There will be 2 groups of SEEDS volunteers supporting the events and they will overlap in their work during the week of the festival.This first group of volunteers working in Landsmot will spend their first week on preparing the festival area. Preparation includes putting up signs, marking camping places, car parks and walking paths, and putting up some service stations amongst other things involved in putting up such a festival. The second week will be a hectic and exciting week, the horse festival will be happening and there all of Iceland s best horses and riders gather to compete in various disciplines and breeding classes. Our main task during this time will be assisting in the gates, selling tickets, preparing and selling the daily newsletter, being visible, overseeing and keeping the area clean. We will be working on shifts, sometimes during the day and sometimes during the evening. In between there will also be some time off to enjoy the festival, having time to watch some of the showings or competitions. SEEDS volunteers will have the opportunity to meet some of Iceland s best-known riders and breeders, as to meet horse enthusiasts from various countries.
Accomodation & food:
ACCOMMODATION: Accommodation during the festival will be in a nearby school, volunteers will sleep on mattresses on the floor. Bringing a warm sleeping bag is needed. Volunteers will receive meals from the festivals canteen and/or receive ingredients and share together the cooking and cleaning. Do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.
Location & leisure:
LOCATION: The workcamp will take place in the municipality of Skagafjorour, in the north of Iceland, which offers a rich variety of places of interest. A quarter of area residents make their homes in the country, since Skagafjorour is one of Iceland s most prosperous agricultural regions, with widespread dairy and sheep farming in addition to the horse breeding for which the region is famed. The Landsmot is an event like no other and the atmosphere is unique, with guests from all over the world sharing their common enthusiasm for the Icelandic horse. It was first held in the year 1950 at Thingvellir, in 2011 Landsmot will be held for the 19th time. The 2011 Landsmot will be held at the show grounds at Vindheimamelar. Horsemanship is born into the people of Skagafjorour region and many of Iceland s most famous horse-breeding farms are located there. Icelandic horse lovers from around the globe gather at the Landsmot. We will have the opportunity to meet some of Iceland s best-known riders and breeders. You will also meet horse enthusiasts from various countries.
Requirements:
LANGUAGE: English will be the official language in the camp; high proficiency is not a requirement.
There will be two groups of SEEDS volunteers supporting the events and they will overlap in their work during the week of the festival.This second group of SEEDS volunteers in Landsmot will have a hectic and exciting first week, the horse festival will be happening and there all of Iceland s best horses and riders gather to compete in various disciplines and breeding classes. Our main tasks during this time will be assisting in the gate, selling tickets, preparing and selling the daily newsletter, being visible, overseeing and keeping the area clean assisting in keeping the area clean. We will be working on shifts, sometimes during the day and sometimes during the evening. In between there will also be some time off to enjoy the festival, having time to watch some of the showings and competitions. The second week we will spend clearing the area after the festival. We will be cleaning the area and taking down different areas from the festival, buildings, tents and markings. The goal is to leave the area as clean as possible, with as less damage as possible. SEEDS volunteers will have the opportunity to meet some of Iceland s best-known riders and breeders, as to meet horse enthusiasts from various countries.
Accomodation & food:
ACCOMMODATION: Accommodation during the festival will be in a nearby school, volunteers will sleep on mattresses on the floor. Bringing a warm sleeping bag is needed. Volunteers will receive meals from the festivals canteen and/or receive ingredients and share together the cooking and cleaning. Do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.
Location & leisure:
LOCATION: In the municipality of Skagafjorour, north of Iceland, which offers a rich variety of places of interest. A quarter of residents make their homes in the country, since Skagafjorour is one of Iceland s most prosperous agricultural regions, with widespread dairy and sheep farming in addition to the horse breeding for which the region is famed. The Landsmot is an event like no other and the atmosphere is unique, with guests from all over the world sharing their common enthusiasm for the Icelandic horse. It was first held in the year 1950 at Thingvellir, in 2011 Landsmot will be held for the 19th time. The 2011 Landsmot will be held at the show grounds at Vindheimamelar. Horsemanship is born into the people of Skagafjorour region and many of Iceland s most famous horse-breeding farms are located there. Icelandic horse lovers from around the globe gather at the Landsmot. We will have the opportunity to meet some of Iceland s best-known riders and breeders. You will also meet horse enthusiasts from various countries.
Requirements:
LANGUAGE: English will be the official language in the camp; high proficiency is not a requirement.
SEEDS Volunteers will be working for the third year on this particular project at the artworks of Samúel Jónsson, an Icelandic artist, who lived at Selárdalur. We will be working on restoring an old church. We will be working hand in hand with a well know sculpture artist; who has dedicated several years to this project. The restoration work will both be carpentry work, concrete wall building and more light maintenance work inside the church, like oiling the wood, etc. There is a small festival in the area when we are there and we will be assisting in setting up the festival, assisting during the happenings and taking it down. SEEDS volunteers will continue supporting the project, as the buildings have been rapidly decaying after the artist’s death.
ACCOMMODATION:
We will be hosted in a local house, in sleeping bag accommodation with mattresses on the floor. Please bring you own sleeping bag. Food ingredients will be provided and a kitchen will be available, volunteers will share the different duties of cooking and cleaning. Please do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.
LOCATION:
This work camp is on the west side of Arnarfjörður, located in the Icelandic Western Fjords, which are too often missed by visitors due to its distance (real and perceived) from Route 1, the circle road, and from other population centers. The West Fjords are a mass of fjords, mountains and isolated villages on spits of lands surrounded by water and mountains. The area includes its own glacier, the magnificent, remote Hornstrandir and Europe's westernmost point at Látrabjarg, where millions of birds nest, a must for bird watchers.
The artist who lived there was not able to really practise his art until he retired from his job and then he began building palaces and sculptures. He started adding to his home and then he built a museum for all his artwork, sculptures as well as paintings with carved frames which he made during the winter. Samúel built a grotesque but charming resemblance to the lion’s fountain in the Alhambra-palace in Granada, Spain, and many sculptures showing seals and other animals as well as figures from Icelandic history like Leif the lucky who found America. Icelands most famous hermit Gísli Gíslason lived in this area. He lived alone on a farm named Uppsalir, almost without any communication with other people. He was famous for living in total harmony with nature, not having to use any money or modern facilities such as electricity, machines or vehicles. Now there are plans to make a museum out of his former home.
The distance from Reykjavik is about 500 km (7-8 hours drive) by the Whale Bay tunnel; it is perhaps one of Iceland's most remote areas and a very peaceful and beautiful place to enjoy.
LANGUAGE:
English will be the official language in the camp; high proficiency is not a requirement.
TERMINAL:
Closest International Airport - Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF). SEEDS organises the “minibus option”, a shared transport from Reykjavík to the camps and vice-versa, which apart from being cheaper and more convenient, allows volunteers to meet fellow campers and have a relaxed trip, while stopping on the way for interesting and tourist sites.
EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS:
Participation fee EUR 140,- (Euros). Place of extreme beautiful natural surroundings with countless opportunities to hike and discover it by foot. SEEDS and/or our hosting partner will organise free time activities in the area for the volunteers. This might include sightseeing, hiking, swimming, etc.
During the first part of the camp, we will work in the annual Icelandic metal music festival: Eistnaflug (e. Flying Testicles), held in Neskaupsstaour. We will be working on different tasks around the Metal festival Eistnaflug; preparing the area, working on the festival and cleaning the area afterwards. The main task will be guarding the area of the festival, both during the concerts and in the camping area. The festival itself is held for three days, but both before and after the festival we will be in the area to manage the logistics of the events.The second week we will be working with a local community in the South West to reduce the spread of the Lupine plant, which has been used in Iceland in order to control soil erosion and re-vegetate eroded areas; but in some places its spread is more than desirable and being a foreign specie (originally from Alaska) hinders the native flora to grow and reproduce.We will hopefully assist in rebuilding an old turf and stone wall around an area where the farmers used to keep their livestock, before the days of timber fences and barbwire. In addition we will help tearing down the remains of a collapsed building, some paint jobs and general cleaning of the area.
Accomodation & food:
ACCOMMODATION: During the festival we will stay in tents in the camping site of the festival. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own tents if they have them available; please bring a sleeping bag and sleeping mat. We will receive food and be in charge of the different cooking and cleaning activities.The second week we will stay in a house with basic facilities; in a sleeping bag accommodation. There we will have access to an out-door hot tub.Do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.
Location & leisure:
LOCATION: Eistnaflug is a music festival held annually for the last six years in the Eastern fjords and it has become a celebration for musicians from Iceland and abroad. In 2010 there were over 90 bands playing, the music spans from easy rock to heavy metal. The festival has been a peaceful one without any hazards, the motto is: Rock festival held in brotherhood and friendship.In the eastern fjords visitors enjoy remarkable mountain scenery with mountains in almost every direction, majestic peaks, mysterious ravines and deep valleys. It is said that a visit is a mountain therapy because, some believe that they are good for body and soul, can be inspiring and give unexplained energy. Hikers will find challenges that suite them and enjoy the wonderful scenery and the mountains are the oldest part of Iceland. The geology is unique and very interesting to explore. Most of them are formed by layers of lava that have piled up through the millenniums.In the South West we will be surrounded by beautiful landscapes, fjords and valleys and majestic mountains. There we might even meet a big and mean troll-woman; however chances are that she has been turned into stone by the sunlight.
Requirements:
LANGUAGE: English will be the language of the camp; high proficiency is not required.EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS: Participation fee EUR 160.
SEEDS volunteers will be working on a coastal cultural festival in the North of Iceland. All in all the festivities will last for nine days, with seminars, lectures, courses and exhibits. Furthermore there will be markets every day with food and handicrafts; music, dance and plays. We will be a part of the diverse preparations and assisting during the festival. Our project will involve putting up exhibitions related to the sailing and coastal culture in the area, greeting incoming ships and putting up the exhibitions that they carry. We will be building a boat shelter in a historical way and some of the work will involve a few nightshifts watching the exhibition area on the pier. We will also be assisting the guest with information regarding the festival and the area and some of us might take shifts in the festival-info office. A festival needs many hands to do many different things, and we need to be very flexible and willing to jump into the diverse task that our hosts might need assistance with.
ACCOMMODATION:
We will be hosted in a local school, sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Please bring your own sleeping bag. Food ingredients will be provided and a nice kitchen will be available. We will share the duties of cooking and cleaning. Sometimes during this period, we might get food from the festivals canteen. Please do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.
LOCATION:
The project will take place in the North of Iceland in one of the largest towns in the area. The town used to bustle with life around the fishermen, but now most of the bustle is due to the whale-watching industry. Some say this is the best place in Iceland to see whales. The town church was built 1907 and is by many regarded as the most beautiful church in the country. As in most populated places in Iceland there is a nice geothermal swimming pool in town, and many nice hiking opportunities. One of the oldest cared for birch forest in the country is in the area with the tallest and straightest birch trees in Iceland. The forest was bought and protected in 1905 and the work has been continuous ever since. Close by we will find the largest continuous woodland in Iceland, reaching from Háls at the western part of Ljósavatnsskarð and south to Belgsá, and it is spreading. In the valley flows Fnjóská, regarded by many as the most beautiful fishing river in Iceland. There are many marked hiking routes in the area and museums of nature, culture and trees. We will be close to many of the most beautiful places in Iceland, like Mýatn, Dimmuborgir, Goðafoss and Ásbyrgi -a huge horseshoe shaped cliff face, reputedly a hoof print made by the Norse god Odin’s eight-legged horse.
LANGUAGE:
English will be the official language in the camp; high proficiency is not a requirement.
TERMINAL:
Closest International Airport: Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF). Closest Domestic Airport: Akureyri (AEY), closest bus stations in Akureyri or Húsavík. SEEDS organises the “minibus option”, a shared transport from Reykjavík to the camps and vice-versa, which apart from being cheaper and more convenient, allows volunteers to meet fellow campers and have a relaxed trip, while stopping on the way for interesting and tourist sites.
EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS:
Participation fee EUR 180. Volunteers applying for this project should be motivated to work with people in outdoor activities and be prepared for a flexible time schedule.
SEEDS volunteers will be part of the team organising Rey Cup, an International football festival for kids in 4th and 5th grade. The festival is 5 days long and will be organised in Reykjavík, between July 20 and 24. The festival has been growing every year since it was first held in 2001 and this year it will include international teams from Finland, Canada and Faroe Islands and referees from Germany, Denmark and Switzerland.
Rey Cup is a great adventure in the eyes of the young taking part, participants and volunteers take home precious memories about the days and nights they spent in Laugardalur and the neighbourhood. We will team up with the local Icelandic volunteers, young people interested in outdoor activities and sport, the parents of the participants and others. This festival is run mainly by volunteers and the support SEEDS is giving to the event is well appreciated.
We will share all types of tasks related to the festival and the group will be split according to the needs and to give everyone the chance to try out different assignments. We might be working during the weekends, but free days will be given accordingly to the working days. Volunteers are an integral part of creating an international atmosphere in Reykjavík. The input of us the volunteers will make a big difference in making the festival an impressive multicultural event.
Before starting the festival we might be helping with preparing the area for the festival, cleaning, painting and doing light maintenance work. During the festival we will be keeping the football fields clean, helping with closing the fields in the evenings, helping with preparing breakfast for the teams, help with the clearance of the area after the tournament and a wide variety of many different duties before, during and after the festival. We will have great change to mix with the locals and get to know Icelandic culture.
ACCOMMODATION:
We will be lodged in a local house or school in Reykjavík. We will sleep on mattresses, so please bring your own sleeping bag. Food will be provided and cooking, cleaning or common tasks will be shared fairly among the participants. Do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.
LOCATION:
Reykjavík is the capital of Iceland, often called “the nightlife capital of the north”. But there is more to Reykjavík than pubs and clubs. Reykjavík also gathers the most interesting of Icelandic culture. It is an incubator of new ideas and styles which often indicates new global trends. It is an International city with a lively Cosmopolitan cultural scene. The world’s northernmost capital bridges the Atlantic, between Europe and North America. Reykjavík is spread across a peninsula with a panoramic view of the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean on almost all sides. July is the month of white night, when the sunsets are late, sunrises are early and darkness is never complete. In the area closer than 100 Km from Reykjavik, there are several spectacular waterfalls, geysers, impressive coastline and the well-known geothermal Blue Lagoon spa to visit. The population of the city is over 200,000 including the metropolitan area, so two thirds of Iceland’s inhabitants live here. Reykjavík is a dynamic, modern city which lives in harmony with beautiful nature, using renewable energy sources - geothermal power and glacial rivers.
LANGUAGE:
English will be the language in the camp, and good conversational skill are required.
TERMINAL:
Closest International Airport: Keflavík (Reykjavík), KEF.
SPECIAL REMARKS / EXTRAS:
Participation fee EUR 140,-. We will have free passes to the biggest geothermal outdoor pool in Reykjavík during the project. We will be invited to the final barbeque party in the in the Reykjavík Zoo. Tours and excursions will be organised for the group of volunteers at discount fares.
We will assist in various tasks preparing for the festival, building the stage, scenes and props, making Viking weapons and sewing costumes. We will also be working on the environment and taking part in preparing and making a facility for competing in Viking-era competitions and games.A big part of our role there will be taking part in re-enactment of the Saga of Burnt Njal. This will include taking part in the games and competitions and re-enacting the big famous last fight scene leading to the burning of Njal and his family. The tale centres on the life of Njall Sorgeirsson and his family, who are casually ensnared in a minor issue that somehow escalates into a frightful, fifty-year blood feud. Bound by their own personalities, fate and sense of honour, nobody is able to stop the bloodshed, which ends only after the original characters i and many of their descendants i have been killed.There is far more to Njal s saga than it s violence, and the tale paints a vivid picture of Iceland that was, in some ways, an idyllic time: the power of the Alsingi at Singvellir at its peak, Christianity was overpowering paganism, and the country s settlers lived by their own efforts on farming and freebooting. (The Rough Guide to Iceland, 2004)
Accomodation & food:
ACCOMMODATION: SEEDS volunteers will stay in a fully equipped house; in a sleeping bag accommodation sharing rooms. Please bring your own sleeping bag. Volunteers will receive food and be in charge of the different cooking and cleaning activities. Equipped kitchen with a beautiful dining room and washing machine are available. Do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.
Location & leisure:
LOCATION: Most of the festivities will take place in the town of Hvolsvollur; located in the Southwest of Iceland in the broad open mouth of the Markarfljot valley, along which the intricately tangled shallow rivers flows westward out from the Mirdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull caps. This is the area of one of Iceland s most beloved Sagas and only 20 km coastward off the highway and across the flat, waterlogged countryside you will find Bersorshvoll, where Njal s homestead sat a thousand years ago. In this area you will find some of Iceland s most beautiful places, like Sorsmork, Tindfjoll, Eyjafjallajokull, Skogarfoss, Seljalandsfoss (a waterfall you can walk behind)and Paradisarhellir (Paradise Cave) in addition to finding unique natural and geological heritage sites and relics of a centuries-old forest.
Requirements:
LANGUAGE: English will be the language of the camp; high proficiency is not required.EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS: Participation fee is EUR 160.
We will help preparing the town for hosting hundreds of visitors by painting houses and fences, maintaining and beautifying the harbour area and assisting in various tasks in the public areas of the village.During the events we will work in various places such as museums, the church, open country market, the old cars exhibition and the coffee house. Some of us will wear old-style Icelandic costumes and participate in a welcoming team by the entrance of the festival. This creates a welcoming and ceremonial atmosphere with an international tone. We will join and perform with the street theatre and prepare events during the festival. Volunteers with artistic skills or just enthusiasm to perform are welcome to develop their ideas and the local hosts will try to include them in the schedule. Our host will assist us organising an international evening where locals will be invited to try, taste and learn about food and traditions from our home countries. As many events and happenings will be going on at the same time during the festival, we may work in teams in different stations at each time. We are encouraged to use the opportunity to explore and learn about the Icelandic culture and history.
Accomodation & food:
ACCOMMODATION: We will live in a local townhouse in the village, partly taking care of cooking for the group and partly receiving meals from the community. Please bring your own sleeping bag.Do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.
Location & leisure:
LOCATION: The project takes place in Eyrarbakki, a small village in South Iceland. The town played an important role in trading; the towns prime time was from middle of the 18th century to the early 19th century. During that time the town life flourished and expanded around the houses of the Danish trading area. The population grew fast and at its peak, the inhabitants were around 1000 at 1920, but decreased to 530 - 550 during the last decades.The historical importance of the town is directly linked to the port, which was an entrance to the country in international trade, churches and bishops in the country had their goods and material for building delivered through Eyrarbakki from abroad. In the mid 18th century Danish merchants were permitted to live in Iceland all year which led them to start building and importing houses and settle down in the town. The town is renowned for its charming old houses and one of oldest house of Iceland, from 1765 is located in the town. Other old houses are there and locals have put effort and energy in maintaining and renovating them, so the town holds more to its original outlook. Few kilometres out of town is Floi Nature Reserve, a paradise for wetland birds, with a marked circular hiking trail through the marshes.
Requirements:
LANGUAGE: English will be the official language in the camp; high proficiency is not a requirement.EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS: Participation fee EUR 160.
« I would recommend participating in a workcamp, especially with VAP, who ensured that I found a project to suit me and provided essential training for me in preparation for my trip. Being part of a workcamp really is a life-changing experience, oh, and it looks great on your CV! »
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