ISLANDE 2008
WF
Islande
YOU
CAN STILL APPLY FOR THE CAMPS
IN ORANGE COLOR BELOW!!!
Introduction
to Veraldarvinir – Worldwide Friends
Iceland
Worldwide Friends (WF) was founded in 2001 as a non-profit, non
governmental organization promoting peace, friendship and
international understanding.
We
host short-term voluntary workcamps, long-term voluntary
projects (3-7 months), seminars (suitable both for young people
and adults), Youth Exchanges, educational programmes and
campaigns in
Iceland
. We also send Icelandic volunteers intending to have similar
experiences abroad.
Veraldarvinir
/WF works with three main aims:
-
To
promote inter-cultural learning, exchange and awareness
-
to
care for Icelandic nature and raise awareness of
environmental issues
-
to
promote voluntary work and a culture of volunteering
General
information about our International workcamps
Age
limit:
In general our volunteers should be 18 years and in most of the
camps there are no maximum limits.
The
work:
In most cases the workcamps are for two weeks. The working hours
are usually about 30 - 35 hours a week (for example six/seven
hours a day about five days a week). Exceptions are mentioned in
the descriptions.
Accommodation:
Usually we are staying in local community centers, schools,
youth centers or sometimes in family houses. The conditions are
in general really good and with all facilities like kitchen and
toilets. In some cases we will have to take a shower in the
local swimming pool.
Food:
Food will be provided and the volunteers are expected to do
their fair share of the cooking/cleaning.
Camp
language:
English is the language in our camps. The volunteers only need
to have a basic knowledge in the language.
If the camp language is not English, it will be mentioned
in the description. This
year we are hosting one camp with French as a language (WF21)
Campleaders:
There are always one to two leaders in each camp. They are the
link between the host and the group of volunteers. They are
coordinating the work, organizing free time activities,
excursions, shopping and cooking.
Apart from these responsibilities they are equal to the
other volunteers Most
of our camp leaders are foreigners and we are very open minded
in hosting international leaders from other organizations.
Extra
participation fee:
There is an extra fee in many of our camps this year. We are
still looking for support for many of the camps so it is still
possible that in some cases the fee will be lower than written.
We will update you about those changes if luckily that will
happen. The
fee has to be paid by volunteers upon arrival to the camp.
Insurance:
Veraldarvinir provides a basic insurance for the volunteers
during the duration of the camp. We strongly recommend the
volunteers who plan to travel beyond these dates to take out
their own insurance. European
volunteers have to bring the European Health Card (former E111).
Some
practical matters :
We highly recommend the volunteers to bring sleeping bag, work
clothes, hiking shoes and swimming suit, but also warm clothes
and waterproof clothes. Volunteers are also asked to bring
information about their country, photos, music, songbooks, games,
musical instruments, etc.
Volunteers
with special needs:
Our camps are open to everyone. If you have volunteers with
special needs or with fewer opportunities than please contact
us. We will do our very best to find a way to host them.
Information sheet
: We will
send out detailed information sheet with practical information
and camp details the latest four weeks before the camp starts.
Getting
to the campsite:
Public
transportation is not really good in Iceland and rather
expensive. We will organize a minibus ride from Reykjavik to the
camps which are far away from Reykjavik. The participants can
choose by themselves if they want to join the minibus option.
The fees for the minibus will be published in the infosheets.
However, they will be cheaper than public transportation in all
of the cases. This is a good change for the campers to get to
know each other before the camp start and to discover some of
the unknown and non-touristical places on the way to the camp.
Every participant that takes the minibus has to let us know
before the workcamp starts.
Study
Theme
: In all our camps we will have discussions about the
environment and how important it is to take care of it on a
daily basis. It
is necessary to
take action on a local level to help address this very global
issue. Although climate change seem like a complex issue there
is a wide variety of simple actions that every individual and
community can take to make a difference. Energy conservation,
educational programs, planting trees, walk to work and waste
reduction. Those actions are just few of the possible options
that we can choose from in our daily life.In some of our camps
we will also have a study theme related to the history of
Iceland
and the mystical beings or the ancient
heritage of the Scandinavian mythology.
LES
CHANTIERS 2008
WF 40
Fjarðabyggð
29/08 – 12/09
ENVI / MANU
Project
and location: “Fjarðabyggð
is a association of different communities in the Eastfjords of
Iceland. It includes the towns of Eskifjörður, Fáskrúðsfjörður,
Mjóifjörður, Neskaupstaður, Reyðarfjörður and Stöðvarfjörður.
The towns have a lot of things in common: They are all small
fishing villages with steep mountains just behind the houses. In
this area you will find most of the things that makes Iceland a
unique place on a global scale. The fjords are magnificent and
the sea is full of life, the birdlife is very rich and you can
find a great variety of hiking paths. You
will get to know the area during your stay in the east and it
depends on the tasks and the situation in Fjarðabyggð where
you will be working during the camp.
Work:
Most of the w
or
k will be cleaning and beautifying the towns and the surrounding
area. We will also clean the coastline, plant some trees and
even make hiking paths. The work available will depend on the
weather condition and that’s why we have to be a bit flexible.
Please keep in mind that the work might be physically hard and
you should be prepared for unfriendly weather, even though it
will be nice most of the time, hopefully.
Leisure time: Free access to the local swimming
pool, great places for hiking. Excursion or a boat trip will be
organized by the hosting partner.
Accommodation:
In a community center.
Mattresses will be provided and everyone is asked to bring his/her
own warm sleeping bag. We will have showers at the local
swimming pool and sports centre.
Food:
The food will be provided for the
duration of the w
or
k camp and everyone is expected to do their fair share of the
cooking/cleaning. It
would be nice to share new and different dishes, so please
remember to bring along recipes from your own countries
Language:
The language of the camp will be English.
Terminal:
Intl. Airport: Keflavík (Reykjavík),
KEF. WF
Iceland will organize a bus from Reykjavik to the workcamp site
for a fair prize. Egilsstaðir airport is 40 km away from the
project
Extra: Xtra participation fee EUR 90,-
WF
39
Lights of the nights festival
Reykjanes 25/08
– 08/09 ART
/ ENVI
Project
and location:
This
workcamp will take place in Reykjanesbær which is a major
center of fishing and fish processing, although in recent years
tourism has played an increasingly important role in the local
economy. Reykjanes has something for everyone. Steeped in a rich
vein of history, folklore and tradition, the region is also home
to some of the world's greatest geological wonders, including the
Reykjanes Ridge, meeting place of the Eurasian and
American continental plates. Teeming with a wealth of bird and
marine life whose habitats lie amid some of
Iceland
most spectacular coastal scenery, Reykjanes is the natural
choice for all lovers of the outdoors.
In this town
the authorities are very open for new ideas, for example here
you can find the former NATO base which is now becoming a
University village and a centre of art and film making.
The festival
will take place from the 4th to the 7th of
September. This is a
cultural festival with a lot of happenings. Take a look at the
programme from last year. http://www.ljosanott.is/english/Program/Program_2007/
Here you can
also see photos from the last camp that we had there: http://www.wf.is/artediem/
The
authorities are now planning to build “a
home for Trolls” near to the port of the town, close to
the center. Like
elves, trolls are also part of the ancient heritage of the
Scandinavian mythology. Although they are human-like in form,
they are still inhumanly strong, huge and ugly. They are very
often thought to be fearsome and cruel creatures. But, like
elves, trolls often treat people as they are treated and they
return favors for favors, exerting vengeance if harmed. Trolls
live in mountains, caves and cliffs, especially bird cliffs.
Like humans, they live together socially. They fish, cultivate
land and keep animals. They are also very good at handicrafts
and hold feasts.
Work:
There are two kinds of tasks that we will have during those two
weeks.
- There
is an very well known art
group here in Iceland called Nordan Bál
that have been doing all kind of art and performances
in Iceland. This group will do the construction of the Cave
(home) of the Trolls and also make the furniture and other
things that they need for their daily life. Everything will
be oversized so it will fit the big creatures. We will help
the art group to build the home and we will also do some
environmental work in the area around the place. Please
notice that we will work with heavy things so the work can
be physically hard.
- We
will help with the preparation of the festival and also with
some practical things during the festival.
Leisure time: Free access to the local swimming
pool. Excursions will be organized by the locals.
Accommocation:
in a house owned by the local community, participants are asked
to bring a sleeping bag.
Food:
The food will be provided for the
duration of the w
or
k camp and everyone is expected to do their fair share of the
cooking/cleaning. It
would be nice to share new and different dishes, so please
remember to bring along recipes from your own countries
Language:
the language of the work camp is English.
Terminal:
Reykjavík – Keflavík Int. Airport is only 10 minutes away
from the town.
Extra: Xtra
participation fee EUR 120.-
Project
and location: “Fjarðabyggð
is a association of different communities in the Eastfjords of
Iceland. It includes the towns of Eskifjörður, Fáskrúðsfjörður,
Mjóifjörður, Neskaupstaður, Reyðarfjörður and Stöðvarfjörður.
The towns have a lot of things in common: They are all small
fishing villages with steep mountains just behind the houses. In
this area you will find most of the things that makes Iceland a
unique place on a global scale. The fjords are magnificent and
the sea is full of life, the birdlife is very rich and you can
find a great variety of hiking paths. You
will get to know the area during your stay in the east and it
depends on the tasks and the situation in Fjarðabyggð where
you will be working during the camp.
Work:
We will clean the
coastline, plant some trees and even make hiking paths. The work
available will depend on the weather condition and that’s why
we have to be a bit flexible. Please keep in mind that the work
might be physically hard and you should be prepared for
unfriendly weather, even though it will be nice most of the
time, hopefully.
Leisure time: Free access to the local swimming
pool, great places for hiking. Excursion or a boat trip will be
organized by the hosting partner.
Accommodation:
In a community center.
Mattresses will be provided and everyone is asked to bring his/her
own warm sleeping bag. We will have showers at the local
swimming pool and sports centre.
Food:
The food will be provided for the
duration of the w
or
k camp and everyone is expected to do their fair share of the
cooking/cleaning. It
would be nice to share new and different dishes, so please
remember to bring along recipes from your own countries
Language:
The language of the camp will be English.
Terminal:
Intl. Airport: Keflavík (Reykjavík),
KEF.
WF
Iceland will organize a bus from Reykjavik to the workcamp site
for a fair prize. Egilsstaðir airport is 40 km away from the
project
Extra:
Xtra participation fee EUR 90.
WF
50 Ghosts in Iceland
Stokkseyri 27/08
- 17/09
WF 51 Ghosts in
Iceland Stokkseyri
17/09 - 08/10
Project and location: If
you ever wanted to be a ghost in Iceland than this is the
opportunity that you have been waiting for.
Stokkseyri is a coastal South Icelandic town in the fertile
farming district region of Flói. It is known for its black
sandy beach which becomes quite crowded with tourists during
summer. The beach is wide and full of driftwood. A long sea wall
was erected in the late 18th century to prevent encroachment by
the sea and as a shield against Ölfusá river‘s flooding and
high waves. The entire coastal area is open lowland and very
windswept with shallow shores.
The village has a rich art and cultural life. Paintings and
glass galleries, Ghost Centre and the Center of Ethnomusicology,
which are all situated in the Hólmaröst cultural centre. An
interesting museum, "Þuríðar cottage" is in
Stokkseyri, built in memory of Lady Þuríður Einarsdóttir,
captain of a fishing boat in the late 18th and early 19th
century, a time when it was considered a unique profession for a
woman. The Ghost Centre in Stokkseyri is a Ghost Museum with all
of the most famous ghosts in Iceland located in a building by
the harbour. Guests walk through the ghost-maze, where they will
experience the stories in the environment where they happened.
The stories can be listened to in English, German and Icelandic.
In the Icelandic newspaper Grapevine is a nice description of
Stokkseyri
“It is a community where one native has a polar bear in the
living room, some have horses in their backyard, and almost
everyone knows the Foo Fighters on a first name basis,
Stokkseyri is located on the south coast only 45 minutes from
Reykjavík. This small village of about 500 people is renowned
for its natural beauty, but more impressive are the creative
inhabitants living there, inspired by the shore and wildlife in
the surrounding area.
Stokkseyri wasn’t much of a draw for tourists a decade ago.
Natives almost entirely depended on the fishing industry, and
the 26-metre-high lighthouse Knarrarósviti was really the only
attraction for travellers. Times have changed, the fish
processing moved to nearby town Þorlákshöfn and with
companies like Kajakferðir, Töfragarðurinn, restaurant Við
fjöruborðið and all kinds of museums the village is becoming
a popular spot for both locals and foreigners arriving by
thousands every year to take part in various activities.”
http://www.grapevine.is/default.aspx?show=paper&part=fullstory&id=1324
Work: The volunteers will be acting like ghosts in the Ghost
museum www.icelandicwonders.com
and also they will working closely with the staff of the museum
helping them with all other necessary tasks. They will also give
a helping hand in a family park, taking care of the animals and
the visiting guests. This project is perfect for people with
artistical skills , especially theatre.
Leisure time: Free access to the local swimming pool, excursions
will be organized by the hosting partner for example to the
Golden circle and other places. It is also possible to go
kayaking along the coastline.
Accommodation: In apartment, participants are asked to bring a
sleeping bag.
The food will be provided for the duration of the work camp and
everyone is expected to do their fair share of the cooking/cleaning.
It would be nice to share new and different dishes, so please
remember to bring along recipes from your own countries
Language: Basic English is required.
Terminal/Region: Reykjavík - Keflavík.
Extra: Xtra participation fee EUR 130,-
WF
52
Eskifjörður 11/09 - 25/09
ENVI / MANU
Project
and location: Eskifjörður is a
major fishing town (population: 972) and an export harbour with
direct sailing to Europe, which is located at the northern shore
of the fjord Eskifjörður. It is built on a small sand spit and
up the slopes of the mountain which rises above the town.Its
main industries are fishing and small-scale farming. Eskifjörður
became an authorized trade port in 1786 and has been a
commercial center since 1798. One of the several shops in
Eskifjörður, Gamlabúð, built in 1816, houses the Maritime Museum Of East
Iceland. Eskifjörður town faces the mountain Hólmatindur,
from the top of which you can view some of the tallest mountains
in the Icelandic interior. One of the favored sights in the area
is the Helgustaðanáman mine, which is one of the world’s
best-known sources of Icelandic spar. The area, which is just a
ten-minute drive from the town, is a nature reserve and open to
all, free of charge. A swimming pool
with hot pots (geothermal pools) and a sauna is located in
Eskifjörður, as well as a gallery and crafts shop.
“Fjarðabyggð
is a association of different communities in the Eastfjords of
Iceland. It includes the towns of Eskifjörður,
Fáskrúðsfjörður, Mjóifjörður, Neskaupstaður, Reyðarfjörður and
Stöðvarfjörður.
The towns have a lot of things in common: They are all small
fishing villages with steep mountains just behind the houses. In
this area you will find most of the things that makes Iceland a
unique place on a global scale. The fjords are magnificent and
the sea is full of life, the birdlife is very rich and you can
find a great variety of hiking paths. You will get to know the
area during your stay in the east and it depends on the tasks
and the situation in Fjarðabyggð where you will be working
during the camp.
Work:
Most of the w
or
k will be cleaning and beautifying the towns and the surrounding
area. We will also clean the coastline, plant some trees and
even make hiking paths. The work available will depend on the
weather condition and that’s why we have to be a bit flexible.
Please keep in mind that the work might be physically hard and
you should be prepared for unfriendly weather, even though it
will be nice most of the time, hopefully.
Leisure time: Free access to the local swimming
pool, guided hikes with locals. Excursions will be organized by
the hosting partner.
Accommodation:
We will be staying in
a nice community center. Mattresses will be provided and
everyone is asked to bring his/her own warm sleeping bag. We
will have showers at the local swimming pool and sports centre.
Food:
The food will be provided for the
duration of the w
or
k camp and everyone is expected to do their fair share of the
cooking/cleaning. It
would be nice to share new and different dishes, so please
remember to bring along recipes from your own countries
Language:
The language of the camp will be English.
Terminal:
Intl. Airport: Keflavík (Reykjavík),
KEF. WF
Iceland will organize a bus from Reykjavik to the workcamp site
for a fair prize. Egilsstaðir airport is 40 km away from the
project
Extra:
Xtra participation fee EUR 90,-
WF57
Environmental messengers in
Reykjavik
25/08 – 08/09
In
Reykjavik
you can
experience easily the pure energy at the heart of
Iceland
's capital
city - whether from the boiling thermal energy underground, the
natural green energy within the city and around it. Think of the
qualities of a great city - fun, space, clean air, nature,
culture - and
Reykjavik
has them in
spades. It has the features of a modern, forward-looking society
which are complemented by a close connection to beautiful
nature.
The
population of the Reykjavik Capital Area is about 200,000.
Reykjavik
is spread
across a peninsula with a panoramic view of the mountains and
the
Atlantic
Ocean
on almost
all sides. In the summer, you can sit by the harbour at
midnight
and watch
the sun dip slightly below the horizon before it makes its way
up again.
The
world’s northernmost capital is framed by the majestic
Mt.
Esja
, which
keeps a watchful eye on the city, and the blue waters of
Faxafloi
Bay
. On a sunny
day, the mystical Snaefellsjokull glacier appears crystal-like
on the western horizon, while mountainous moonscapes spread to
the southeast.
Work:
We
will be hosted by the City of
Reykjavik
and our
tasks are the following:
- In
Reykjavik
we have a
lot of youngsters which are tagging the houses in the center of
the city. We will help the local authorities to clean up those
signs and than we will help the youngsters to make their tags or
graffiti in places were they are allowed to make their art.
Every
year the volunteers of Veraldarvinir are visiting schools in
Reykjavik
to teach
the children about the importance of taking care of the nature
and to be environmentally friendly. One of the tasks of this
workcamp is to prepare games and materials for those visits, we
will than go to several schools during the workcamp and involve
the kids in our programme.
Accommodation:
Part of the time we will be staying in big tents in a camping
place and partly we will stay in an accommodation owned by the
community. Mattresses will be provided.
Food:
The food will be provided for the duration of the work camp and
everyone is expected to do their fair share of the cooking/cleaning.
It would be nice to share new and different dishes, so please
remember to bring along recipes from your own countries.
Language:
The language of the work camp is English
Terminal/Region:
Reykjavík – Keflavík Int. airport.
Extra
info:
Extra participation fee is 140 euros. Free access to the
swimming pools, excursions will be provided by our hosts.
WF58
Art and environment in
Reykjavik
08/09 – 22/09
12 vols
In
Reykjavik
you can experience easily the pure energy at the heart of
Iceland
's capital city - whether from the boiling thermal energy
underground, the natural green energy within the city and around
it. Think of the qualities of a great city - fun, space, clean
air, nature, culture - and
Reykjavik
has them in spades. It has the features of a modern,
forward-looking society which are complemented by a close
connection to beautiful nature.
The
population of the Reykjavik Capital Area is about 200,000.
Reykjavik
is spread across a peninsula with a panoramic view of the
mountains and the
Atlantic Ocean
on almost all sides. In the summer, you can sit by the harbour
at
midnight
and watch the sun dip slightly below the horizon before it makes
its way up again.
The
world’s northernmost capital is framed by the majestic
Mt.
Esja
, which keeps a watchful eye on the city, and the blue waters of
Faxafloi
Bay
. On a sunny day, the mystical Snaefellsjokull glacier appears
crystal-like on the western horizon, while mountainous
moonscapes spread to the southeast.
Work:
We
will be hosted by the City of
Reykjavik
and our tasks are the following:
Every
year the volunteers of Veraldarvinir are visiting schools in
Reykjavik
to teach the children about the importance of taking care of the
nature and to be environmentally friendly. One of the tasks of
this workcamp is to prepare games and materials for those
visits, we will than go to several schools during the workcamp
and involve the kids in our programme.
We
will help the kids to make sculptures out of garbage that they
find in the coastline of
Reykjavik
. In the third weekend of September we will have an exhibition
with all the artwork, we will also have a photo exhibition from
the workcamp season in the same place. Last year we had more
than 350 sculptures in this exhibition and more than 300 photos
from our participants.
We
will also help the environmental department of
Reykjavik
with their work in the green areas in
Reykjavik
.
Study:
We will have a workshop about photographing.
Accommodation:
We will stay in a fully equipped apartment in the centre of 101
Reykjavik
. Mattresses will be provided.
Food:
The food will be provided for the duration of the work camp and
everyone is expected to do their fair share of the
cooking/cleaning. It would be nice to share new and different
dishes, so please remember to bring along recipes from your own
countries.
Language:
The language of the work camp is English
Terminal/Region:
Reykjavík – Keflavík Int. airport.
Extra participation fee is 140 euros. Free access to all the
swimming pools in Reykjavik, excursion to the Golden circle will
be provided by our hosts.
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