About SEEDS SEEDS Iceland was founded in 2005 as a non-governmental, non-profit volunteer organisation with international scope. Our main activities relate to the promotion of environmental protection and awareness, intercultural understanding and peace, through voluntary work on social, cultural and environmental projects in Iceland. We aim to empower, inform and expand the horizons of people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds, to inform and share with them about the world in which we live and to take an active role in its future development. SEEDS provides opportunities to live, learn, understand and experience, while sharing and cooperating with others from different cultures and backgrounds. SEEDS Projects & Activities 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 and participants, the local hosting communities and Iceland as a whole. By having a diverse array of projects and bringing together people from different backgrounds, creating more opportunities; we try to fulfil our vision and build on our founding ideas. Activities developed by SEEDS include: Voluntary service, International learning camps and exchanges, Internships and lifelong learning programmes, Awareness-raising initiatives and campaigns, Seminars and training sessions Cultural, artistic and educational exhibitions Our projects in Iceland are funded and supported by: Contributions from volunteers and participants in the projects The Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission Engagement of our long-term volunteers and interns Additional non-financial contributions in kind from the local hosts of the projects We are members of the Icelandic National Youth Council (LÆF), the Icelandic Environment Association (LANDVERND), the Senior European Volunteers Exchange Network (SEVEN) and work actively as partner organisation of the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations (The Alliance) and Service Civil International (SCI). During 2025 we organised 82 different projects located in every corner of Iceland; we hosted around 1000 International volunteers from more than 40 different countries! 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 buildings, monuments and artistic heritage. In cultural, festival and sports related projects, SEEDS came into action by helping in the organisation of the events and also by 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 bring together volunteers and hosts from different nationalities and backgrounds, aiming at building up intercultural understanding and encouraging peace, while working for an identified need within a community. We enable our participants and 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 intercultural understanding, make new friends all over the world, and give something back to the environment. Through our Environmentally Aware programme, SEEDS shares environmental messages with the international and local participants in our projects. The rewards for the volunteers, participants, communities and ecosystems are massive, while interacting with local and foreign individuals, they learn about various cultures, have the opportunity to build friendships and develop new skills working in challenging and unfamiliar surroundings.