News
30.06.2010 : SEEDS 29. Langanes Peninsula - The home of the midnight sun!
On the 16th of June, 7 volunteers began their 12-hour trip from Reykjavík to the home of the midnight sun: The Langanes peninsula. Over the following 2 weeks, we gained a great appreciation for Icelandic nature, culture and simple living.
Langanes is a place where one’s soul cannot be any closer to nature. The ocean and mountains are so close that one can reach them simply by taking few steps. We were happy to begin work in such a beautiful place.
Our projects included cleaning the local beach, planting more than 8000 trees, preparing for a midsummer ceremony and acting as sheep in an artistic performance. While cleaning the beach, we found a few surprises: a barrel full of oil, a torpedo from a warship and a message in a bottle from 1995!
During our free time, we explored the whole Peninsula. We saw a great variety of birds including puffins! Also, out host took us to see many of the natural wonders of northeast Iceland. We visited Detifoss, the biggest waterfall in Europe and the dramatic cliffs of Ásbyrgi.
One of our most memorable experiences was visiting a geothermal pool that is hidden in a cave. As we relaxed in the hot, clear water, we felt that we had were truly experiencing exceptional grandeur of Iceland.
07.06.2010 : SEEDS 20. Skriðdalur: In the East of Iceland
SEEDS volunteers from 5 different countries (South Korea, Russia, Israel, UK, Italy) planted trees and helped maintain a small farm in Skriðdalur, a picturesque, isolated area of east Iceland. Our main job was to plant and fertilize trees. By the end of our stay, we had planted just under 10,000 trees, including birch and pine trees. Also, we fed over 20 sheep, restored a cow barn and took down old barbed wire fences to prevent the farm’s 7 horses from injuring themselves.
East Iceland is a region of dramatic beauty; blue, snow-covered mountains jut out of green hills that boarder the fjords. Springtime is a season of greatly varying weather. While in Skriðdalur, we experienced every weather condition imaginable: rain, wind, sun, fog and even snow! Temperatures ranged from -5 to 13.
During our free time we went night kayaking in a fjord, watched whales coming into the harbour, visited waterfalls and hiked up a near-by mountain. We took a boat ride on a fisherman’s ship along with many Icelanders to a fjord with spectacular views.
One of our favourite experiences was attending the Seaman’s Festival, a celebration of Icelandic sailors. During the festival, people competed on obstacle courses and teams of rowers raced in the fjord.
Our host was very welcoming and feed us a lot of Iceland food including fish, lamb, fish soup, chicken, reindeer, and homemade bread and jam. The most appetizing treat was a traditional Icelandic Christmas cake called jólakaka. We tried hákarl, traditional fermented shark, with brennivín to wash it down. Some of the volunteers liked the hákarl while others preferred the cake.
01.06.2010 : SEEDS 08. Isafjardardjúp: Nature & Fun in the Westfjords
Between May 18th and June 1st, 8 volunteers from 7 different countries (Portugal, France, Czech Republic, USA, Australia, Sweden and Israel) volunteered at an isolated beautiful region of the Icelandic Westfjords. Here snow-capped mountains meet the deep blue waters of the Arctic Sea and the sun shines nearly 24 hours per day in the summertime. We were very happy to enjoy the dry and mild summer weather of this region!
Our work included painting a greenhouse, planting vegetables, renovation work and help with the kitchen. It was invigorating to do outdoor work in the nice sunny weather and within view of the beautiful mountains. We lived with an Icelandic family for two weeks and share meals with them. The food was excellent! Our hosts even provided us with ice cream and cakes!
During our free time, we kayaked in the fjords, went horseback riding, hiked in the valleys and bathed in the hottubs under the midnight sun. On one of the last nights, we organized the International Evening, where we all cooked food from our countries and played music together. Our group became very close and we had lots of fun playing group games and organizing environmental awareness activities.
15.05.2010 : SEEDS 05. Bikeability in the Blue Mountains- Bláfjöll
The philosophy of this SEEDS project was “Yes, you can travel by bike!” SEEDS volunteers from around the world embarked on a bicycle trip with youths from a local school in Reykjavik to Iceland’s Blue Mountains (Bláfjöll).
First, we assisted local 9th and 10th graders with adjusting bicycles, checking helmets, fixing gears and breaks at their schools. We talked with students about the importance of bicycle safety, regular exercise, and the reduction of environmental impact through alternative transportation. Schoolteachers and members of the Icelandic Mountain Cycling Club joined us at the schools in order helped us lead our bicycle trip.
Next, we all began on our route from Reykjavik to Bláfjöll. Cycling allowed us to experience the beauty of the area in a way not possible when traveling by car. Far away from busy roads, we enjoyed traveling through a planted forest in the nature reserve of Heiðmörk and bicycling across a volcanic landscape.
Once we arrived in Bláfjöll, we were all very tired and ready for a good meal. We worked with the other leaders of the trip to prepare Kjötsúpa, an Icelandic meat soup. Bláfjöll is home to one of Iceland’s few skiing resort. Although the resort was not open, we were able to stay in one of the near-by ski huts. The next morning we prepared porridge and traveled back to Reykjavik. On the way back, we admired the picturesque volcanic mountain range. The highest mountain reaches 600m and the river Elliðaá has its source there, streaming down to the lake Helliðavatn in the eastern suburban border of Reykjavik.
This bicycle trip was very successful. We provided youths with an experience that encouraged outdoors activities, teamwork, and a healthy life style. Also, we learned a great deal ourselves. We gained leadership skills and knowledge about bicycle repair. Most importantly, we built positive relationships between international volunteers, local youths, schoolteachers, and bicyclists.
29.04.2010 : SEEDS volunteers supporting the affected areas under Eyjafjallajökull
A group of 8 SEEDS volunteers gathered for a new mission, to work in the affected areas by the volcano under Eyjafjallajökull! This time we departed to Moldnúpur where the local people needed some assistance with removing the volcano ashes from the soil, enabling the vegetation to grow.
Local authorities welcomed us with kind words, warm meals, goggles, respiration protection and shovels!
The road led us through picturesque landscape of lava fields covered with moss, land sown with geysers, offering us breathtaking views and infinite possibilities for photographers. The site was located near the volcano and we could see ashes still swirling from the crater. Time flew and we were soon enjoying the results of our work. After the hard work we headed for some deserved relaxation....and if there is a place to turn off your mind and recharge your batteries...it's Iceland!
The locals suggested us a kind of 'secret place', abandoned pool, built into the mountain with a fresh stream of geysers and hot water filling it up. It's hidden in the canyon of a freezing cold river with hills surrounding it. Volcano ashes created an amazing surreal surface and we felt like being on the moon. In the cold weather, couple of degrees above zero, we swam in the hot pool, than shocking our bodies in the refreshing cold river.
The day went by all too fast and we can't wait to be engaged in new adventures!
25.04.2010 : SEEDS sendir hóp til að taka þátt í hreinsunarstarfseminni fyrir austan!
SEEDS sendir hóp til að taka þátt í hreinsunarstarfseminni fyrir austan þann 28. apríl og aðstoðar þannig íbúa svæðisins við að takast á við afleiðingar eldgossins. Þátttakendurnir koma frá Frakklandi, Ítalíu, Slóvakíu, Slóveníu, Lettlandi, Danmörku Ísrael og Serbíu til þess að taka þátt í þessu mikilvæga verkefni.
Við höfum fengið góð viðbrögð úr mörgum áttum. Lagt verður af stað frá skrifstofu SEEDS að Klapparstíg 16, 101 Reykjavík um klukkan 9:00. Hópurinn fær hádegismat í Heimalandi við komuna til þess að fá orku fyrir verkefnið, unnið fram eftir degi og komið í bæinn um kvöldmatarleytið. Áhugasamir sendi okkur e-mail til staðfestingar um þátttöku á seeds@seedsiceland.org
15.02.2010 : Spennandi sjálfboðaverkefni í yfir 100 löndum. Heill heimur af tækifærum!!
Íslenskum ungmennum stendur nú til boða að taka þátt í sjálfboðavinnu í yfir 100 löndum víðsvegar um heiminn árið 2010. Þetta eru verkefni sem tengjast t.d. umhverfismálum, uppbyggingu svæða, fornleifarannsóknum, undirbúningi menningarviðburða eða tungumálanámi og vara í tvær til fjórar vikur. Í vinnubúðunum starfa átta til tuttugu manns frá mismunandi löndum en auk þeirra eru einn til tveir hópstjórar sem skipuleggja verkefnin og halda utan um þau. Gert er ráð fyrir því að þátttakendur hafi einhverja enskukunnáttu.
Verkefnin eru margs konar og sem dæmi má nefna gerð göngustíga í þjóðgarði á Ítalíu, byggingu skóla fyrir börn á hálendi Kenýa, skipulagningu listahátíðar í Englandi eða aðstoð við viðhald á regnskógum í Brasilíu. Þetta eru aðeins örfá dæmi um hvað er í boði en hjá SEEDS má finna upplýsingar um frekari verkefni, ráðstefnur og ungmennaskipti sem fara fram sumarið 2010. Frekari upplýsingar má finna á vefsíðu SEEDS
http://www.seedsiceland.org/contact-seeds-iceland-is.html
Áhugasamir hafið samband við skrifstofu SEEDS í síma 8456178.
Icelanders have now the possibility to take part in voluntary service projects in more than 100 countries all around the world during this 2010! There are different types of projects related to environmental protection, renovation or construction works, archaeological research, organisation of cultural events or festivals, as language learning. The projects usually last for 2 up to 4 weeks and groups of 8 up to 20 International volunteers from several nations take part, with the coordination of one or two project leaders. Basic knowledge of English is usually needed.
There are different types of projects and works as maintaining and marking hiking trails in an Italian National park, building class rooms for children in Kenya, helping in the organisation of a music festival in England or giving a hand saving the rainforest in Brazil. They are few examples of hundreds of projects all over the globe offered by SEEDS in Iceland. For more information on the projects, other Seminars or Youth Exchanges during this summer, please visit us at
http://www.seedsiceland.org/contact-seeds-iceland-en.html
Additional questions, interest in particular countries or projects, please call us at 8456178.
02.02.2010 : SEEDS at Útþrá - February 9, Hitt Húsið (Reykjavík)
SEEDS will participate at the 2010 edition of Útþrá! The event organised at Hitt Húsið is a showcase for Icelandic youth to learn about the possibilities to make experiences abroad!
Different organisations have the opportunity to show their programmes and to present to Icelandic yooungsters different exciting opportunities in the fields of education, internships, jobs, voluntary service, etc.
SEEDS has attended Útþrá since 2006 and we are looking forward again to being there!
Hitt húsið is an information- and culture centre for young people, aged 16-25 years old. It is run by the Youth and Sports Council of Reykjavík City. Hitt húsið is located in the city centre, at Pósthússtræti 3-5.
The main goal of Hitt húsið is to:
- Offer young people facilities and assistance with turning their ideas into reality
- Counsel and give information to young people, in cooperation with professionals and associations that specialize in that field
- Reflect what's going on in the creative art life of young people at any given moment.
For more information on Hitt húsið please go to http://hitthusid.is/
Spennandi tækifæri erlendis fyrir 16-25 ára!
Á Útþrá 2010 býðst fólki á aldrinum 16-25 ára að kynna sér þau fjölbreyttu tækifæri sem í boði eru varðandi nám, leik og starf erlendis.
Kynningin fer fram þriðjudaginn 9. febrúar á milli 16-18 í Upplýsingamiðstöð Hins Hússins, Pósthússtræti 3-5.
15.01.2010 : SEEDS is selecting the upcoming EVS volunteers!
SEEDS is making the selection for our long-term volunteer projects through the European Voluntary Service (EVS) this year!
If you are interested, please contact us, we will give you details about the projects and inform you about the procedure to apply and the deadline to do so!
For more information on the European Voluntary Service, please visit:
http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-in-action-programme/doc82_en.htm
or
For more information on our donor, the Youth in Action Programme and the Icelandic National Agency for the programme please go to:
http://ec.europa.eu/youth/youth-in-action-programme/
For more information about our EVS projects please visit:
http://www.seedsiceland.org/volunteer-evs-iceland-en-p0.html
or send us a message to evs (at) seedsiceland (dot) org
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