A queer summer camp that will be held in Iceland in July has proven to be so popular that organizers have been forced to put applicants on a waiting list.
“We started this project because we felt the need for it, but we didn’t expect that the reaction on this scale. The number of applications are unbelievably high, there are eight people on the waiting list.
It’s especially interesting to see how many applicants come from the countryside, from young people who haven’t had previous engagements with the queer community. Which just goes to show how important a camp of this sort really is,” says Guðmunda Smári Dísuson Veigarsdóttir, who is organizing a queer summer camp that will be held at Reykir, Hrútafirði, from July 3rd to July 10th.
According to Guðmunda queer summer camps have been held in Iceland before and Q, The Queer Student Association of Iceland, has also been sending young people to a summer camp in Germany. But this is the first time that a summer camp is put together for specific groups within the queer community.
“Some of us have already helped organize summer camps for the whole queer umbrella,” says Guðmunda referring to the organizers, “but now we felt the need to create a safer environment for trans, intersex and gender non confirmative youngsters. An environment where they can be themselves and learn from each other. So we decided to have a summer camp specifically aimed at them.” An idea that Guðmunda got in Norway. “I was invited to go visit similar summer camps there since I had connections and wanted to see how they would be different. At the camps I could clearly feel the atmosphere I was looking for. So, the obvious thing was to organize one in Iceland.”
“Our hope is that … they will have more self-esteem and that they will have gained friends who understand them. And mainly that they just have fun without worries of rejection.”
The age range is from 15 to 30 years old. Is there a reason for why it’s so wide? “We decided to go by the European definition which states that people under 30 are considered young adults. Apart from that we didn’t want to emphasize too much on the age factor, because it varies so much at what point in their lives people discover their inner selves. There is no magic number to that, no specific age for self-discovery. So a thirty-year-old person might have just the same need for self-discovery in a private safe environment as someone who is fifteen. Besides, there are more activities on offer in Iceland for queer teens than there are for queer people in their twenties,” Guðmunda says with a smile.
Talking about activities, what do you have in store for the kids? “We plan on utilizing informal education and to have workshops, discussions about trans, intersex and gender non confirmative issues. For example: body image, sex talk, intersex awareness, sexuality, and so on. There is also a swimming pool, kayaks, hot tubs, maybe even karaoke, and more fun things to do.”
The organizers have a broad experience of social work in the queer community where they have worked with various groups. “We are a group of people from all over the queer community that decided to work together and organize these camps. Alex, who heads Trans Iceland, Briet, second in command at Intersex Iceland, Sólon, who was a youth organization leader for the national queer organisation Samtökin ’78 for five years, Setta, a queer activist and former counselor at the queer youth work, Henrý who has been working for Hin Norðurland and me,” says Guðmunda, “a queer activist and counselor for queer youth, on board the education committee for Reykjavík Pride.”
Is this a rewarding job? “Its always cool to be able to give people space to be them self and see every one having a super time and dealing with emotions in a way that they could not have in the real world.”
What about the kids, what do you and the other organizers hope that they’ll gain from going to the camp? “Our hope is that they will leave the camp knowing more about them selves, that they will have more self-esteem and that they will have gained friends who understand them. And mainly that they just had fun without worries of rejection.”
As said before the number of applications for the camps are more than can be admitted. Due to the overwhelming interest in the camps Guðmunda and the other organizers have started a campaign to raise money, so more applicants can be admitted. “We want to let more youngsters join us. We have started a fundraiser and those who want to support can donate.”
Account info: 513-14-400334
National ID: 1606873399
Admission fee is 12.000 ISK (note that on the registration page they try to accommodate those who have trouble with that fee but are also trying to raise money so that more people can join).
You can find the queer summer camp on Facebook.