About SEEDS Iceland
Founded in 2005, SEEDS Iceland is an Icelandic non-governmental, non-profit volunteer organisation designed to promote intercultural understanding, environmental protection and awareness through nature conservation, social and cultural volunteer work in Iceland.
SEEDS work closely with local communities, local authorities, individuals and other Icelandic associations to develop projects in partnership, aimed at fulfilling an identified need, and to give vital assistance to established initiatives. Projects are designed to be mutually beneficial to all involved: the volunteers and participants, the local hosting communities and Iceland as a whole.
Our projects in Iceland are supported by local hosts and the volunteers participating in the projects themselves. Additionally, we receive strong support for our long-term projects from the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) programmes of the European Commission.
Our activities include voluntary service and non-formal learning, international camps, seminars, training courses, group discussions, environmental education and awareness campaigns as well as cultural and art exhibitions.
Since 2005, SEEDS have successfully hosted over 13,000 international and local volunteers in projects all around Iceland. In this time we have increased our work with various environmental and conservation projects. We have also raised the number of projects related to culture, cultural activities, festivals and sports gatherings and experimented with a number of new project concepts including language, yoga and environmental education projects. Moreover, we have sent approximately 200 Icelanders to projects around the world.
History
Back in 2005, an international group of former volunteers, experienced workers in the field and committed to the work at hand, decided to create alternative opportunities for foreigners to take part in similar activities in Iceland as well as for Icelanders to join voluntary service projects around the globe.
Founded by Colombians Oscar-Mauricio Uscategui and Héctor Angarita and Icelander Víktor Þórisson, the resulting organisation was registered under Icelandic law on 7 November 2005 as SEEDS (SEE beyonD borderS).
SEEDS has since evolved to become one of the leading non-governmental organisations in the field of youth work in Iceland and one of the largest volunteer hosting organisations in Europe.
Awards & Nominations
-
2011 Nordic Council Nature & Environment Award.
SEEDS, one of 20 organisations nominated from Åland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. -
2010 & 2011 Kuðungurinn – Awards from the Icelandic Ministry for the environment
SEEDS was nominated for its outstanding contribution to the Icelandic environment and nature. - 2011 Excellence – Role model projects within the Youth in Action Programme – Icelandic National Agency Award given to SEEDS Green Messengers during the European Youth Week in 2011.
Our team
We say, SEEDS are the volunteers. Those make the change happen.
We present to you our SEEDS team:
- Oscar Uscategui - founder & director
- Carolina Caspa - volunteer coordinator and Erasmus+ project manager
- Pedro Santos - project manager - logistics, short-term volunteer, media & events
- Sebastián Díaz-Durán - volunteer coordinator, short-term, groups & Erasmus+ projects