
The lookout tower, sauna, beach, Sami tent, rock formations, and the gathering space Insight are not merely functional environments — they are spaces for deepening, encounter, and transformation. Here, the outer landscape is woven together with the inner work: the forest’s silence, the warmth of the fire, the movement of the sea, and the stillness of dawn and dusk all become part of the learning.
THE EKSKÄRET EXPERIENCE
A defining part of Northern Ekskäret’s unique character is what we call The Ekskäret Experience — a consciously designed welcome and framework that creates what is often described as a safe & brave space.
Each visit is received by our volunteer elders — retired individuals with deep experience and lived wisdom. Their role is not to instruct, but to hold, guide, and create the conditions for participants to slow down, arrive, and reconnect with themselves, one another, nature and the whole.
Through gentle invitations and presence, the elders guide participants through the island’s landscape — a walk through the four directions — where nature becomes a mirror for the inner world. Each morning, outdoor meditations are held with a focus on presence, breath, and connection, helping the group deepen their experience and anchor it in the body.
Visits conclude with a shared ritual where the elders open a space for reflection, allowing participants to reflect on what they have discovered, what has shifted, and what they wish to carry forward. In this way, a sense of wholeness is created — from arrival to closure — giving the experience both depth and meaning.
Together with the care, culture, principles, food, and nature, the presence of the elders shapes what we call The Ekskäret Experience — a safe yet brave space where vulnerability and strength can coexist, where transformation is allowed to take form, and where people dare to meet both their inner world and their role within the greater whole.
IDG - EMERGED AND PRACTICED HERE
Ekskäret is also the place where researchers and practitioners with deep experience in adult development gathered and collectively shaped what is today known as the Inner Development Guide (formerly the IDG Framework).
On the island, many of the capacities highlighted in the guide as essential for future leadership and societal development are actively trained and embodied, including:
presence and self-leadership
courage, openness, and empathy
relational capacity and dialogue
collective intelligence and systems thinking
values-based action and sustainability in practice
A HOME FOR EKSKÄRET’S INITIAVES
Ekskäret is not a traditional course or conference facility. It is a living laboratory for initiatives that carry the foundation’s purpose and seek to inspire others to create similar initiatives of their own. Currently, the island is primarily used by initiatives founded by the Ekskäret Foundation:
Inner Development Goals (IDG) – a global movement to develop the inner and collective capacities needed to accelerate progress toward a more sustainable, just, and thriving world.
Protus – a youth organisation that creates and facilitates transformative camps for young people, led by young people.
Spark – A transformational 5-day retreat process that helps you connect to your purpose and unlock your potential.
Elevate – transformative week-long, co-created retreats for adults, centered on inner development and creating a safe, brave space in community.
Klustret Ekskäret – a meeting and co-working facility in Stockholm for ideas, dialogue, community, and values-driven collaboration.
Emerge Lakefront Project – a residency for personal and collective evolution; a home for those who believe that inner development fuels systemic change.
Alongside these, the island also hosts a few carefully selected organisations and initiatives that share our values, methodology, and perspective on human development.
TWO GUIDING PRINCIPLES
All life and work on Ekskäret rest on two fundamental principles:
1. Leave a better trace
We strive to leave the island — and one another — in a better state than when we arrived. This is expressed through concrete action, relational responsibility, ecological care, and the energy we contribute to the space. It is a continuous practice of awareness and co-creation.
2. Care for and stay in connection with yourself, others, and the whole
A living compass for how we meet, lead, and coexist — where responsibility for one’s inner life goes hand in hand with care for relationships and the larger whole.
These principles are not policies — they are a lived culture and an integral part of Ekskäret’s inner infrastructure.
WHY OUR ISLAND MAKES A DIFFERENCE
When people arrive at Ekskäret, a shift takes place. The pace slows down. Perspectives widen. Relationships deepen. Insights land. What truly matters comes into focus.
Here, groups of 10–40 people experience the island as entirely their own — creating safety, presence, and a shared sense of we. In this environment, processes are given time to mature, and real transformation is able to unfold.
That is why we say: Ekskäret is a place for growth — within you, between us, and in relationship to the whole.