In May 2026, partners in the Erasmus+ project "Create a Sustainable World by the Motto of Zero Waste and Educate the Future Citizens of Europe to Be Responsible for How to Reuse, Recycle and Reduce Waste for a Better Future" gathered in Rakkestad, Norway, for the project's first Learning, Teaching and Training Activity (LTT1). The week brought together students, teachers, and project partners from across Europe to explore how education can inspire more sustainable lifestyles and strengthen European cooperation.

Throughout the mobility, participants took part in practical workshops, collaborative school activities, and cultural visits that combined environmental education with intercultural learning. One of the highlights was the Plastic Art Project, where students worked in international teams to transform discarded plastic into creative artworks, demonstrating how waste can become a valuable educational resource while raising awareness of responsible consumption and recycling.

Visits to Oslo, including the MUNCH Museum and the Oslo Opera House, together with time spent with host families and participation in Norway's National Day celebrations, gave participants a deeper understanding of Norwegian culture and strengthened friendships across borders.
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On behalf of GeoCamp Iceland, Sigrún Svafa Ólafsdóttir a project manager for education and Drífa Thorstensen, a STEAM teacher at Háaleitisskóli in Reykjanesbær, participated in the meeting in Norway. For them the mobility offered valuable inspiration for bringing sustainability into everyday teaching. Experiencing how environmental responsibility is integrated into school life and the local community in Norway highlighted the importance of hands-on learning, creativity, and international collaboration. The exchange of ideas with colleagues from across Europe also provided new approaches to teaching about plastic pollution, the circular economy, and responsible consumption.

The mobility strengthened Erasmus+ partnerships while creating new opportunities for future cooperation. The knowledge and ideas gained during the week will now be shared with colleagues and students in Reykjanes, supporting further work on sustainability, innovation, outdoor learning, and international projects. By connecting place-based learning with creativity and intercultural dialogue, the project empowers young people to become active and responsible citizens capable of contributing to a more sustainable future.

GeoCamp Iceland is pleased to contribute as an associate partner to the European Erasmus+ project EU FoodPact, a three-year initiative focused on strengthening sustainability, skills development, and resilience across Europe’s agri-food sector.

Officially launched in Reus, Spain, in May 2026, the project brings together chambers of commerce, public authorities, educational institutions, and sustainability experts from across Europe. Led by the Reus Chamber of Commerce, FoodPact seeks to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in adapting to growing sustainability requirements, changing market expectations, and the green and digital transition.

For GeoCamp Iceland, participation in FoodPact aligns closely with our ongoing work in sustainability education, systems thinking, regenerative development, and place-based learning. The project provides an opportunity to connect these approaches with practical workforce development and lifelong learning within food production, fisheries, and local value chains.

Supporting Sustainable Development in Reykjanes

The Reykjanes region has a long tradition of fisheries, seafood processing, and export-oriented food production. These sectors play a vital role in the regional economy while also facing increasing expectations related to environmental performance, certification, reporting, and sustainable resource management.

Through FoodPact, partners will develop practical tools and training pathways that help businesses better understand and improve their sustainability performance. The project will also explore how education providers, industry, and public authorities can work together to strengthen the skills needed for a more sustainable and resilient food system.

GeoCamp Iceland contributes expertise in sustainability education, outdoor learning, systems thinking, and regenerative approaches that help connect environmental responsibility with practical action and competence development.

Community Food Education Hubs

One of the project’s key innovations is the establishment of Community Food Education Hubs in participating regions. In Iceland, GeoCamp Iceland will support efforts led by SSS and the Icelandic College of Fisheries to create stronger connections between education, vocational training, industry, and community development.

The Icelandic hub is expected to build on existing strengths within the Reykjanes region, including vocational education, fisheries expertise, entrepreneurship, and sustainability initiatives. It will provide a platform for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and experimentation around future skills, sustainable food production, and local innovation.

The initiative also complements ongoing regional efforts to support businesses and communities, including recovery and innovation activities linked to the recent challenges faced by Grindavík and the wider Reykjanes Peninsula.

By participating in FoodPact, GeoCamp Iceland contributes to a broader European effort to promote sustainable food systems while strengthening education, resilience, and local capacity for future generations.

FoodPact – Forward-Looking Partnership for Advancing Sustainable Transformation in the Agri-Food Sector is a 36-month project funded through the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union (Grant Agreement No. 101259759). The project brings together ten partners from across Europe to strengthen sustainability, skills development, and certification readiness within the agri-food ecosystem, with a particular focus on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

At the end of April, GeoCamp Iceland participated in the second Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity (LTTA) of the Erasmus+ Green STEAM project, hosted in Sitia, Crete. The meeting brought together partners from across Europe to further develop a shared approach to interdisciplinary education that connects environmental awareness, scientific inquiry, and cultural understanding.

The programme combined school visits, field-based learning, and project working sessions, providing a well-balanced framework for both inspiration and practical development.

The LTTA began with a visit to the 3rd Primary School of Sitia, where partners were welcomed by students through a programme of music, dance, and local traditions. The visit highlighted how cultural heritage can play an important role in education, supporting engagement and providing meaningful entry points into environmental and scientific topics. The school’s outdoor learning facilities, including a geological rock garden, demonstrated how school environments can be effectively used to support hands-on learning and observation.

Field visits formed a central part of the programme. At Toplou Monastery and through the LIFE AgrOassis initiative, participants explored the connections between landscape, sustainable land use, and local production systems. These examples illustrated how environmental education can be linked to real-world practices, including agriculture, water management, and local economies.

Outdoor Learning in Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark

A full day was dedicated to the Sitia UNESCO Global Geopark, with activities in the Zakros area. Here, partners engaged with educational approaches that integrate geology, biodiversity, and cultural history. Site visits to springs, watermills, and the Minoan Palace of Kato Zakros provided a broader perspective on how natural resources have influenced human activity over time. The use of digital tools in outdoor settings also demonstrated how technology can support data collection and interpretation in educational contexts.

The programme was complemented by a guided visit to Sitia, including the archaeological and folklore museums and the Kazarma fortress. These activities reinforced the importance of local narratives and identity as part of educational content.

How did the LTTA benefit Green STEAM?

In addition to the field programme, partners held dedicated working sessions to advance the project. Discussions focused on the development of Green STEAM lesson plans, including the integration of outdoor learning, environmental data collection, and creative elements. Partners also agreed on common approaches to data collection, ensuring that results from different countries can be compared and shared.

The final part of the LTTA was devoted to reflection and consolidation. Partners reviewed key insights from the week and worked on translating these into practical next steps. This included refining lesson plan concepts, aligning on methodology, and confirming responsibilities for the upcoming implementation phase.

Next steps in the project

The meeting in Sitia marked an important transition in the project, moving from initial concept development towards practical application. In the coming months, partners will develop and pilot lesson plans in their respective countries, with a focus on engaging students in meaningful, context-based learning.

GeoCamp Iceland values the opportunity to collaborate within this partnership and to contribute to the development of innovative approaches to education that connect science, environment, and society. The experiences from Sitia will directly inform our work in Iceland, where similar principles can be applied across diverse natural environments.

We would like to thank our partners in Sitia for their excellent organisation and warm hospitality, and all participants for their active engagement throughout the meeting.

As part of the REPower project, partners met in Italy for the first Joint Staff Training, moving from planning into actual development of renewable energy training.

REPower is a two-year Erasmus+ cooperation project focused on strengthening vocational education through practical training, shared curricula, and the use of digital tools such as VR and AR. The aim is simple: make renewable energy training more relevant, more practical, and easier to use across different countries.

From Structure to Content

The training in Italy was where the work became concrete. Using shared templates, partners developed learning activities, defined outputs, and aligned on how modules should be built.

This was less about discussion and more about production. The focus was on making sure that what is being developed can actually be used—by teachers, in classrooms, and in training environments.
Grounding the Work in RealityA consistent thread throughout the week was keeping the connection to real systems. Training modules are being shaped around how renewable energy is actually used and managed—not how it is described in textbooks.

For GeoCamp Iceland, this is where the contribution is clear. The work builds on experience with geothermal systems and field-based training, bringing practical examples into the design process. The aim is to make sure the materials reflect real conditions, not ideal ones.

Flexibility and Adaptability is the Key

One challenge that came up repeatedly is that there is no single learning environment across Europe. Equipment differs, systems differ, and so do learners. The solution being developed is not a fixed course, but a modular structure. Core learning outcomes stay the same, but how they are delivered can change. This is where ideas like adaptability and transferability move from buzzwords to actual design decisions.

Different content formats were discussed, including animation, real-world video, AI-supported content, and existing materials. AR and VR were part of the discussion, especially for situations where access is limited or where safety is an issue. But there was also a clear agreement that technology should support learning, not define it.

Every activity needs to be able to work without advanced tools. If VR is not available, the learning should still hold.

What This Means for GeoCamp Iceland

Within REPower, GeoCamp Iceland leads the development of training materials for trainers and students and contributes directly to how learning is structured and tested in practice.

The approach is straightforward. To pring learning out of purely theoretical settings and anchor it in real environments. This will also carry forward into the hands-on training activities planned in Iceland, where modules developed during the project will be tested in the field.

​In April, partners in the On the Move project met in Nicosia, Cyprus for the third transnational meeting. This wasn’t just another coordination meeting. It marked a clear shift in the project — from developing frameworks to preparing for implementation. Over the past year, the partnership has been working on something quite concrete: how to make blended mobility actually work in vocational education and training.

Where we are now

Since the project started in 2025, the focus has been on building the foundations. On the Move brings together partners from seven European countries to strengthen blended mobility in apprenticeships — combining physical placements with digital learning.  

The work so far has centred around developing four interconnected frameworks. These are not policy papers for the shelf. They are practical structures that define how mobility is organised, how learning outcomes are recognised, how apprentices are supported, and what organisations need in order to deliver this properly. The last meeting in Bergamo already showed that these frameworks were becoming more coherent and usable. In Cyprus, the question was simple: are we ready to use them?

Moving into training

The answer is yes — and that is where the project is now heading. A structured training programme is being finalised and will be rolled out across all partner countries. The aim is to support VET providers, companies, and intermediary organisations in actually applying these frameworks in practice.
This includes both e-learning and in-person training, along with a dedicated Training of Trainers phase.  

This matters. Because blended mobility is not just a technical adjustment — it changes how apprenticeships are organised, supervised, and experienced. Organisations need to adapt, and that requires proper support. The project is targeting more than 400 stakeholders across Europe, with the goal of making blended mobility something that is not only possible, but normal practice.  

Why this matters

Mobility has always been a strong part of VET, but it has also been limited — by cost, logistics, and access. Blended mobility opens this up. It allows more apprentices to take part, gives companies more flexibility, and creates stronger links between learning and real working environments.

That is really what On the Move is about. Not just promoting mobility, but making sure it is structured, supported, and delivers real learning outcomes.  

What came out of Cyprus

The Cyprus meeting was focused and practical. Partners worked through the training structure, aligned on content, and discussed how to deliver it across different national systems. There was also time spent on evaluation, risk assessment, and dissemination — making sure the work is not only done, but also shared and used.

The next phase is where things become visible. Training starts. Organisations begin testing the frameworks in practice. And we start to see what works, what needs adjusting, and what can scale.
That’s the real test of this project. Not whether we produced good documents — but whether VET providers and companies across Europe can actually use them.

From 15 – 19 March, a group of nine teachers from the Reykjanes Peninsula participated in a professional development mobility to Denmark as part of the Erasmus+ project “Tides of Change: Sustainability and Climate Awareness in Coastal Regions through UNESCO School Collaboration.” 

The project is led by the Federation of Municipalities in Suðurnes Region (SSS), with GeoCamp Iceland, Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark, and all primary schools in the region as active partners. It focuses on strengthening climate education, ocean literacy, and field-based learning across UNESCO schools through international collaboration.

The participating group represented eight of the ten primary schools within the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. All participants are teachers engaged in UNESCO school activities, with a shared focus on sustainability education and outdoor learning.

The mobility programme in Denmark centred on job-shadowing and knowledge exchange with UNESCO schools and geoparks. The first visit took place in Odsherred UNESCO Global Geopark, where participants explored practical approaches to outdoor education and place-based learning. The programme demonstrated how geoparks can actively support schools in developing localised, nature-based education and strengthen connections between communities and their natural environment.

Further visits included Rantzausminde School in Svendborg, located within Geopark Det Sydfynske Øhav. The school emphasises international collaboration, cultural understanding, and strong integration of practical and creative subjects, including maker spaces and hands-on learning environments.
Participants also visited Revsvindinge Friskole, gaining insight into the Danish “free school” model, where schools are independently operated with strong parental involvement. The visit highlighted alternative approaches to education, student engagement, and community-based learning.

A key example of sustainability education was observed at Holluf Pile School in Odense, a long-standing UNESCO school. The visit focused on the “From Garden to Stomach” programme, where students engage in growing, harvesting, and preparing food. This initiative integrates environmental awareness, food literacy, and outdoor learning into the curriculum, supported by well-developed outdoor facilities and learning environments.

The mobility concluded with participation in the Big Bang Science Education Conference in Odense, providing exposure to a wide range of teaching methods, workshops, and educational resources in science and outdoor learning.

This mobility is part of a broader Erasmus+ initiative aiming to enhance teacher competencies in climate resilience, outdoor education, and sustainability, while strengthening collaboration between UNESCO schools and geoparks in coastal regions. The knowledge and practices gained during the visit will be implemented across participating schools in Reykjanes, including through the development of lesson plans, outdoor learning activities, and UNESCO Sustainability Weeks.

Earlier this month, we travelled to Lanzarote to take part in the first transnational meeting of the Erasmus+ project Green Footprint, a collaboration focused on one simple but important idea. Helping young people travel better.

GeoCamp Iceland is proud to be involved in the project as an associated partner, working alongside Visit Reykjanes, who lead the project, along with partners from Italy and Spain. Together, we are exploring how tourism can shift from being part of the problem to becoming part of the solution.

The setting for the meeting could not have been more fitting. Lanzarote and the Chinijo Islands UNESCO Global Geopark is often described as an “open-air museum”—a landscape shaped by volcanic forces, rich in geological heritage, and at the same time increasingly under pressure from tourism. That balance between value and vulnerability framed much of our discussion.

A key challenge discussed was the growing gap between how places are experienced and how they are presented online. Social media and the so-called “influencer effect” are driving visitors to fragile, often unprepared locations, sometimes with very real consequences for nature and local communities. At the same time, travellers are increasingly relying on digital tools and AI to plan their journeys, which raises an important question: who is shaping that information?

The Green Footprint project is our attempt to step into that space

At the heart of the project is the development of short, engaging video content designed to guide behaviour in a practical way. Not lectures, not rules, but simple, clear messages rooted in real places. From the Icelandic side, we introduced the idea of “Travel like a Guest”. It’s not complicated. If you wouldn’t walk across someone’s garden at home, don’t walk across fragile moss. If a place feels dangerous, it probably is. And if you can leave a place a little better than you found it (even by picking up one piece of litter) you’re already part of the solution.

During the project meeting in Lanzarote we visited volcanic craters, coastal cliffs, lava formations, and cultural sites. Places where the challenges we were discussing are already visible. These field visits grounded the project in reality and will directly shape the content we develop moving forward.

For us at GeoCamp Iceland, this project connects closely with what we already believe: that education, storytelling, and real-world experience are some of the most powerful tools we have to shape the future of travel.

And if we get it right, the goal is simple—people leave not just with photos, but with a better understanding of the places they visit, and maybe even a slightly lighter footprint.

At the beginning of March, GeoCamp Iceland welcomed a group of 19 teachers from Denmark who visited Iceland as part of an Erasmus+ KA1 job-shadowing mobility organised by UCL University College in Denmark. The visit focused on learning more about outdoor education and natural science teaching in Icelandic primary schools, and how local landscapes can be used as an active learning environment.

During their stay, the teachers visited two primary schools in Reykjanesbær – Heiðarskóli and Háaleitisskóli. There they were introduced to everyday school life and had the opportunity to observe a variety of regular classroom lessons with different teachers. The visits provided insight into teaching practices in Icelandic schools and created space for discussions about pedagogy, student engagement, and ways of connecting classroom learning with the surrounding environment.

Introducing the ACADIMIA Project

The programme also included an introduction to ACADIMIA – the European Teacher Academy for Creative and Inclusive Learning, an Erasmus+ project that brings together partners from across Europe, including GeoCamp Iceland.

ACADIMIA focuses on strengthening teacher education through creative and inclusive teaching approaches, supporting educators in developing new methods that can engage diverse groups of students. The project promotes practices such as creative learning, collaborative teaching approaches, and innovative pedagogies that help teachers create more inclusive and engaging learning environments. Through international cooperation and training activities, the project aims to build a strong European network of educators sharing ideas and experiences.

Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark as a Classroom

GeoCamp Iceland also guided the group on a full-day field excursion across Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. The excursion focused on how landscapes shaped by volcanic activity, geothermal energy, and coastal ecosystems can serve as an extended classroom for science and environmental education. Throughout the day, discussions centred on how teachers can use natural environments to support observation, inquiry, and hands-on learning.

The programme included a visit to Grindavík, where the group experienced the dynamic conditions of the Reykjanes Peninsula firsthand, along with some authentic Icelandic weather, as the day included a refreshing snowstorm during the outdoor activities.

The visit concluded at the Suðurnes Science and Learning Center (Þekkingarsetur Suðurnesja), where the Danish teachers were introduced to the centre’s work in marine research, environmental monitoring, and science communication.

International Exchange Through Education
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The visit provided an opportunity for professional exchange between Icelandic and Danish educators and highlighted how international collaboration, outdoor learning, and creative teaching approaches can enrich education both inside and outside the classroom.

On 10 February, Grundaskóli in Akranes hosted a vibrant afternoon of professional development, welcoming over 50 teachers to participate in a series of ACADIMIA workshops focused on creative and inclusive teaching methods.

The workshops, organised in collaboration between the School of Education at the University of Iceland and GeoCamp Iceland, form part of the international Erasmus+ project ACADIMIA. The event demonstrated strong interest among educators in approaches that actively engage students, foster critical thinking and respond to the diverse needs of today’s classrooms.

Two Parallel Workshops – One Shared Vision

The programme offered two parallel 80-minute workshops, each presenting a distinct but complementary pedagogical approach.

Gamified Learning was led by Tryggvi Thayer and Skúlína Kjartansdóttir from the University of Iceland’s School of Education. The session explored how game design principles and playful challenges can increase student engagement, motivation and problem-solving skills. Participants discussed practical strategies for integrating game mechanics into everyday teaching, particularly when working with diverse and mixed-ability student groups.

TalentMaker – Talent-Based Learning, facilitated by Ragnheiður Alma Snæbjörnsdóttir from Akurskóli, focused on activating students’ strengths through creative and flexible project work. Developed in blended learning environments following the Covid pandemic, the method allows students to work independently, in pairs or in groups, while building on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. The emphasis is on recognising and nurturing different talents within the classroom.

Part of a Broader European Collaboration

The workshops in Akranes are part of the wider ACADIMIA Erasmus+ project, in which GeoCamp Iceland and the University of Iceland are partners. The project brings together 11 creative teaching methodologies developed across Europe into one coherent framework. These methods draw inspiration from Montessori pedagogy, theatre and dialogue practices, gamification, and creative coding.

ACADIMIA aims to develop a shared curriculum on creative and inclusive teaching approaches and to deliver a series of teacher training workshops across all eight partner countries. In the long term, the ambition is to build a professional platform where educators can exchange ideas, inspire one another and integrate innovative methods directly into increasingly demanding school environments.

A Valuable Opportunity for Local Schools
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For Grundaskóli and the wider educational community in Akranes, hosting the ACADIMIA workshops was a significant opportunity. The strong turnout reflects a growing interest among Icelandic teachers in practical, research-informed and internationally connected professional development.

The success of the event confirms that creative, inclusive and student-centred approaches are not trends — they are essential tools for modern education.

GeoCamp Iceland is proud to support this ongoing collaboration and to contribute to strengthening teacher capacity both locally and across Europe.

The UNESCO Schools Education Camp (Menntabúðir), held on 2 February at Gerðaskóli in Garður, provided an important platform to highlight ACADIMIA – the European Teacher Academy for Creative and Inclusive Learning and its growing role in teacher development in the Reykjanes region.

Menntabúðir brought together over 100 educators from preschools, primary schools, and upper secondary schools across the region. Designed as an open and collaborative learning space, the event focused on sharing practice, building professional connections, and strengthening education linked to sustainability, global citizenship, and place-based learning within Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark.

As part of the main programme, Sigrún Svafa Ólafsdóttir presented ACADIMIA to all participants, outlining the project’s vision, pedagogical approach, and concrete outcomes in Reykjanes. The presentation generated strong interest among educators and sparked discussion around the need for professional development that is practical, inspiring, and closely connected to everyday teaching realities.

ACADIMIA is a European teacher training initiative that focuses on creative learning, inclusion, and active teaching methodologies, supporting educators in developing new approaches that can be applied across subjects and learning environments. In Reykjanes, the project has gained exceptional momentum. To date, close to 100 teachers from the region have participated in ACADIMIA training activities, representing approximately 20% of all teachers in Reykjanes. This level of engagement makes Reykjanes one of the strongest regional examples of ACADIMIA outreach and impact.

The presentation at Menntabúðir also highlighted how ACADIMIA complements and strengthens ongoing work within the UNESCO Schools network and Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. The event was held in close collaboration with the United Nations Association of Iceland, which coordinates UNESCO school activities at the national level, reinforcing the connection between local educational development and the wider UNESCO framework.

Through ACADIMIA, teachers in Reykjanes have engaged in hands-on workshops, creative learning processes, and peer-based reflection, often linked to outdoor learning, sustainability education, and cross-curricular teaching. The project aligns closely with GeoCamp Iceland’s approach to education: learning that is active, relevant, and rooted in local context, while connected to international perspectives and collaboration.

Highlighting ACADIMIA at Menntabúðir positioned the project firmly within the broader educational ecosystem of Reykjanes. Alongside UNESCO Schools initiatives, Geopark-based learning, and sustainability-focused education, ACADIMIA contributes to building a strong professional learning community that spans school levels, disciplines, and municipalities.

For GeoCamp Iceland, the Menntabúðir presentation marked another important milestone in translating European education projects into meaningful local impact. ACADIMIA is no longer simply an international training programme hosted in Reykjanes; it has become an integral part of ongoing teacher development in the region.

As interest and participation continue to grow, ACADIMIA will remain a key tool for supporting educators in Reykjanes, strengthening collaboration across schools, and ensuring that innovative, inclusive teaching practices are embedded in everyday learning. Menntabúðir clearly demonstrated both the scale of this work and the strong commitment among teachers to shaping the future of education together.