Icelandic Soroptimist Week
This June, the Soroptimist International Club of Hafnarfjordur and Gardabaer in Iceland will once again be organizing an Icelandic Soroptimist Week! Going on since 1989, the week is an incredible opportunity to visit Iceland and experience Icelandic culture, in the company of fellow Soroptimists. One of the experienced members of the Club, Margret Helgadottir, and former President of Soroptimist International of Iceland, Kristin Einarsdottir tell us more about this exciting event:
Twenty-six years ago the members of the Soroptimist International Club of Hafnarfjordur & Gardabaer decided to organize a tour for foreign Soroptimists in Iceland.
The events leading up to our decision to organize such a trip are the following:
One day two of our sisters were waiting in the local bank for service and were talking about Soroptimism. They had both been participating in Soroptimist activities. One had taken an English course in the UK organized by Soroptimists and the other had met Soroptimists at the Soroptimist International of Europe Governors Meeting who wanted to visit Iceland but thought it was too expensive. Iceland has always been an expensive country to visit. The two Soroptimists thus got the idea to combine these experiences by organizing and leading a tour to Iceland for foreign sisters. At the next Club Meeting, they proposed to arrange a Soroptimist Week in Iceland for foreign Soroptimists, their family and friends – at a reasonable price. Soroptimists from abroad could thus become acquainted with the country in a friendly atmosphere, according to the objectives of international goodwill and understanding.
The first week became a reality in the summer of 1989. The guests were seven – small, pleasant group. The week was successful and greatly enjoyable for all the participants. One participant became such a close friend of ours that she has since participated in three more Icelandic Weeks of ours! Since the first time we ran this project we made a small profit, we decided to make “Icelandic Soroptimist Week” our only fund raising project, which finances all our projects.
During the first years we organized the week every year, then every other year and since 2003 every third year. Overall, we have had around 370 participants from 22 countries in 4 Soroptimist International Federations! Organizing such a week is demanding and all of our sisters participate -- before, during and after the week. We travel with the guests, prepare meals together and do everything that needs to be done to welcome our guests. One of the advantages of the week is that we ourselves in the club have become better acquainted by working together which we utterly enjoy. The week has given us the opportunity to make friendships with Soroptimists from different countries or even different parts of the world. Our preparation is in full swing for the 2015 Icelandic Soroptimist Week and we are looking forward to meeting you in June!
The 13th Icelandic Soroptimist Week will take place between 27 June – 5 July 2015. For further information, please visit http://www.soroptimist.is/index.php/english/week-2015. Places are limited and distributed on a first come first serve basis, so make sure to sign up soon for this!