Islândia

598

Data de início: 12-01-2012

Data de fim: 30-12-2012

Vagas: 2

Duração: 12 mes(es)

Data limite de candidatura: 01-08-2011

Financiamento: Candidatura

Subsídio mensal (Dinheiro de bolso): 145 €

Candidatura: Para te poderes candidatar tens de fazer o teu login. Se ainda não estás registado faz o teu registo primeiro.

Resumo: "Sesseljuhús – environmental sustainability voluntary
This project provides a great opportunity for young people of Europe to develop personal goals while gaining insight into the environment, community sustainability and service under the mentorship of Sólheimar staff.
The volunteer project in Sólheimar is committed to sustainability in a small eco-village in southern Iceland. Sólheimar is a world-renowned community for those with special needs, and the voluntary programme provides insight into sustainable and compassionate community living with focus on the individual. In 2011 Sólheimar became a Host-organisation via EVS and it’s important that the volunteer is familiar with Youth in Action Programme and EVS.
The Sólheimar Community
Sólheimar (the “home of the sun”) is located in Grímsnes in the south of Iceland and was founded on July 5th 1930 by a pioneering woman: Sesselja H. Sigmundsdóttir (1902-1974). Today all activities in this small eco-village are based on her lifework and visions. Inspired by the theories of Rudolf Steiner, Sesselja’s focus was the interaction between the individual and the environment. Sesselja was a passionate advocate for integrating children with and without disabilities, and it was here in Sólheimar where this vision was brought to life. She made a home for children in Sólheimar and focused her work on organic horticulture (the first in Scandinavia), healthy food and artistic expression. Many of these ideas sparked controversy with the authorities because at the time, it was perceived that “healthy” children should not play with those with special needs. It was also viewed that the high-vegetable diet promoted by Sesselja was in fact not healthy for the children. Such disagreements have since faded into history and the Sólheimar community continues to support a healthy lifestyle for those with and without special needs.
Today, Sólheimar is not a children’s home but a community where the goal is to give every individual an opportunity to live in a sustainable society. Sólheimar provides home and work to 43 individuals with special needs and in total, more than 100 people reside in Sólheimar. Today, Sólheimar is not as affected by the theories of Rudolf Steiner as it was in Sesselja’s time but there are some influences from Sesselja´s era. Even though Sólheimar is a part of the Global Eco-village network we are aware of our pros and cons regarding to sustainability. However, we are always trying to improve ourselves towards sustainability in all means.
Sólheimar is a rather isolated place, meaning that there is no public transport from Sólheimar. However, there is public transport from Minni-Borg (village 10 min away from Sólheimar) three times per week. Closest town to Sólheimar is Selfoss about 20 min drive by car (population 6.500) and there is good public transportation there. The drive from Sólheimar to Reykjavik is approximately an hour.
Short and long-term volunteers have also worked in Sólheimar for much of its history and their input into the community continues to promote sustainability. Study-abroad programmes and volunteering vacancies also draw people to Sólheimar and with 30,000-35,000 guests visiting Sólheimar every year; it has become a popular tourist destination year-round.
The aim of Sólheimar is to maximize the potential of each individual. This community is renowned for its artistic and ecological atmosphere and prides itself on its varied cultural, social, and sporting activities.
The activity in Sólheimar is versatile. In the village, there are organic greenhouses for vegetable cultivation and an organic forestry, the only one to exist in Iceland. There is also a shop/gallery, a café, a bakery, guesthouses and many art exhibitions throughout the year. There are a total of six workshops in the village; a candle workshop, ceramics, weaving, carpentry, fine art atelier and an herbal workshop that makes soaps, creams, paper etc. You will also find a church, sculpture garden, arboretum, sports hall, gym, swimming pool, music garden and an art gallery. During summer and winter, cultural festivals are held which involve music, fine art and theatre which bring the Sólheimar community together. The eco-centre Sesseljuhús opened in 2002 where most conferences, meetings and other gatherings are held both for the village and visitors."

Perfil: "Our Expectations
The volunteer project is open to current students (college undergraduate or graduate level) and non-students (18 -30 years old), but preference is given to those who demonstrate initiative, enthusiasm, personal motivation with a focus on community sustainability, artistic skills/training, environmental studies, and/or specific research focused on Sólheimar’s needs.
The specific goals of the voluntary programme are:
 To introduce volunteers to one of the world’s oldest and most unique eco-villages and to the everyday realities of the organisation’s work
 To develop an understanding of how sustainability is achieved through community
 To craft individual learning objectives for the experience
 To develop relationships with persons in his/her field
 To provide an understanding of community, sustainability, and the environment
 To enhance the volunteer’s knowledge of Icelandic culture, language, and history
 To foster a sense of individuality, independence, and personal growth
You should be curious in the philosophy of Sólheimar. We expect volunteers to have a willingness to learn through understanding and to also work hard to be involved in preserving a strong community. You as a volunteer need to be reliable, interested, patient and flexible within our community. We expect commitment in both the daily work session and insist that each volunteer gives their full effort and determination in providing something for the community.
All volunteers work a full eight-hour day from Monday to Friday and are expected to partake throughout the whole of the volunteering. All tasks play an important part in the process of Sólheimar therefore they need to be finished efficiently and to a high standard in order to guarantee the successful development of the village.
These goals are achieved through the volunteer programme’s mentorship and structure. The primary mentor of the volunteer project is Axel Benediktsson Project manager and the Director of Sesseljuhús: Katrín Magnúsdóttir. However, each voluntary programme has its own individual mentor. Christelle Bimier the Wood workshop superintendent and Valgeir Backman, the Social Director, are an alternate contact persons and mentors for Sólheimar.
Sólheimar is a community with people that are always willing to help. We expect volunteers to selflessly participate in our community in a positive, enthusiastic way. We ask everyone to do their best to make Sólheimar a pleasant place to live and work.
What We Look for in an Applicant
We want every applicant to offer exciting and different experiences into the group thus creating a diverse range of people with various interests from a variety of different backgrounds. We are also looking for applicants that have theoretical knowledge related to their particular work field in Sólheimar or people that are seeking practical experience. Therefore, acceptance to our project is dependent on the variety of qualities we feel a candidate can add to our community and sustainable growth.
 You must be interested in working with people with disabilities.
 You must be responsible and motivated to work.
 You should be ready to learn Icelandic.
 You should have ability to adjust to the prevailing situations at the project site.
 You should be aware of long, cold and dark winter days and nights in Iceland, and also of the bright summer nights when the sun hardly sets down.
 You should be open-minded, flexible, enthusiastic, independent, and responsible and be interested in working with people.
Here at Sólheimar we work hard, but we also like to have a good social life so being able to balance work and ‘play’ is essential. We are looking for a person that is extremely adaptable, has an optimistic approach towards life and can enjoy their time here in this unique community.
Sólheimar volunteers will gain various knowledge and understanding during their time here in the community. You must be realistic about the goals you set yourself while working in Sólheimar: immediate fulfilment is not realistic. As a volunteer, you must be willing to take direction and instructions from others and to be committed to the structure of the work day in order to remain in a constructed environment. There will be possibilities to study new expertise and work together with other people who can often offer a rich amount of knowledge making the work you do very rewarding."

Tarefas: "Voluntary opportunities:
Sólheimar offers seven voluntary projects which are:
Sesseljuhús is a sustainable building and an educational centre focusing on environmental issues. Educational events take place in a variety of ways throughout the year, such as Study Abroad Programmes for foreign students, educational meetings for the general public and exhibitions. Sesseljuhús is the main supervision for voluntary in Sólheimar and also for the Sólheimar guesthouse. Volunteers need to bring their own laptop.
We are looking for people that are dedicated to working on environmental issues and have an interest in environmental science related themes such as biology, geography, geology, landscape architecture, urban planning, engineering and so on.
Due to Sesseljuhús being the main supervision for Sólheimar Guesthouse, we are also looking for someone willing to take the time to work as a guesthouse receptionist at various points throughout their voluntary. They will be expected to help with reservations, serving the guests, answering the phone to guesthouse-related queries etc as part of their time here. For that reason, we need volunteers with exceptional communication skills, a good initiative to solve a variety of customers’ queries and a jolly, approachable character.
The Environmental Sustainability Voluntary itself is focused on specific environmental and sustainability-related projects. These projects vary based on Sólheimar’s needs and applicant/project suitability, but the following is a list of potential projects for volunteers:
 Environmental Education expansion at Sesseljuhús
o Developing and implementing education curriculum for student groups visiting Sólheimar
 This is an opportunity for an environmental education student to experience curriculum development and implementation
 Base new curriculum on previous research (this work is on-file in Sesseljuhús), and specific group needs
 Be creative! What are your passions? Are you good at bird/plant species identification? Maybe develop a curriculum based on outdoor exploration (i.e. taking a walk to the river with a species identification component or developing activities for creative connection with the natural world i.e. a nature writing/poetry session).
 Engage groups with Sesseljuhús and the resources available here. Look into the previous research done on developing educational curriculum and combine this with your ideas for engaging students with the sustainable energy park and the sustainable building design of Sesseljuhús.
 Waste-water treatment improvement
o Research-based project focused on improving the current wetland waste-water treatment area
 This is an opportunity for a science/wetland ecology/hydrology student to focus on a project with direct applicability and community need
 Carbon-sequestration and forestry development in the Sólheimar area. Much work has recently been done to help promote this but it is definitely possible to base your new ideas on this previous research/work and focus on what can be done using biodynamic methods.
 Developing a sustainable car-fleet in Sólheimar (researching methane production capabilities and hydrogen-power potential).
 Developing an ecological building database and case-study of Sesseljuhús. This may interest environmental engineering and architecture students. Research traditional Icelandic design and sustainable-building design with development of blueprints for future Sólheimar construction projects and database development for sustainable building resources in Iceland.
 Historical Restoration and preservation of Sólheimarhús and Sólheimar history. This could be a potential project for a history volunteer: preserving documents, interviewing Sólheimar residents and preserving the physical buildings of Sólheimar. This way, the participating volunteer learns how history does in fact play a role in sustainability.
 Other projects available in Hydrology (hydro-energy development and production), geothermal (geothermal-energy development, production, and implications/potential in Sólheimar) and electricity use in Sólheimar (performing an energy audit and educational presentation on findings for the Sólheimar community to better reduce electricity consumption).
 Enhancing the social environment in Sólheimar by developing a central community space for everyday enjoyment"

Horário: "Typical Voluntary Project Work Week
The Voluntary Project is based on a 35 hour work-week; approximately 34 hours are devoted to work and 1-2 hours are devoted to an educational component of the project.
Volunteers’ days start at 8:00 followed by a morning meeting at 9:00 with the whole community to discuss plans for the day and to make announcements. Lunch is served at 12.00 and work resumes at 13.00 for the afternoon with the working day finishing at 17:00.
The following is a typical weekly schedule for a volunteer participating in the session to give applicants an idea of how work and the complementary educational activities are interspersed throughout the week. There will be free time during the evenings and weekends but sometimes activities are arranged within the community which a volunteer should be willing to take part in."

Condições: "Introduction to Icelandic language and culture
Volunteers will spend a portion of the working week participating in various planned educational activities that will enhance their experience of living and working in Sólheimar. These activities will be interspersed throughout the week and include Icelandic language lessons, educational presentations and field trips.
A one hour and fifteen minute Icelandic lesson will be held once a week for three months. All volunteers participate in this class no matter what their level of proficiency. The class is geared mostly towards beginners’ conversation/grammar and enables volunteers to communicate in Icelandic more effectively both at work and while travelling. Icelandic homework will be assigned on a weekly basis. Please be aware that if you have already studied Icelandic or lived in Iceland, this class will most likely be repetitive but we believe you will continue to benefit from being refreshed with such skills.
Volunteers will also go on planned field trips every once in a while. Trips are made to areas of cultural and educational interest such as historical sites, national parks, museums, organic production facilities etc. One exciting trip will be at the beginning of your voluntary which takes you to the Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss).
Once a month, we invite a member of staff or friend of our community to lead a presentation on a subject pertinent to our activities and projects. These presentations will help Volunteers understand the scope of the work and projects they are participating in during their work hours and also to help provide Volunteers with a flavour of local Icelandic culture and customs. Volunteers have the opportunity to share information and reflect on their stay in the eco-village.
Evaluation procedures and Group Volunteer Meetings
Once a week, volunteers are also required to give a presentation of the work they are taking part in. We expect a short presentation (10-20 minutes) on a subject of his/her interest regarding Sólheimar, Icelandic culture, wildlife, sustainability, their project, their work, the environment, or anything else that has to do with an individual Sólheimar experience. The meeting will also offer the chance to discuss any ideas or concerns that come up during the week so we are here to listen to any queries a volunteer may have during your time here.
In an effort to improve the development of the voluntary project in Sólheimar, we will ask volunteers to inform us of their goals and what they aim to achieve from our project when they first arrive. When a particular voluntary draws to an end, we will ask volunteers to evaluate their experience and ask for recommendations in order to continue to successfully develop our voluntary project.
Community Life, Recreation, Travel Community Life, Recreation, Travel Community Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, Travel Community Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, Travel Community Life, Recreation, Travel Community Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, Travel Community Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, Travel Community Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, TravelCommunity Life, Recreation, Travel
Housing – Hraunprýði (house for volunteers)
Hraunprýði is a 16 room dorm. Most of the volunteers have an en suite single room with shared kitchen and living room. There is the possibility that you will share your room at some point if more volunteers or visitors come later in the year. There is a laundry room in Hraunprýði which you can use free of charge with a washer, dryer and a wet room for clothes to hang. There is also wireless internet provided and one desktop computer, but it is advised to bring your own laptop if possible for work and leisure purposes. Please read and follow the house rules at all times as it is very important that you keep the house and your room clean and presentable. If you are ever unhappy with your housing conditions or have any problems regarding Hraunprýði, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Bed linen, towels, toilet paper, laundry products and cleaning materials are all accessible within the house. There is also a cupboard of food that is available for the community on behalf of Vala such as oil, herbs, flour etc.
There is a one desk computer in Hraunprýði so it’s good that volunteers bring their own laptop for personal and professional use.
Lunch hall
Lunch is provided Monday to Friday in Vigdísarhús where the community all come together to enjoy their break. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is served in Vigdísarhús.
Volunteers will cook breakfast and dinner for themselves during the week and all day Saturday and on Sunday in Hraunprýði. However, there are many times when there are left-overs provided by the lunch staff so be aware to ask for this to save yourself spending too much money on food.
Travel in Iceland
Volunteers can travel at the weekend and are allowed to take long weekends throughout the session for more extensive travel using their vacation days. Days off should not be taken the first and last week of the project. Travelling is the best way to learn about Iceland, its nature, culture, language and its people. It can be inexpensive but food and travel can be more costly in Iceland than the rest of the world. It is recommended to be prepared and always have some form of cash on you for travel. Most facilities take debit and credit cards’ so carrying money in Iceland is more convenient.
The volunteer will be responsible for arranging their fares out of the village if one wishes to travel during weekends and days off. Hitchhiking is definitely a viable option in Iceland and is a lot safer to do than in other countries. The people who live in Sólheimar often go into Selfoss and Reykjavik and are willing to give the volunteers a ride. If you wish to go to popular tourist destinations, this is also possible to do by hitchhiking alone but make sure to keep yourself safe and give yourself lots of time to reach your destination.
Travel in Iceland such as highland and glacier trips can be very tricky and dangerous; the weather in Iceland can change in seconds. Be very prepared during trips around Iceland as it is extremely easy to be taken off course: http://www.safetravel.is
“We were also able to travel around together and we had the privilege of travelling to Reykjavík numerous times, hike through Eyjafjallajökull, drive through the Central Highlands and spend a weekend in the West Fjords.” Heather Thompson Volunteer 2010"

Documentação: CV e Carta de Motivação