Vincenzo and Paolo's experience in Iceland

We are Vincenzo and Paolo, writing to you after returning from Iceland, where we completed our ESC project with the Icelandic Forestry Association in Úlfljótsvatn. Our experience lasted five months, from early May to the end of September, during which we traveled across the country and supported various forestry associations in the regions of Suðurland, Höfuðborgarsvæðið, Vesturland, and Vestfirðir.

During these months, we learned the main steps to actively support Iceland’s reforestation efforts. Our volunteer project involved hands-on work in close contact with Icelandic nature and the environment. We shared the experience with other young volunteers, working both independently and as a team. Together, we lived in a large house in Úlfljótsvatn with eight fellow volunteers from Spain, France, Austria, Poland, and Germany—a group with whom we formed a strong bond beyond the work itself.

Through several workcamps in June and July, we split into two groups to distribute the tasks: some stayed near Úlfljótsvatn to continue planting new trees, while others traveled around the country for one or two weeks to work with forestry associations in Akranes, Ólasvík, Stykkishólmur, and Patreksfjörður. The work was not always easy, but we can say we are more than satisfied. Although the unpredictable Icelandic weather was not on our side this summer, we overcame various challenges, learning a lot about ourselves, our adaptability, and our versatility.

During our five months, the main tasks of the IFA project included tree planting and forest maintenance in support of land reclamation and carbon sequestration plans, repairing fences, creating infrastructure such as trails and wooden or stone bridges within existing forests, and performing gardening tasks to maintain and care for the farmhouse/guesthouse that hosted us.

In our free time, we explored different locations, visited parks and waterfalls, went hiking and camping, attended bonfires and réttir (sheep gatherings), concerts, and Reykjavík Pride. We built strong friendships with fellow volunteers and scouts at the Úlfljótsvatn camp, and we met many other young locals and European volunteers, expanding our network of connections and relationships. A few weeks before the end of the project, in September, we also had the chance to attend a ceremony in the Vinaskógur forest near Thingvellir National Park, where we met Norwegian Ambassador Cecile Willoch and Iceland’s President Halla Tómasdóttir, who personally thanked us for our work as young volunteers.

Participating in an ESC volunteering project meant all of this and so much more. It transformed our way of living during the months spent in a foreign country, connected us with different realities, and gave us the opportunity to dedicate our time, skills, and efforts to a concrete volunteer project.

Takk fyrir!