REYFI07 - Nordic Horn of Plenty, Reykjavík

WORK/PROJECT: Do you enjoy good music, architecture, art, theatre – all kinds of culture? If the answer to this question is YES then you probably should sign up for being a volunteer on REYFI!

SEEDS volunteers will once again join a project in Reykjavík related to festivals! SEEDS & REYFI cooperate for the first time and we would like to host volunteers supporting us in different activities during the festival as selling and checking tickets, monitoring exhibitions, giving out information about the festival in the town and at the information desk, cleaning, carrying and moving stuff, helping in the restaurant kitchen, helping people with parking, etc. what ever needs to be done. The main principle is one day work- one day access to the festival for free. There are some basic requirements such as not to smoke during one`s shift and also trying to maintain a positive attitude towards people. After all, we are trying to create a pleasant and relaxed festival for every body.

Shortly, make REYFI the coolest festival ever in Iceland! The festival will last for nine days, between the 18 and 26 of August and volunteers will be active every day since the program is full of great acts, nice exhibitions and creative workshops. Thousands of guests are expected to attend REYFI cultural festival to be held in the Nordic House, a building designed by Alvar Aalto in Vatnsmýri. The house will reopen after extensive repairs and alterations on 18th August, the city of Reykjavík’s anniversary, when the Menningarnótt (Night of Culture) festival will be formally opened.

A glass pavilion will be situated in the House’s grounds to accommodate a large number of Icelandic and foreign performers. The wide-ranging program for REYFI-wealth of culture includes jazz, rock, opera and classical music, visual arts, design, architechture, circus performers, dance and Nordic culinary arts. REYFI-wealth of culture will be one of the largest cultural events in Iceland this year.

ACCOMMODATION & FOOD: Volunteers will be lodged in a building located in Reykjavík, sharing a large room and sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Volunteers are expected to cook their own meals, ingredients will be provided and the common tasks will be shared fairly.

LOCATION: Reykjavík*, the Icelandic capital, has been called Europe’s hottest capital. Slick advertising campaigns have championed the city’s famed nightlife. But there is more to Reykjavik than pubs and clubs. Reykjavík held the prestigious title European City of Culture in the year 2000; a welcome recognition of the energetic and colourful cultural life of the capital.

The world’s northernmost capital bridges the Atlantic, between Europe and North America, is framed by the majestic Mt. Esja and the blue waters of Faxaflói Bay. The population of the city is about 115,000 (40% of Iceland’s population) in the metropolitan area and 180,000 (60% of Iceland’s inhabitants) including its suburbs. It is growing steadily and 45% is younger than 30 years old; 83,1% of men and women aged 16-74 are active on the labour market. Reykjavík is a dynamic, modern city in harmony with beautiful nature, using renewable energy sources, geothermal power and glacial rivers. It is an International city with a lively Cosmopolitan cultural scene.

Visitors to Reykjavik experience easily the pure energy at the heart of Iceland's capital city - whether from the boiling thermal energy underground, the natural green energy within the city and around it, or the lively culture and fun-filled nightlife. Reykjavik is spread across a peninsula with a panoramic view of the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean on almost all sides. In the summer, you can sit by the harbour at midnight and watch the sun dip slightly below the horizon before it makes its way up again.

The Nordic House is in the centre of Reykjavik, close to the university and the domestic airport.

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

TERMINAL: Closest International Airports: Keflavík - Reykjavík (KEF), and closest bus stop is at the central bus station in Reykjavík, BSÍ.

* The name Reykjavík means “smoky bay”: Given by the first settlers that arrived to the area due to the high geothermal activity and the constant rise of steam out of the hot springs around.