Unamagazine august2010

una

Czech Republic, Spain, France, Germany, South Korea, Israel.

We were 7 people from 6 different countries and we made this magazine.

The first thought was ‘How can we work together?’ since the only thing we had in common was English. But we had passion and motivation for the Photo Journalism Workcamp in Reykjavik.

The town we visited for the first time was Solheimar, the most organic place we have ever visited. We spent 3 days working and enjoying our free time.

We communicated not only with each other but also with local people in Solheimar and other volunteers. Visit the ‘Solheimar’ section of the magazine to read about our adventures.

After having a wonderful time in Solheimar, we came back to Reykjavik where we were working as the team for the Latin Days Festival. We went to all the dance lessons and performances since we wanted to show vivid pictures of the atmosphere and we interviewed various people there. Moreover, we added some information about Latin dance that offers the chance to expand your knowledge.

We didn’t realize how much we could enjoy working together. Of course there were some conflicts when we decided something, but we handled those wisely and finally we have this magazine in your hands. We gained a lot of precious knowledge about the cultures of our 6 countries and got pleasant experiences about journalism. We hope you can feel that in this magazine.

Takk (Thank you) !

Hana Raskova/Linda Matejovska/Vadim Cathelin/ Soojin Hwang/ Anika Spuhl/ Ohad Safran/ Miquel Dosta

Index

Sólheimar Eco village

Latin days in Reykjavik

Journalism and Photographing in Reyjavik

Una is the official magazine of Veraldarvinir/Worldwide Friends Iceland (WF), a nonprofit,non-governmnetal organisation that promotes environmental awareness, peace and cultural understanding. Founded in 2001, it organises international workcamps in which volunteersfrom all around the world meet to work together in different kinds of environmental, artistic and educational projects. In 2010, Worldwide Friends received over 1400 volunteers and also worked as a sending organisation for Icelanders wanting to take part in similar activities abroad.

S贸lheimar

Once upon a time, a brave Icelandic woman named Sesselja Gismundsdottir decided to dedicate her life to children. When Sesselja was only 28, she finished six years of study in Europe. Her studies included pedagogy, child nursing, kindergarten management and treating people with special needs.

In order to accomplish her life goal, Sesselja founded the eco-village of S贸lheimar in 1930 with only a few tenants and less than a dozen children.

During the evolution of S贸lheimar, the Icelandic government asked Sesselja if she could take care of people with special needs. Sesselja agreed and began to use her skills to help these people. Slowly and consistently, the children found their place in the village. Today, S贸lheimar is a flourishing community with more than one hundred people including local inhabitants, disabled people and volunteers.

The village is powered completely by natural resources such as hydroelectic, geothermal, solar and wind based power. All waste is recycled or composted and the organic forestry and farming practices are the among the best in Scandinavia.

From our point of view The first day we arrived in Sólheimar it was too late to begin working so the volunteer director introduced us to the town. He showed us the dining hall, gym, bakery, swimming pool, garden, coffee house, shops, etc. After seeing the town, we were able to choose our rooms for the next three days and were pleasantly surprised by the neat and clean accommodation. The guesthouse has a quite a large living room with a nice atmosphere where we can have meals, tea and conversation.

After our hard work, we will be able rest very well.

The work in Solheimar was usually physical. We were asked to cut weeds or transport plant trays outside from the green house. The purpose of moving the plants outside is to remove the roots before transporting them to the woods. Generally, work began at 9am and ended at 5pm, with a coffee break at 10am and 3pm. During the coffee break, we talked with friendly people who are working in Sólheimar. It was a great opportunity to meet and talk to local people since we may not have contact with them otherwise.

The work itself was tough and at

the end of the day we were all dirty and tired. But, we also considered the time with our group and the local people precious. We wished we had been able to stay there for a long time, such as the Americans we met there. They stayed for around two months and had more time to create real friendships. We hope that the next workcamp in Sólheimar will have the opportunity to stay longer and experience much more.

After work, there were many possibilities to have fun in Sólheimar.

The village has a beautiful swimming pool with warm water to relax in. It is also possible to eat a piece of cake in the coffee house and do some sports at the gym.

Also, during the summer one can go hiking in the evening, enjoy the sunset or simply admire the beautiful landscape surrounding Sólheimar and take some photos.

Finally, there is golf to be enjoyed near Sólheimar.

Building an Eco-House In the small eco-village of Sólheimar, four Americans volunteers and one French volunteer are sitting, thinking and researching the best way to build an eco-house. I met these five happy campers while volunteering in the Worldwide Friends workcamp in Sólheimar. This special group will spend two to three months volunteering their time to create a research presentation to explain how an ecological house is built.

This research groups consists of three aspiring architects, Angel, Alison and David, a biologist, Spencer, and Jolie a French landscape designer, all around the age of 20. The group explained their work for the day. Angel researched whether straw will be an appropriate construction material. David looked at clay and mud and determined that a clay wall should be at least two feet thick to provide adequate insulation for the house. Spencer, the biologist, spent the week working on an eco-garden. Jolie thought about how to make the ecological house merge with the environment as she realized that David’s idea to make the clay walls two feet thick will make

her work much more difficult.

After explaining their complicated work, the boys of the team returned to their day-long argument about the importance of grades in academic study versus the importance of learning itself.

The girls tired of the argument and left to go the gym. Angel happily went to a cello lesson. After all of their hard work, this team knows how to enjoy themselves by playing pranks on each other.

David changed Alison’s Facebook status to “Last night was the most amazing night of my life but I can’t tell you more in here so contact me for more details.” In retaliation, Alison enrolled David in

a popular website called “Cute Boys with Cupcakes.”

During the following days, the team continued to investigate ecological water pumps and other energy sources such as solar and geological energy. As my week of volunteering in Sólheimar came to and end, these five young researchers continued their inspiring work.

When their work comes to an end, I believe it will be a special and important contribution to the small community of Sólheimar. If you are able to make the trip, go and meet the fun group of volunteers, and food you bring will be greatly appreciated.

Sólheimar’s Main Branch: • The Bakery and Main Dining Hall – workers, volunteers and disabled people can take their lunch here.

• The Carpentry – produces wood-work like toys and carved sculptures.

The manager of the carpentry, Laurua, uses the carpentry to design and build very special musical instruments: beautiful liras and harps. Five people who need extra help are also assisting Laurus.

• The Green House – natural fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers, are grown here.

• The Forestry – seedlings are grown here.

• The Accomodation – great atmosphere for guests and volunteers.

• Sólheimar’s Workshops – candles, clay and paint.

Latin days in Reykjavik

Let´s dance!

One of the most important aims of Worldwide Friends Iceland is cultural understanding. Iceland is becoming very multicultural and today you can find people from all corners of the world in Reykjavik.

Therefore, Worldwide Friends, in cooperation with many organizations and individuals has organized “Latin Days in Reykjavik” which promises to be a program rich in culture and full of fun.

For two weeks, volunteers from all over the world will experience the LatinAmerican culture up close. The workcamp will consist of Latino music, dance studies, Latin cooking and conversations with Latinos who live in Reykjavik. After two weeks of dancing and studying, the volunteers will hold a Latin festival for the enjoyment of Reykjavik residents. The festival will include a performance of the dance learned by volunteers during the camp, handmade Latino

Step by Step In a whirl of passion, volunteers from Worldwide Friends learned to dance the tango from Slovenian dancer Aljosa Dujmic.

Aljosa (age 34) came to Iceland not only to enjoy the atmosphere but also to help as a volunteer. He has been dancing the tango for five years, especially the Nuevo Tango (New Tango) which originated from Argentina. He felt that his knowledge of the tango could add to the volunteer’s spare time so he began to give tango lessons. He taught tango during his workcamp in the eco-village Solheimar and also for a group of 23 people in Reykjavik.

Nuevo Tango is a street dance that does not have rules. The dancers simply feel the music and follow the lead of the man. Movement should be natural and each dancer can choose which way they will move.

Every participant can create and feel the movements in their own way so there is no need for rules or planning. Aljosa says “When you are dancing, you must enjoy it! Doesn’t matter how you look like!”

Thanks to the passionate teaching of Aljosa, Worldwide Friends volunteers will hold a Latin Festival which includes the tango dances they have learned.

“The atmosphere is really good, I like it!”

Kanella Tartari, 21 years old, Greece

“I’m very curious about Latin culture, dancing, food and also people. “ Anna Violant Gómez, 18 years old, Spain

Campleader Michelle Schmidt: “I hope that the Icelandics are going to enjoy the festival a lot.”

Why did you choose this workcamp?

I chose this kind of work camp to be the leader because I love festivals, all kind of cultural activities and, of course, having fun!

Are there any difficulties controlling all the members from other countries?

There are 20 volunteers assigned to two camp leaders. They have to do many activities together such as cooking dinner and cleaning the dishes they use. They are well organized in these group activities but in the lunch time the chaos appears when everybody has to cook for themselves.

“I like making some new friends and learning how to dance.”

Nora Gerber, 18 years old, Switzerland

Do you think this Latin work camp will leave an impression on the people here?

I thinks that Icelandic people aren`t very in touch with Latin people and with Latin culture, perhaps because of the long distance separating them. For that reason I hope that the Icelandics are going to enjoy the festival a lot, it could be really amazing!

What is your typical day schedule?

- 8h: Good morning!

- 10 to 13h: Let’s go dancing!

- 13 to 15h: lunch time!

- 15 to 16h: Shopping!!! But only food!

- 16 to 18h: Let’s dance again!

- 18 to 20h: Free time!

- 20h: dinner time!

- After dinner: free time again, but not only for drink beers!

Grab the flyer and come play with us Balloons... ribbons... paints... brushes... inspiration... creativity. These were the ‘ingredients’ used by volunteers from WorldWide Friends for Latin Days in Reykjavik. Organization of a festival is not easy, but participants from this workcamp know how to make a good atmosphere – and decorations!

The Latin Days workcamp had 22 participants who all care about the running of this festival. Their 14 days of preparation were full of Latin dance, Latin food and Latin culture. Participants were learning specific Latin dances, as well as making decorations and advertisements. Advertisement flyers were very important tool for giving the local people from Reykjavik a sense of the festival. These flyers were made in both English and Icelandic.

Really handy people made beautiful decorations including balloons, ribbons, paints, clothespins etc. One of the most interesting decorations was the piñatas. A piñata is made from a balloon, glue and newspaper - and is filled with sweets. This is a very specific game for children from South America.

Kids will cover their eyes and try to hit the piñata with a stick. Laureen from North Ireland said ‘ We are making a lot of them. I am sure, it will be funny.’

Flash Mod - Dancing in the streets In order to promote the latin day festival the volunteers participating in this very unique workcamp came out to the streets of Reykjavik in what is known as “Flash Mod”.

“Flash Mod” is when a large group of people assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act of dance for a brief time, then disperse. Our volunteers gathered in one of the central square of Reykjavik and suddenly performed a Latin dance they learned during their workcamp. Immediately after the dance all the volunteers

scattered around the square and pinned clothespins on the people who viewed the dancing. On these clothespins were written the details of the latino day including the date and hours. Many people reacted with a surprised smile when one of the volunteers pinned the small laundry clothespin to them. After two large squares dancing the volunteers returned home tired but happy hoping that all thier hard work will pay off and a large number of people will came to the latin day festival.

Festival!

Latin Days Festival dominated one of the squares in Reykjavik. A day full of dance, food, several activities and fun attracted local people and tourists alike. Latin music crept under skin and encouraged people to dance and the precence of small children gave a merry atmosphere all the time.

Volunteers from WorldWide Friends woke early to prepare for the festival. From morning participants were moving important stuff to a small square in the middle of the Reykjavik. The square was alive with taditional Latin food, DJ, face painting, games area, culture area and painting area. But the biggest show was dancing. Volunteers learned latin dance especially for this occasion and the audience could see merengue, tango, bachata, reggaeton and salsa. Local people and tourists could participate and learn to dance.

The food tent offered traditional soup from Dominican Republic. Children really enjoyed face painting, games area and painting area; they were also blowing bubbles or catching them. In the culture area visitors could see the detailed description of every country in Latin America.

Singer Hanna Mia Brekkan: “Dance like nobody’s watching!”

Do you have any relation to Latin culture?

Of course! First of all I want to say that I love travelling! For that reason I’ve been travelling throughout South America and Spain. I have visited Brazil, Argentina, El Salvador and Guatemala. I studied Spanish when I was a child and I’m very glad about that because now I can sing in the language that inspires me a lot.

I’m also in touch with Latin culture because I have many friends from South America. I have had really good experiences with them, and that’s why I was able to learn a lot about their culture. However, music has been a key element to penetrate the culture with ease.

Do you think that Latin culture has been well integrated in Iceland?

More or less. There aren’t many immigrants in this small but beautiful island. I believe this fact creates a natural curiosity about other cultures but can also favour the formation of distinct groups making integration difficult. Both groups are lucky because they have nice music and can share it between one another. In many ways music is the common language – and can be used to make strong connections between them.

What do you think about this kind of festival?

I think that this kind of festival could be really interesting for the Icelandic people because they are not in touch with the Latin culture - maybe because the countries are far away from each other or because they don’t have many things in common.

Is it going to be your first time at a Latin Festival as a singer?

Yes. I’ve been in many Latin festivals in Spain and other countries in South America but never as a singer. I think that it is going to be my first international Latin Festival, and as a singer, that’s why I’m really excited!

In how many languages can you sing?

I sing songs in Swedish, Icelandic, English, Spanish and also some in the Basque language. But I love singing in Spanish because I think that it sounds really nice and it is also a little bit exotic.

What do you want to say to the people at the Latin festival?

Dance like nobody’s watching!

Some facts about latin dances: Tango appeared at the end of the nineteenth century in Buenos Aires, specifically the area named ‘Rio de la Plata‘. There are different types of tango corresponding to different musical influences such as Salon tango, Canyengue tango, New tango, Ballroom tango, Finnish tango and Queer tango. It is always danced with a partner.

Bachata originated in the Dominican Republic and was developed during the 20th century. It’s a couple dance with severals variations like Dominican, traditional, modern and ballroom style.

Merengue is a couples dance which originated in the Dominican Republic but became very popular in the middle of the nineteenth century.

Reggaeton is a modern dance that first appeared in Panama and Puerto Rico in the 1990s.

Salsa originated in Cuba in the 1920s. It can be danced with a parter or alone. Different styles of salsa exist including.

Limbo!

The locals trying to follow the dance.

Blowing bubbles.

An Icelandic-Latino girl dancing a traditional latin dance.

Icelandic children painting little stones.

One of the members painting with local children.

Daniele Bellim is leading the dance.

The group marching in the street of Reykjavik to encourage people to join their festival.

A little girl is trying to hit the Mexican pinata.

Journalism and Photography in Reykjavik

Vadim, 20, France I chose this workcamp because I enjoy taking photos and, for this, the Icelandic landscape was perfect. Also, I wanted to improve my English and with this workcamp I had the opportunity to not only speak and also write in English.

The visit of the eco-village was very interesting and rewarding while the Reykjavik part of the workcamp was wonderful. I would advise anyone to extend your trip because two weeks is too short! See you later‌

Anika Spuhl, 18, Germany

Soojin Hwang, 20, South Korea At the beginning, Iceland was a fascinating place full of amazing natural scenery. But now, Iceland means more than that to me. What I’ve got here is not only the pictures of the view but also precious friends from all over the world. Roman, our first leader, Hana and Linda, our second leader. Anika, who has passion,Vadim, our birthday boy, Ohad, encyclopedia and lastly Miquel, my cute little party boy!

I will keep our memories forever and sincerely, hope to see you in the near future!

Ciao, my friends!

My two weeks Iceland were a real adventure for me.

I recall many great experiences, wonderful nature, swimming in the rain, awesome hikes, many nice photos and kind people from all over the world. I really enjoyed every day and every moment.

Hana, 21, Czech Republic Witnessing the organization of Latin days festival was awesome and the festival itself was great! I liked the cooperation on this project thank you to everyone!

Miquel Dosta Genis, 19, Spain I have been enjoying the amazing last two weeks in Iceland because all the people was so nice, the weather was so sunny and the party was so crazy!

WONDERFUL!

Ohad, 27, Israel

Linda, 22, Czech Republic Even just for one week, i enjoyed this workcamp a lot. Nice people, nice programm and nice weather. Tango!

How can you sum up two weeks of volunteering, photo-taking, hard work and lots of parties? I think that the most fascinating thing during these two weeks in Iceland was the encounters with people. My Journalism-photography work camp consisted of only five people but the diversity is wide. Representative countries were: Spain, France, Germany, Korea and me from Israel. Later in the camp, two new instructors arrived - from France and Czech Republic. What amazed me most was to see the differences and similarities between people from different countries and I believe I was quite lucky to experience such diversity in my little group.

Photographs, texts, design: Vadim Cathelin Miquel Dosta Hana Hašková Soojin Hwang Linda Matějovská Ohad Safran Anika Spuhl

Publisher: Worldwide Friends Iceland / Veraldarvinir Hverfisgata 88 101 Reykjavik +354 5525214 www.wf.is