The Best of Both Worlds: Reykjavík and the Wetlands!

WORK/PROJECT: SEEDS volunteers will have the special opportunity to work for one week in a wetland area in the south of Iceland and spend the second week working in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavík.

The first week we will work at a wetland having different tasks in maintaining and preserving the area. Among our duties will be planting trees, seeding, painting and possibly moving some timber.

We will work closely with the local birds’ protection society; which follows closely the status of local birds and acts for their protection if needed. Bird populations that have been in decline for the past years get special attention. The society advocates strongly for habitat conservation and variety and has been instrumental in starting the discussion about wetland restoration in Iceland, campaigning for conservation and protection of some Important Bird Areas (IBA). The society wants to develop monitoring schemes for some of the IBA areas using voluntary work.

The second week we will spend working in Reykjavík. It will be varied, combining different tasks ensuring diversity in experiences. The idea and tasks of the project is to keep Reykjavík and its public areas lively, attractive, interesting and charming for both the locals and guests of the city.

Our work will be focused on improvements and development of surroundings and environment around Reykjavík. Tasks may involve house painting to cover graffiti tags, tiding up public spaces, face-lifting the city and gardening work. There may be one more challenging and exciting assignment: We might be assisting in the SEEDS’ volunteer base and if needed working in the surrounding woodland and the vegetable garden.

ACCOMMODATION: The first week we will sleep on mattresses on the floor in a house close to the wetland, in the town of Eyrarbakki. In Reykjavík we will stay in a fully equipped house; sleeping in shared rooms. Please bring your own sleeping bag. We will receive food and be in charge of the cooking and cleaning activities. Equipped kitchen and washing machine are available.

Please do not forget some traditional food from your home country for the international evening.

LOCATION: The project takes place close to Eyrarbakki, a small village in South Iceland. This is the town where we will have our accommodation. The town played an important role in trading; its prime time was from middle of the 18th century to the early 19th century. The town is renowned for its charming old houses and one of oldest house of Iceland, from 1765 is located in the town. Other old houses are there and locals have put effort and energy in maintaining and renovating them, so the town holds more to its original outlook.

The work will happen a few kilometres out of town in a Nature Reserve, a paradise for wetland birds. It includes a stretch of the east shore of the Ölfusá River.

The second part of the project will take place in Reykjavík, often called “the nightlife capital of the north”. But there is more to Reykjavík than pubs and clubs. Reykjavík also gathers the most interesting of Icelandic culture. It is an incubator of new ideas and styles which often indicates new global trends. It is an International city with a lively Cosmopolitan cultural scene.

The world’s northernmost capital bridges the Atlantic, between Europe and North America. The population of the city is over 200,000 including the metropolitan area, so 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 - geothermal power and glacial rivers.

LANGUAGE: English will be the official language in the camp; high proficiency is not a requirement.

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

EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS: Participation fee EUR 160.

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