Iceland review - 2004, Síða 78

PEOPLE SKILLS
City of Reykjavík – Environmental and Technical Sector
“People shouldn’t notice us if we do our jobs well,” says Thórarinn Stefánsson,
the head of information for the City of Reykjavík – Environmental and Technical
Sector.
Well, if you take a walk through Reykjavík during the summer, you’ll no doubt
notice the clusters of kids raking, weeding and planting flowers in the numerous
“green” areas spread about the city. These kids, most of who are in high school,
spend the summer keeping the city green in a program known as the “work
school”.
The work school comprises roughly 75 percent of Reykjavík’s 14 year olds and 60
percent of the city’s 16 year olds with a total of around 3,500 teens participating.
“Last year we cleaned lots of flower beds,” says 14-year old Ingibjörg
Magnúsdóttir. Ingibjörg, who recently returned from the US, where she went to
school, says that the pay is pretty good for teenagers, but the best part about the
work school is that you get paid to spend a lot of time with your friends.
“It’s fun to work and to be around the other kids and socialize,” she says.
While you’ll notice the bright flowers and immaculately manicured grass, the
spirited teenagers keep the city healthy in numerous, inconspicuous ways. Led by
250 adult supervisors, these kids makeover the schools, tend to the homes of dis-
abled residents, and landscape for the elderly.
“I’m always very satisfied with the work the kids do,” says 76-year old Sigmundur
Gudmundsson, who’s been having his yard landscaped by teenagers from the
work school program for the past six years.
“I used to do the work myself, but now that I’m getting old I can’t really do it
anymore,” he says.
Mr. Gudmundsson, who enjoys speaking to the teens as they work, says the pro-
gram not only helps him get his yard cleaned, but it also teaches the kids valu-
able lessons about their environment, as well as life skills.
“They learn how to work, and how to belong to a group. They also learn how to
work with supervisors, which is good for their future.”
Sponsoring the work school is none other than the city’s environmental division.
“It’s a chance to harness the energy of young people to help improve the city’s
appearance,” says Stefánsson.
For the people
It’s the people’s energy that makes the city of Reykjavík work.
“We’re not just technocrats. We work for the people, with the people,” says
Stefánsson.
Evidence of this motto can be seen all around the city of Reykjavík. Take the
numerous green areas dotting the city. Long winding walking paths enable resi-
dents to get away from the hustle and bustle of capital living, and take a walk
along a salmon river, or go rollerblading along the seaside.
While you’re walking along the sea, admiring the numerous sculptures and the
rise of Mt. Esja across Faxaflói Bay, the last thing on your mind will be sewage.
But the sewage is closer than you think. In an effort to keep Reykjavík pure and
clean, the city has installed new treatment plants and pumping stations which
are camouflaged behind stone walls, covered by turf roofs. Leave it to the friend-
ly folks down at Reykjavík’s Environmental and Technical Sector to make sewage
beautiful as they help to keep the city virtually pollution free.
Then there’s Nauthólsvík, the man-made beach that’s become quite the attrac-
tion during the summer. Making use of the city’s wealth of geothermal power,
hot water is pumped into a small cove, making a sort-of ocean hot pot. On a
Modern Icelandic is very similar to the language spoken by Iceland’s Norwegian settlers in the ninth century. Whereas the
Scandinavian languages Norwegian, Swedish and Danish changed due to various influences in later centuries, Icelandic
remained relatively unchanged due to the island’s isolation.
DID
YOU
KNOW?
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