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Island 2012

WF worldwide friends

General information about our International workcamps

Age limit: In general, volunteers should be at least 18 years old. There are no maximum age limits in the majority of our workcamps.

Work: Workcamps typically last 12 to 14 days. Working hours are usually about 25-35 hours a week (five to seven hours a day, five days a week). Any exceptions will be noted in the project descriptions.

Accommodation: In Reykjavik, WF Iceland provides several shared flats and houses located in the heart of the capital for accommodations. Elsewhere in Iceland, volunteers stay at local community centres, schools, Youth Centres or other houses owned by the communities. The accommodations offer basic sleeping and cooking facilities, and include a shared kitchen and bathroom. In some cases volunteers have to take a shower at the local swimming pool.

Food: Food will be provided, however volunteers are expected to do their fair share of the cooking and cleaning.

Camp Language: English is the language spoken in our camps. Volunteers are required to have at least a basic knowledge of the English language. Should the language requirements be higher, this will be specified in the workcamp description.

Camp Leaders: There are always one or more leaders for each camp, depending on the size of the group. Leaders represent the link between the hosting community and the group of volunteers. They coordinate the work, organize free time activities, and plan excursions, shopping, and cooking sessions. Apart from these additional responsibilities, they are equal to the other volunteers. Most of our camp leaders are from other countries, and we are very open minded in hosting international leaders from other organizations.

Extra Participation Fee: This year we are charging an extra participation fee for all of our camps. Volunteers are expected to pay the workcamp fee in cash (EUR, USD or Icelandic Krona) upon their arrival to the camp.

WF Iceland charges a participation fee for the following reasons:
a. Lack of support from the government and other sources
b. In some of our workcamps WF itself has to supply food which is quite expensive in Iceland compared to other European countries
c. In most of our workcamps located in Reykjavik, WF itself has to cover both food and accommodation costs
d. Most of our partner organizations in other countries cover their administration costs through the fees they charge to the volunteers they send abroad. We do not send enough volunteers abroad in order to cover our administrative expenses so we need to charge a participation fee from the volunteers we receive

Insurance: Veraldarvinir provides a third part liability during the duration of the camp. WF Iceland does not provide volunteers with a medical insurance. Therefore, we strongly recommend that the volunteers purchase insurance for their stay here in Iceland. European volunteers should bring their European Health Cards (former E111).

Some practical matters: We highly recommend that volunteers bring a sleeping bag, basic work clothes, hiking boots, and swimming suits, as well as warm and waterproof clothes. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring information about their country such as photos, music, songbooks, games, or musical instruments.

Volunteers with special needs: Our camps are open to everyone. If you have volunteers with special needs, please contact us. We will do our very best to find a way to host them.

Information Sheets: We will send out detailed information sheets with practical information and camp details the same day we accept the volunteers. All our information sheets are also available online.

Arrival and departure: The first day of the camp is arrival day and the last day of the camp is a departure day. If the camp is in the North, East or West of Iceland the volunteers should arrive the day before the camp starts and departure the day after it ends. If the camp is in Reykjavik it is enough to arrive the first day of the camp and depart the day that the camp ends.

Getting to the campsite: Iceland's public transportation is expensive and not very efficient. We will arrange a minibus trip from Reykjavik to most of our workcamp locations outside of Reykjavik. The participants can choose the minibus option to reach the workcamp location or traveling independently using public transport (e.g. buses, flights). The minibus fee will be published in the information sheet. However, beware that traveling with our minibus is usually the most convenient option.
Every participant who wishes to take the minibus needs to inform us by email (bookings@wf.is) several days before arriving to Iceland.


Our website: www.wf.is
We encourage all our partners and volunteers to check out our website for more information about our projects. There you will find more detailed information, videos and photos from our workcamps.