Actualités
01.09.2010 : SEEDS 47. Island of Viðey & Culture night in Reykjavík
For the second time this year, SEEDS volunteers visited the island of Viðey. Visible from Reykjavík´s northern shore, Viðey is located in the fjord neighboring Reykjavík. Our group consisted of 8 volunteers from Germany, England, Serbia and the Czech Republic.
Our main task was to clean up the coastline of the island. While cleaning we found a message in a bottle written by Icelandic school kids. The story of us finding this message in a bottle was covered in the local newspaper!
Another one of our tasks was harvesting vegetables and collecting wild arctic thyme and cumin for Viðey´s Harvest Festival. During the festival, we sold our vegetables at a vegetable stand and passed out warm tea. The day of the festival was cold and rainy. The island´s visitors really appreciated our hot drinks!
In our free time we attended Reykjavík´s culture night, visited the geothermal swimming pools, enjoyed whale watching, and took a daytrip to the golden circle. Our most memorable and beautiful experiences were on the island of Viðey. Every evening, we climbed to the top of the island´s small hill and admired the sunset as it illuminated Esja mountain and the skyline of Reykjavík!
31.08.2010 : SEEDS volunteers help restore a barn for Alviðra's Environmental Education Centre!
Between the days 17th and 30th of August, 10 volunteers from Portugal, Italy, Spain, France, UK, USA and Russia volunteered at an environmental education centre close to in southern Iceland.
We stayed at the foot of Ingólfsfjall mountain where two different coloured rivers meet. A beautiful forest and blueberry field surrounds the house. Amazingly, were in view of the famous volcanoes Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull!
Our main project was restoring the environmental education centre, which used to be a old farm. We painted the barn, mowed the grass, and built a bonfire, a chicken room, chicken fences, wooden stairs, and a compost box. Our host is responsible for a famous Icelandic environmental online database and she is an artist. Because of her environmental and artistic interests, she gave us the freedom to express our creativity through our work.
We did many fun activities, several of which organized by our host. We had many guests including a woman who taught us old pagan practices and an astronomer who took us stargazing. Our host offered us a rented van and we went exploring waterfalls, glaciers, and black beaches in the vicinity of Eyjafjallajökull and Myrdalsjökull. The group atmosphere was amazing; we played many team games, watch northern lights, baked bread in a bonfire, and enjoyed each other’s company. We were all happy to have visited such a beautiful and interesting place.
29.08.2010 : SEEDS 65. Unique Western Fjords
9 SEEDS volunteers from France, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, the Czech Republic and Italy spent two weeks in the Westfjords.
We stayed in the town of Dalbær for the first week. Our accommodation was a beautiful guesthouse with a view of Æðey island. While in Dalbær, we collected many blueberries and made jam and juice. In our free time we went to Æðey where a young island inhabitant gave us a guided tour.
Our second week was in Drangsnes, a village near to Hólmavík. There, we cleaned fishing nets, built paths, and collected more berries. During our free time we visited the island of Grímsey and went fishing.
In both Dalbær and Drangsnes we greatly enjoyed our hosts. Our two fabulous hosts taught us many things and gave us the opportunity to experience Iceland in a very special way. For us Iceland is a place of laughter, beautiful landscapes, good food (reindeer burgers, freshly fished fish, homemade cakes…), and interesting new words and customs to learn.
All the volunteers became close friends. We discovered that a workcamp doesn’t mean only volunteering work; it goes much deeper. Volunteering is a way to share feelings, discover other cultures, and collaborate and work as a team. All in all, volunteering is a great way to enrich oneself and develop as a person.
28.08.2010 : SEEDS 64. Photo Marathon Exhibition!
The work produced and the selected photos will be presented at a reception on Saturday August 28th at 14:00 at the at Gallerí Tukt in Hitt Húsið, which will be opened by SEEDS volunteers and members. The reception is open to the public and the exhibition continues for 2 weeks. Admission is free.
20.08.2010 : SEEDS 63. Icelandic nature from East to North!
Seven volunteers from the USA, Israel, Spain, Russia, Italy, and Latvia worked together on projects in the east and north of Iceland.
In the first week we were traveled to a remote farm in the east of Iceland. The farm is so remote that in order to get there, we drove a PROPER sized jeep that was able to cross rivers. The farm is surrounded by beautiful cliffs covered with hundreds of sea birds. We saw whales by just looking out of our bedroom window. No words can describe emotions that rose in our hearts while staying in such a magical place. All of our projects related to preserving the natural beauty of the area. We planted trees, cleaned the beach, and built nesting places for Iceland’s holy bird, the Eider duck.
In the second week we moved to the northern capital of Iceland, Akureyri. We stayed in the middle of the forest, a popular relaxation place for the locals. Most of our time was spent in a tree nurturing station. We helped cultivate tree seedlings until they grew strong enough to survive in Iceland’s harsh environment. We spent our evenings either in the local hot pot or in Akureyri’s cozy cafes.
Our work camp provided us with unforgettable experiences. What we will remember most are the amazing people that we met, our relaxing free time activities, and the beauty of the Icelandic landscape.
17.08.2010 : Wow! 120 SEEDS volunteers working all around Iceland!
Wow! 120 SEEDS volunteers working all around the country!
60 SEEDS volunteers starting projects in Snæfjallaströnd, Borgarfjörður, Alviðra, Viðey, Dýrafjörður & Kjölur
60 more continue their projects in Bláfjöll, Grímsnes, Friðlandið Stokkseyrarbakki, Skaftafell, Landmannalaugar, Reynisvatn, Skriðdalur & Reykjavík!
16.08.2010 : SEEDS 46. Between glaciers & lava!
Ten SEEDS volunteers from the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the United States came together to support the Húsafell campground.
Each of us stayed in our own little A-frame hut that was nestled among the campsite’s many trees. We were surrounded by mountain ranges full of blue berries and we had a great view of nearby glaciers.
Everyday we worked in different teams on different tasks with our hosts; everybody got a chance to paint wooden bridges and houses, trim the branches of trees near the driveways, and create walking paths. Also, we gardened and picked blueberries.
We spent two wonderful international dinners with our hosts, during which we introduced them to many games and traditions of our countries and listened to stories about the local area.
In our free time we went on hikes, which turned into adventurous climbing tours around the rivers and mountains. We even caught a glimpse of the breathtaking Aurora Borealis at night. Thanks to our luck with the weather, everyone took advantage of enjoying the golf course, the swimming pool, and the huge trampoline next to the swimming pool. One of the most memorable excursions was to the nearby caves that are under a 1000-year-old lava field. While visiting the caves, we learned of many local legends dating back to Viking times.
Summing up, our two weeks in Húsafell were filled with almost every natural phenomena Iceland has to offer as well as a lot of hard work and fun!
15.08.2010 : SEEDS 41. Grettir the strong - Viking festivities
A group of 10 SEEDS volunteers from Belgium, Italy, Japan, USA, England, South Korea, and Germany spent the second half of July in the northwestern Icelandic town of Laugarbakki.
The workcamp was organised around the local Viking festival, “Grettishàtith,” which took place in a local handcrafts market. We helped prepare the site for the festival: cutting grass, constructing traditional tents, building tables and benches, etc. The work was quite hard sometimes, but very satisfying in the end.
During the festival we helped with some children’s game such as archery and Kubb, a lawn game that involves knocking over wooden blocks by throwing wooden sticks at them.We greatly enjoyed Viking games introduced by a local folklore group called Hringhorni. After a real Icelandic BBQ at the end of the first day of the festival, the volunteers were ready for “Grettisstak”, a strongest man competition! Sadly, we did not stand a chance competing against strong Icelanders!
In our free time, we went seal watching on a boat in Hvammstangi, hiked around a small peninsula, and had some funny experiences with crazy sheep! We greatly enjoyed the amazing views of the local landscape, where we saw the mountains of the Westfjords in good weather! Overall we had an amazing experience. We learned a great deal about Icelandic traditions, enjoyed breathtaking views, and had a bunch of fun!
07.08.2010 : SEEDS volunteers map bicycling routes in the south of Iceland!
Between the 24th of July and the 6th of August a team of 8 SEEDS volunteers cycled through the south of Iceland.
Our main task was mapping enjoyable bicycle circuits in villages in the south of Iceland. The routes that we mapped will be made into pamphlets that will be available for people bicycling in Iceland. We started from Reykjavik and went east, passing through Hveragerði, Þorlákshöfn, Eyrarbakki, and Selfoss and ending in the Environmental Educational Centre of Alviðra.
During our trip we slept in many different accommodations: schools, a swimming pool building, and a sport centre. Every day was a new adventure!
Apart from mapping bicycle routes, we had several great experiences: We helped the staff at a horseback riding school, met people from local sport associations, and fixed local peoples’ bikes.
In our free time we bathed in the famous warm river in the valley of Reykjadalur, went on hikes, rode horses, and of course… cycled!
03.08.2010 : SEEDS 37. Forest & Herring adventure
From the 20th of July to the 3rd of August, 12 SEEDS volunteers from France, Spain, Germany, China, the Czech Republic, and Italy worked on projects in Siglufjörður, a village in the northeast of Iceland.
Here, we helped the community organize their Herring Festival; we painted the stage, look after children, and cleaned the main square. During our free time, we hiked a mountain and went on a boat trip. We all fell in love with the wonderful landscape. Amazing!
We became close to many of the community members in Siglufjörður. Because of the friendships that we formed, we learned a great deal about the Icelandic way of life.
During our time in Siglufjörður, we tried to behave in an eco-friendly way, separating the waste, not using paper towels, cleaning the beach, and saving energy in the house where they were living. Through our environmental activities, we educated our group of volunteers and the locals about sustainability and we encouraged eco-friendly behavior.
There was a friendly atmosphere among all the volunteers. We played many games and had a lot of fun. Even though we are from different areas of the world we will continue to be in contact with each other. The friendships that we formed are sure to last for years to come!
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