General Information Sheet - SEEDS Workcamps
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General Information Sheet - SEEDS Workcamps Workcamps Season 2013 www.seeds.is [email protected] This is the General Information Sheet for SEEDS workcamps in 2013. You will receive a specific information sheet about your workcamp alongside this. It is important that you read BOTH information sheets (specific and general) before you come to Iceland, to be fully prepared for your time here and your participation in SEEDS’ workcamps. Contents: 1. About SEEDS 2. SEEDS & Participation fees - Where your contributions go! 3. SEEDS workcamps - Life during a SEEDS workcamp 3.1 Team Structure 3.2 The Work 3.3 Food and Accommodation 3.4 Free Time & Excursions from Reykjavík 3.5 Transport to/from workcamps 3.6 Conditions of Participation 4. What to bring with you 5. Insurance - EEA and non EEA 6. Travel to Iceland & Reykjavík 7. Arrival and Departure dates 8. Accommodation (in Reykjavík) 9. Other Practical Information 10. If you have any problems…. 1. About SEEDS Founded in 2005, SEEDS Iceland is an Icelandic non-governmental, non-profit volunteer organisation designed to promote intercultural understanding, environmental protection and awareness through work on environmental, social and cultural projects within Iceland. SEEDS works closely with local communities, local authorities and other Icelandic associations both 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, the local hosting communities and Iceland as a whole. Our projects in Iceland are supported by the local hosts and the volunteers participating in the project themselves; additionally we receive strong support for our long-term projects from the Youth In Action and Lifelong learning programmes of the European Commission. During 2012 we organised about 120 projects located in every corner of Iceland; we hosted more than 1000 international volunteers from 50 different countries, performing about 75.000 hours of valuable volunteer work. In this time we increased our work with various environmental and conservation projects, we increased the number of projects related to culture, cultural activities, festivals and sports gatherings, and experimented with a number of new project concepts, including language and environmental education projects. Volunteers performed different types of tasks, for instance ecological research, removing invasive plant growth, building hiking trails, cleaning up the coastline, reforestation and erosion control work as well as construction or renovation of community buildings, monuments and community centres. In the cultural/festival related jobs, SEEDS came into action by helping in the organisation of the events and also taking an active part in them. SEEDS also works to promote sustainable tourism in local communities, supporting the local economy and helping to keep small and remote towns alive. SEEDS’ philosophy We enable our volunteers to get to know Iceland from a different perspective, to meet the locals and have an insight into Icelandic culture, learn new skills, gain international understanding, make new friends all over the world, and give something back to the environment; thus, the mutual rewards for the volunteers, communities and ecosystems are massive. Through our Environmental Messengers program, SEEDS also shares environmental messages with the international and local participants in our projects. 2. SEEDS & Participation fees - Where your contributions go! Participation fees are required in order to take part in our workcamps. These help to support the ongoing work of SEEDS. Please note that your entire fee might not necessarily go towards your particular workcamp. The fees collected by SEEDS are mainly used to: - Bear the administrative expenditures of the association: salaries, rent, office bills (energy, phone, electricity, insurance, heating), personnel, external representation, mail, website, postage, equipments, supplies, banking costs, legal formalities, etc. - Provision of financial support and resources to aid develop of some of our other activities (to pay food or accommodation in some of the projects, where the hosts do not provide it, co-funding for our long-term voluntary service projects and the development of particular sessions in the camps). - Cover other costs associated with your workcamp/transportation, e.g. food/accommodation costs, rental/fuel costs, administrative costs and also supporting costs of the long term volunteers and project coordinators. SEEDS also charges for other services such as transport to/from workcamps and occasionally for trips, any remainder of these fees which do not cover the service directly are also used to fund the running of the organisation. Most European organisations similar to SEEDS raise funds by sending volunteers abroad and charging outgoing volunteers a registration fee; while we in Iceland face a particular challenge for two reasons: voluntary service is not very attractive to Icelanders yet, and the Icelandic population is very small, so the number of volunteers sent by SEEDS overseas does not represent sufficient income to run our association. Furthermore, SEEDS does not receive any regular government funding, or financial support from our local, regional or national authorities. SEEDS is a non-profit organisation, and all funds go back into improving the quality and service we provide to our volunteers and hosts, expanding the range of SEEDS projects and carrying out projects in areas where funds are not available to the local hosts or to provide food and accommodation to the volunteers. Thanks to the fees contributed by our participants we are able to run the association and to offer the programme of varied projects all year round. In the meantime SEEDS is also taking action to send Icelanders overseas and to raise funds in different ways, to expand the sources of income for the organisation. The amount of the fees will be stated in each specific workcamp description. The fees we charge are different depending on the season of the year and the demand for particular projects; during the summer they are higher as we have a greater demand for this short period and it is the time when SEEDS raises most of its income to sustain the association for the whole year. During the time that we have fewer participants in our projects, we reduce the fees to promote and increase the number of volunteers. This is not only reflected in our projects but also the amount of visitors to the country reduces during some periods of the year and so the costs. 3. SEEDS workcamps - Life during a SEEDS workcamp SEEDS’ workcamps are our primary field of activities. The following section will explain what you can expect from our workcamps and what we expect of you as a volunteer. 3.1. Team Structure SEEDS aims to structure its workcamp team with one Workcamp Leader, an Environmental Messenger (in some of our projects), a local host, and of course a group of short-term volunteers for each project. Their roles are described here: Leader: The leader acts as a link between the volunteers and the local host, they are there to enable and encourage the volunteers in the work on the project provided by the host, to ensure both parties are satisfied with the outcome of the project. They will also take a role in the coordination of the camp duties, such as cooking and cleaning, and help to arrange free time activities. Environmental Messenger: The specific role of the messenger is to facilitate discussion and action with respect to local and global environmental issues. They may organise activities like presentations, debates, games or actions to increase knowledge and consideration of environmental issues. They will also encourage campers to behave in an environmentally considerate way during the camp, and hopefully to take these ideas back with them to their homes. They are not there to lecture or preach to you about environmental issues, but to facilitate mutual learning and intercultural understanding during the camp. Local Host(s): The local host (or hosts) is usually the person who provides the work, food and accommodation in the projects, although sometimes this is provided by SEEDS itself, where facilities or funds are unavailable. The host will also often help to arrange free time activities in the camps, and to help facilitate the inclusion of volunteers in the local community. Short Term Volunteers: It is important not to forget your role within the SEEDS team. You are just as much part of the team as the other long-term SEEDS volunteers, and have as much, if not more influence over the success of the camp. Your contribution to SEEDS as an organisation, to the work of the camp, and to the dynamics of the group, is greatly appreciated by the SEEDS team, by the local host, and by the other workcampers. Be creative! SEEDS welcomes your ideas and input, especially when presenting your country for the international evening. Don’t forget to bring your culinary/cultural ingredients! Both the messenger and leader are volunteers just like you, and will take an active role in the workcamp as well as fulfilling the duties of their specific roles. They always appreciate any support you can give them! Ultimately, all involved parties will try their best to ensure your Icelandic experience will be an unforgettable one! 3.2. The Work SEEDS offers a wide range of projects on a wide range of environmental, cultural, social and creative topics. The work in the camps will vary significantly from project to project, and more information about the specifics can be found in the Specific Information Sheet you will receive about the project of your choice. However there are a number of issues which apply to many of the camps we offer. Work might be physically demanding and energy consuming. Sometimes working sites will be located far from lodging facilities and may have to be reached by foot; you may also be required to carry tools or equipment to the sites with you.