Photo Marathon & Culture Night in Reykjavík

WORK & STUDY/PROJECT: SEEDS volunteers in this project will be part of the 6th SEEDS international photo marathon in the Icelandic capital! Past photo marathons have been very successful and we want to continue organising this project! One of our objectives is to deliver messages and to draw attention to the local population through pictures and photos taken during the camp!

SEEDS coordinators (among them a professional international photographer) will prepare a few different topics on which the volunteers will base their entries to the competition; those topics will be mainly related to the work of SEEDS: environmental and intercultural understanding.

Volunteers need to take their own digital cameras and will be walking or cycling around the city, taking photographs on the given topics. The best pictures will be selected for a final exhibition, which will be the last part of the project.

Be prepared for walking/cycling and following a flexible time schedule (early morning photo sessions, night photographing). Camp leaders will organize a session outside Reykjavík. We hope volunteers will make a serious effort to achieve a high level of work with original ideas and creative results.

This project will combine different tasks within Reykjavík ensuring daily diversity and various experiences for the volunteers. Additional activities will be focused on keeping the public areas of Reykjavík lively, attractive and charming for locals and visitors. Tasks may involve house painting to cover graffiti tags, tidying up public spaces and face-lifting the city for Culture Night.

Volunteers will be able to participate in the annual Menningarnótt (Culture Night) on August 21st. SEEDS has participated in Menningarnótt since 2006. This event was created by the Reykjavík city council, and has now become the largest festival in Iceland, rivalling the celebration of Iceland's national day on June 17th.

ACCOMMODATION: Volunteers will stay in a local house in Reykjavík, sleeping in shared rooms. Bring your own sleeping bag.

Volunteers will receive food and be in charge of the different cooking and cleaning activities. An equipped kitchen and washing machine are available.

LOCATION: Reykjavík is the capital of Iceland, often called “the nightlife capital of the north”. But there is more to Reykjavik than pubs and clubs. Reykjavík also gathers the most interesting of Icelandic culture. It is an International city with a lively cosmopolitan cultural scene.

The population of Reykjavík is over 200,000 including the metropolitan area.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 such as geothermal power and glacial rivers.

July is the month of white night, when the sunsets are late, sunrises are early and it is never completely dark. Within 100 km of Reykjavik, there are several spectacular waterfalls, geysers, impressive coastline and the well-known geothermal Blue Lagoon spa to visit.

Iceland was badly hit with the contemporary financial crisis, which did affect the life for foreign visitors in a positive way; Iceland is now a much cheaper country to visit. Many goods and services cost (in EUR) just a half of what they did in 2007.

LANGUAGE: English will be the language of the camp; high proficiency is not required.

TERMINAL: Closest international Airport: Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF). Bus station: Central Reykjavík (BSÍ).

EXTRAS: Participation fee EUR 180.

SEEDS will provide volunteers with passes to access free of charge the city’s seven geothermal swimming pools and thermal-water beach. Tours and excursions will be arranged for SEEDS volunteers at discount fares.

AGE: 16+