GeoCamp Iceland

19/06/2025

Happy Women’s Rights Day – Gleðilegan kvenréttindadag!

On this day in 1915, Icelandic women over the age of 40 gained the right to vote and stand for parliament. It was a moment that sparked a century of progress – one that continues to shape Icelandic society and inspire the world.

At GeoCamp Iceland, our focus is often on the forces that shape and change the land we live on – the volcanoes, glaciers, climate, and environment. But there’s another kind of change that flows through every study tour we lead. The understanding that a just and sustainable future depends on equality.

Whether we’re walking through lava fields or discussing the future of renewable energy, themes like inclusion, regenerative travel, and equal rights are never far away. These aren’t just background values – they’re embedded in how we learn, reflect, and connect.

On this Women’s Rights Day, we look back to one of those moments. In summer 2022, teachers from the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) came to Iceland with us. As part of their preparation, they read “Secrets of the Sprakkar” by Eliza Reid, the former First Lady of Iceland.

When Eliza heard about it, she didn’t just send a note – she invited the group to her residence for coffee, kleina, and a heartfelt conversation about why Iceland continues to lead the world in gender equality. From electing the world’s first female president to closing the gender gap at home and in the workplace, Iceland’s story is not just inspiring – it’s instructive.

“Sprakkar,” an old Icelandic word for extraordinary women, became more than a book title that day. It became a reminder that empowering young people – especially girls – to lead, question, and contribute is essential to the future of both society and the planet.

At GeoCamp, we don’t just study the Earth. We strive to learn from those who walk it.

17/06/2025

GeoCamp Iceland tekur þátt í þróunarverkefninu „Gárur á Reykjanesinu – Nærumhverfi til útikennslu“ sem hlaut á dögunum 4,7 milljóna króna styrk úr Sprotasjóði. Þuríður H. Aradóttir Braun fyrir hönd Reykjanes jarðvangs og Brynja Stefánsdóttir, kennari í Stapaskóla og verkefnastjóri hjá GeoCamp Iceland, tóku við styrknum í mennta- og barnamálaráðuneytinu 11. júní síðastliðinn. Brynja mun leiða þróun kennsluefnis í verkefninu og tryggja tengingu við aðalnámskrá og hæfniviðmið grunnskóla.

12/06/2025

GeoCamp Iceland among Partners in New Innovation-Funded Project.

The development project "Gárur on the Reykjanes Peninsula – Using Local Environment for Outdoor Learning" has been awarded a 4.7 million ISK grant from the Icelandic Innovation Fund for Schools (Sprotasjóður). The project is led by Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark on behalf of a broad partnership that includes all elementary schools and school offices in the region, the Suðurnes Science & Research Centre, and GeoCamp Iceland.

We are happy to be among the applicants for this project, which builds directly on other initiatives by GeoCamp Iceland, mapping outdoor educational opportunities across the peninsula.

The goal of the project is to strengthen creative outdoor teaching and help students build a deeper connection to their environment and community. Throughout the project, key learning sites near local schools will be identified and documented for their educational value in natural sciences, history, and culture. These will form the foundation of a digital database that includes GPS locations, site descriptions, lesson plans, and teaching resources, that will be made freely accessible to students, teachers, and the public.

GeoCamp Iceland’s own Brynja Stefánsdóttir, science educator at Stapaskóli and project manager with GeoCamp, will play a central role in developing the educational materials. She will ensure the content aligns with Iceland’s national curriculum and supports the integration of sustainability, science literacy, and outdoor learning at multiple school levels.

The project is an important milestone in transforming Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark into a living classroom. It represents a meaningful bridge between science, education, and community, while providing schools with the tools and training needed to bring learning outside the classroom and into lava fields, coastal paths, and cultural landscapes.

The grant was formally awarded at a ceremony at the Ministry of Education and Children on 11 June, with Minister Guðmundur Ingi Kristinsson and Bragi Þór Svavarsson, Chair of the Fund’s Board, presenting the award. Accepting the grant on behalf of the Geopark were Þuríður H. Aradóttir Braun and Brynja Stefánsdóttir.

Across the Reykjanes Peninsula, a new initiative is taking shape—one that brings together educators, scientists, municipalities and students to explore the full potential of the landscapes that...

10/06/2025

Every now and then, a group leaves behind more than footprints and field notes.

When the students and faculty from Taylor University wrapped up their time with us, they left this handwritten card. Filled with humour, thoughtful reflections, and kind words about their experience in Iceland.

The Viking spirit was never just about adventure. It was also about listening, learning, and carrying stories home.

That’s the heart of what we hope to create here. Field experiences that spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and leave space for laughter and connection.

Takk fyrir, Taylor University. You travelled far, asked good questions, laughed easily, and left behind stories we’ll remember.

And isn’t that what the best journeys are for?

05/06/2025

Today - on World Environment Day - UNESCO shares that more than 80.000 schools worldwide are now part of its global green schools movement, bringing sustainability into everyday school life and helping students take action for the planet.

Here in Reykjanes, GeoCamp Iceland is proud to support this vision through our work with the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet). Together with Reykjanes Unesco Global Geopark and local partners, we are building outdoor learning and sustainability into the heart of education, using our unique environment as a living classroom for the next generation.

Small places can make a global impact. And Iceland’s dynamic landscape offers one of the world’s best classrooms for it.

Happy World Environment Day 🌍

More than 80,000 schools in 87 countries have adopted green practices recommended by UNESCO a year ago. On World Environment Day, the Organization calls on governments and the education sector to continue their efforts to integrate environmental issues into all school curricula, and to reach the tar

03/06/2025

RANNÍS hefur úthlutað styrkjum úr Þróunarsjóði námsgagna fyrir árið 2025. Meðal verkefna sem hlutu styrk er nýtt þróunarverkefni á vegum GeoCamp Iceland, þar sem Brynja Stefánsdóttir, kennari við Stapaskóla og verkefnastjóri hjá GeoCamp Iceland, leiðir þróun námsefnis fyrir útikennslu í náttúruvísindum. Verkefnið ber heitið Gárur – Þróun útikennslu og námsgagna í nærumhverfi skóla.

Markmið verkefnisins er að þróa hagnýtt námsefni sem styður við kennslu í náttúruvísindum, samfélagsgreinum og STEAM greinum í grunnskólum. Sérstök áhersla verður lögð á útikennslu, vettvangsnám og rannsóknir í nærumhverfi skóla á Reykjanesinu, þar sem nemendur koma meðal annars að gagnasöfnun, mælingum og skapandi lausnum í náttúrunni. Verkefnið byggir á UNESCO skólasamstarfi á Reykjanesi og er unnið í nánu sambandi við Reykjanes jarðvang, þar sem nú þegar er unnið er að kortlagningu svæða á Reykjanesinu sem henta til útikennslu og vettvangsferða.

Með verkefninu er stigið mikilvægt skref til að efla útikennslu og vettvangsnám í grunnskólum á Reykjanesinu, ásamt því að þróa nýjar leiðir til að kenna krefjandi viðfangsefni í nærumhverfi skóla.

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GeoCamp Iceland has received a grant from the Educational Materials Developement Fund​ (Þróunarsjóður námsgagna) for the project Gárur – Outdoor Learning and Educational Materials in the Local Environment. The project is led by Brynja Stefánsdóttir, teacher at Stapaskóli Primary School and project manager at GeoCamp Iceland.

The aim is to create teaching materials for outdoor and field-based learning in science, geography and STEAM subjects for Icelandic schools. The materials will support teachers in integrating nature-based research, data collection and sustainability topics directly into the students’ local environment. The project builds on the ongoing collaboration with the UNESCO Associated Schools Programme (ASPnet) on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

The grant will primarily support the development and piloting of the materials in cooperation with local teachers and schools, with GeoCamp Iceland leading the overall project coordination.

02/06/2025

Arnbjorn Olafsson, Managing Director of GeoCamp Iceland, will be one of the lecturers at the Petroleum Engineering Summer School (PESS) 2025 in Dubrovnik.

His work focuses on the intersection of education, geoscience and sustainability, with particular emphasis on outdoor learning, science communication and the practical application of renewable energy systems. Through GeoCamp Iceland, Arnbjörn has developed numerous field-based learning programmes, connecting students, researchers, and educators with Iceland’s dynamic environment as a living laboratory.

PESS 2025 offers an excellent forum to explore these topics alongside experts from around the world. The full programme is available here: rgn-pess.com/workshops/

01/06/2025

In May 2025, GeoCamp Iceland welcomed students and faculty from Northwood School for another edition of their LEAP program (Learn, Engage, Apply, Perform). This visit continued a partnership that began in 2017, when Iceland was first selected as a destination for Northwood’s experiential learning curriculum.

Since then, Iceland’s dynamic landscapes have become a living classroom for Northwood students, offering direct engagement with glaciers, volcanoes, geothermal systems, and the processes of climate change. Each year, students explore the active geology of the Reykjanes Peninsula, stand between continents at Þingvellir, witness glacial retreat at Sólheimajökull, and learn about Iceland’s bold geothermal energy systems at Hellisheiði. Along the way, they also reflect on culture, history, and sustainability.

Aligned with the LEAP framework, these programs encourage students to take ownership of their learning through applied, real-world experiences. Year after year, we are inspired by the insight, curiosity, and engagement that Northwood students and faculty bring to Iceland.

For GeoCamp Iceland, this partnership exemplifies the value of long-term collaboration in international education. We look forward to welcoming future Northwood students to continue learning and exploring in Iceland’s living laboratory.

31/05/2025

Over the past year, GeoCamp Iceland has been proud to take part in the Erasmus+ project “Geoschools: Innovative Teaching of Climate Change in Schools”, a collaborative effort bringing together educators and students from Poland, Romania, Turkey, and Iceland around a shared mission to strengthen climate education through geoscience and connecting learning directly to the natural world.

For us at GeoCamp, the project has been a natural extension of our core work. Iceland’s landscapes, active volcanoes, geothermal areas, glaciers, and dynamic coastlines, serve as nature’s ultimate classroom, offering young people a direct, tangible experience of the Earth systems they study in theory. Throughout GeoSchools, we’ve drawn on this environment to support teachers and students in translating complex topics like climate change, sustainability, and energy into practical field-based learning.

During the project period, we had the opportunity to host our partners here in Reykjanes Unesco Global Geopark - Iceland a setting that allowed us to demonstrate how the visible effects of climate change, tectonic activity, and energy transitions can serve as powerful teaching tools. Through joint development, we contributed to the creation of multilingual teaching resources, a booklet of geo-activities, a board game that brings climate education into the classroom in an accessible way, as well as teacher training sessions and webinars aimed at building capacity beyond the project lifetime.

Beyond these tangible outcomes, Geoschools has helped establish a valuable network of schools and educators across countries who share a common interest in developing climate-literate, scientifically curious, and sustainability-minded students. The project also introduced GeoEducation Clubs and supported local schools in developing geoeducation policies to ensure that the work continues and evolves.

All project materials are now freely available and we strongly encourage teachers, schools and organisations to explore the outputs and bring them into their classrooms. The Geoschools project was co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union and led by Szkola Podstawowa in Barciany, Poland.

For GeoCamp Iceland, this has been another important step in our ongoing mission to support field-based learning and science communication, using the unique setting of Iceland to help young people engage with the global challenges of our time.

The full project results are available at: www.geoschools.eu

24/05/2025

Georgian Court University just completed a faculty-led study abroad program in collaboration with GeoCamp Iceland, focusing on Icelandic health, wellness, and recreation. Led by Dr. Sachiko Komagata and Coach Jasmina Perazic, the program offered students an immersive exploration of Iceland’s natural landscapes, public health systems, and wellness practices, from float therapy and geothermal spas to mindfulness hikes and ocean bathing.

The course blended academic insight with hands-on experience, highlighting the strong connection between nature, culture, and wellbeing in Iceland. We were proud to host this inspiring group and look forward to future collaboration.

In May 2025, we had the privilege of welcoming a dynamic group of students from Georgian Court University for a faculty-led program focused on Icelandic health, wellness, and recreation. Led by Dr....

15/05/2025

The Erasmus+ project On the Move kicked off in Athens earlier this month. The project aims to make blended mobility, combining virtual and physical apprenticeships, a real opportunity in VET education.

GeoCamp Iceland is leading dissemination and supporting the development of mobility models tailored to smaller systems like Iceland’s. The project also brings potential long-term benefits for Reykjanes, by strengthening links between education, industry, and international cooperation.

Good times ahead :)