Calling all Snorri West Alumni!
Have you been looking for a way to reconnect with North America since your Snorri West experience?
Have you longed for an opportunity to return to North America and contribute to keeping the cultural ties alive between Iceland, Canada and the United States?!
Be a part of the milestone celebration of Icelandic heritage in North America!
2025 - Gimli, MB celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the colony of New Iceland.
Now is your chance to spend up to 4 weeks in various areas of North America of your choice!
View a message from 2023 Snorri West Alumni Intern Sandra Björg Ernudóttir:
Have you longed for an opportunity to return to North America and contribute to keeping the cultural ties alive between Iceland, Canada and the United States?!
Be a part of the milestone celebration of Icelandic heritage in North America!
2025 - Gimli, MB celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of the colony of New Iceland.
Now is your chance to spend up to 4 weeks in various areas of North America of your choice!
View a message from 2023 Snorri West Alumni Intern Sandra Björg Ernudóttir:
Applications for the 2025 Snorri West Alumni Internship are now closed
The deadline to apply for 2026 is tentatively the end of the business day on Monday, February 23, 2026.
Interviews will be held on Friday, February 27, 2026 .
The deadline to apply for 2026 is tentatively the end of the business day on Monday, February 23, 2026.
Interviews will be held on Friday, February 27, 2026 .
"The Snorri West Alumni Internship was a truly unique heritage program that aimed to connect Icelanders and Western Icelanders through travel and meaningful volunteer experiences. During these two weeks, I had the incredible opportunity to explore our shared cultural heritage in both North Dakota and Gimli, Manitoba, Canada... My journey in this program was filled with remarkable experiences. It was inspiring to witness the dedication of the people of Icelandic descent in North America preserving their Icelandic heritage."
Sandra Björg Ernudóttir
Akureyri and Reykjavík, Iceland
(Snorri West 2017, Interim Project Manager 2019, Snorri West Alumni Intern 2023)
Sandra Björg Ernudóttir
Akureyri and Reykjavík, Iceland
(Snorri West 2017, Interim Project Manager 2019, Snorri West Alumni Intern 2023)
“Little did I know at the time I would be meeting a wide variety of wonderful people, who still manage to make me smile whenever I look back on my time...I felt quite connected to the history of the place – like the Icelanders that came there 146 years ago were still there, just a bit changed. But, they were still keeping the Icelandic traditions alive in Mountain ...”
Sigfús Haukur Sigfússon
Reyðarfjörður and Reykjavík, Iceland
(Snorri West 2022 , Snorri West Alumni Intern 2024)
Sigfús Haukur Sigfússon
Reyðarfjörður and Reykjavík, Iceland
(Snorri West 2022 , Snorri West Alumni Intern 2024)
The Snorri West Alumni Internship (SWAI) was envisioned as a parallel to the Snorri Alumni Internship (SAI), which, since 2015, has given Snorri and Snorri Plus alumni the opportunity to spend another summer in Iceland deepening their ties to their heritage. In a similar manner, the SWAI offers Snorri West alumni a chance to return to North America to further develop their connections to the Icelandic communities there. As with all of the Snorri Programs, the overall intention is to “strengthen the bonds between the people of Iceland and people of Icelandic descent in North America.”
Following a successful two-week pilot program in Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba in the summer of 2023, SWAI was again held in 2024, visiting Toronto, Winnipeg, Mountain, and Gimli, highlighting the 125th anniversary of the Deuce of August in Mountain, North Dakota. The 2025 SWAI program will prioritize the milestone celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the colony of Nýja Ísland in the "Interlake" area of Manitoba and Íslendingadurinn Icelandic Festival of Manitoba in Gimli.
Objectives for SWAI include:
SWAI will provide:
Once an intern is selected, that person will be offered the opportunity to identify several projects or areas in North America in which to spend their internship experience that appeal to their interests and skills, in addition to the Interlake, Manitoba communiites. The specific duties related to any particular project will vary and be provided by the cooperating agency, in conjunction with the Snorri West Co-Directors. In most cases a 30- to 40-hour volunteer week is anticipated, along with scheduled lunch and breaks and may occur any day of the week.
Housing will also vary, but it is anticipated that the intern will usually have a separate room, often in a private home. Most often, bathrooms, common spaces and meals will be shared.
Transportation will be via commercial airlines round trip between Iceland (KEF) to gateway cities in North America. Within North America most travel will be via private vehicles with volunteer drivers or possibly rental car.
Interns should be familiar with the Icelandic Roots database and refer to it during the internship. Training is available if needed or desired. There will be opportunities to participate in genealogy workshops intended for the general public of Icelandic descent at the Icelandic festivals with Icelandic Roots volunteers.
While travel and internship dates are somewhat flexible each year, in 2025 the focus will be commemorating 150 years since the founding of the colony of New Iceland in a variety of ways, centered in and around Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. The intern is expected to be present prior to the Icelandic community festival, Íslendingadagurinn, which will be held August 1-4, 2025 and hopefully can assist with Icelandic Camp the week before the festival.
SWAI is ever mindful that two distinct countries, Canada and the United States, are represented when referring to Western Icelanders in North America. It is our hope that interns will be visiting and involved with activities on both sides of the international border.
Depending upon timing, effort will be made to allow the intern to spend time in larger cities such as Minneapolis/St. Paul (The Twin Cities), Winnipeg, Toronto, etc. at some point while in North America. If an intern desires to visit a specific location, effort will be made to assist in doing so, though costs may be borne by the intern if no specific project relates to the Western Icelandic community.
Cancellation Policy
Partners in the Snorri West Alumni Internship include:
Following a successful two-week pilot program in Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba in the summer of 2023, SWAI was again held in 2024, visiting Toronto, Winnipeg, Mountain, and Gimli, highlighting the 125th anniversary of the Deuce of August in Mountain, North Dakota. The 2025 SWAI program will prioritize the milestone celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the colony of Nýja Ísland in the "Interlake" area of Manitoba and Íslendingadurinn Icelandic Festival of Manitoba in Gimli.
Objectives for SWAI include:
- Offer an opportunity to develop a greater understanding of and deeper appreciation for the past, present and future of Western Icelanders.
- Offer additional opportunities for the intern to research, explore and connect with family members in North America in the hopes that this will lead to lasting connections now and in the future.
- Offer North Americans the opportunity to meet contemporary Icelanders and gain an understanding of today’s Iceland to complement the knowledge that many have of the early days of the settlement that has been passed down from generation to generation. As many North Americans will never have the chance to visit Iceland, this is one way to bring a bit of Iceland to North America.
- Provide a measure of assistance to North American organizations, sites and communities as they work to preserve and share their Icelandic culture and heritage with current and future generations.
SWAI will provide:
- Round trip airfare from KEF to North America, including one checked bag and a personal item.
- Domestic travel costs within North America related to the internship.
- Accommodations related to the internship.
- Most food is included, though not all, see stipend below.
- The intern will receive a weekly stipend equivalent to $150 USD to help defray miscellaneous living expenses during the internship.
- Miscellaneous personal expenses
- Domestic travel within Iceland
- Items not directly related to the internship
- Necessary visa or visa waivers
- Travel insurance, including medical coverage
- Expenses related to personal travel outside of the internship
Once an intern is selected, that person will be offered the opportunity to identify several projects or areas in North America in which to spend their internship experience that appeal to their interests and skills, in addition to the Interlake, Manitoba communiites. The specific duties related to any particular project will vary and be provided by the cooperating agency, in conjunction with the Snorri West Co-Directors. In most cases a 30- to 40-hour volunteer week is anticipated, along with scheduled lunch and breaks and may occur any day of the week.
Housing will also vary, but it is anticipated that the intern will usually have a separate room, often in a private home. Most often, bathrooms, common spaces and meals will be shared.
Transportation will be via commercial airlines round trip between Iceland (KEF) to gateway cities in North America. Within North America most travel will be via private vehicles with volunteer drivers or possibly rental car.
Interns should be familiar with the Icelandic Roots database and refer to it during the internship. Training is available if needed or desired. There will be opportunities to participate in genealogy workshops intended for the general public of Icelandic descent at the Icelandic festivals with Icelandic Roots volunteers.
While travel and internship dates are somewhat flexible each year, in 2025 the focus will be commemorating 150 years since the founding of the colony of New Iceland in a variety of ways, centered in and around Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. The intern is expected to be present prior to the Icelandic community festival, Íslendingadagurinn, which will be held August 1-4, 2025 and hopefully can assist with Icelandic Camp the week before the festival.
SWAI is ever mindful that two distinct countries, Canada and the United States, are represented when referring to Western Icelanders in North America. It is our hope that interns will be visiting and involved with activities on both sides of the international border.
Depending upon timing, effort will be made to allow the intern to spend time in larger cities such as Minneapolis/St. Paul (The Twin Cities), Winnipeg, Toronto, etc. at some point while in North America. If an intern desires to visit a specific location, effort will be made to assist in doing so, though costs may be borne by the intern if no specific project relates to the Western Icelandic community.
Cancellation Policy
- Fees for which the intern is responsible: Personal expenses, visas or visa waivers where required, and travel insurance (including medical coverage)
- If a replacement intern is found, the canceling party will be responsible for the fees related to the airline ticket changes. If no replacement is found, the canceling party will be responsible for any fees for airline tickets that are not recoverable or transferable.
Partners in the Snorri West Alumni Internship include:
- Snorri Foundation/Snorrasjóður, www.snorri.is, www.snorri.is/snorri-west-alumni-internship.html
- Icelandair, www.icelandair.com/
- Icelandic National League of North America (INLNA), INLofNA.org
- Icelandic National League of the United States (INLUS), www.INLUS.org
- Þjóðræknisfélag Íslendinga (ÞFÍ) also known as INL Iceland www.inl.is/
- Icelandic Roots, IcelandicRoots.com
- Icelandic Communities Association (ICA), August the Deuce Icelandic Celebration https://www.thedeuce.org
- Íslendingadagurinn Icelandic Festival of Manitoba www.icelandicfestival.com/
- The New Iceland Heritage Museum nihm.ca/
- The Icelandic Collection at the University of Manitoba libguides.lib.umanitoba.ca/icelandic
- Icelandic Camp www.icelandiccamp.com/
- Alumni, friends and family of The Snorri Programs
