The Snorri Program is a unique summer program for Canadians and Americans of Icelandic descent between the ages of 18 and 28. Participants learn, grow, build relationships, and have unforgettable experiences over the course of five weeks, including:
2 weeks of cultural and language education in Reykjavík
2 weeks homestay with family and volunteer placement
1 week adventure tour seeing the best Iceland has to offer
Organized by the Snorri Foundation in partnership with the Nordic Association. Other partners include the Icelandic National League of North America, the Icelandic National League of the United States, and the Icelandic National League of Iceland (Þjóðræknisfélag). ​
Deadline to apply: January 2021

What is the cost?

The rates for 2020 are:
USD $5,230 or CAD $6,500 With Snorri Foundation Grant* 
*All participants who request the Snorri Foundation grant on the application form receive the grant.
​or
USD $10,000 or CAD $13,000 Without Snorri Foundation Grant

Additional grants and scholarships are available.
Click here for more information. 

What is included?

  • Round trip fare from Halifax, Boston, Washington, New York, Toronto, Minneapolis, Denver, Edmonton or Seattle* to Iceland.​ *Note: domestic flights within North America not included.
  • Accommodation and full board for the whole period.
  • Insurance during your stay in Iceland.
  • Domestic travel costs.
  • Two-week language instruction and culture program.
  • An allowance during the family and volunteer placement.
  • Historic adventure tour: full board, lodging and travel costs.
  • Weekend and evening program in Reykjavík.
  • Family tree and direct contact with your Icelandic relatives.
  • Information kit upon arrival. 
  • Membership to the Icelandic Roots Genealogy Database. (and free training!)​
  • And so much more!

Keep reading below for more details about each segment of the program. 
Click here to see an outline of the 2020 itinerary. 
Snorri participant reading an Icelandic textbook
Studying Icelandic

Culture and Language Education

During your first two weeks in Reykjavík you will take part in a cultural education program, which includes an intensive course in modern Icelandic along with lectures on topics like Icelandic history, culture, and nature. Participants are expected to attend all activities, complete assignments, and actively participate in discussions. Snorri participants will also get to meet the Snorri West participants. 

**All Snorri participants are required to finish the free Icelandic Online language course before arrival.

Homestays and Family

During your first week in Reykjavík, you will receive a family tree depicting your past and present relatives in Iceland. You will also be able to see how you are connected to some of Iceland's first settlers, a few famous Icelanders, as well as your fellow Snorris. A lecture will be given by a genealogist who will also be able to answer any questions you may have. 

Genealogy information is provided by Icelandic Roots and Íslendingabók (The Book of Icelanders). When you apply it is important to send in detailed information about your Icelandic ancestors that emigrated. Your family tree enables us to connect with your living Icelandic relatives and find you a host family before your arrival. It will also enable us to help you contact more of your relatives in Iceland if you wish. Accurate information will make the application process faster. 

After the first two weeks in Reykjavík, you will stay with an Icelandic family for two weeks. Efforts will be made to place you with relatives who live in the geographical area where your ancestors once lived. This is not always possible, though over 95% of previous participants have stayed with their relatives for the so-called “family and work period”.  During this time, you will participate in everyday family life and take on a volunteer summer job equivalent to the jobs young Icelanders usually have during the summer months.​
Three Snorri participants with their luggage posing in front of a yellow bus
Taking the Strætó
Two Icelandic horses, left one is white, the right one is brown
Icelandic Horses
Seven women in a row in an outdoor swimming pool facing away from us
Swimming Pool in Hofsós, Iceland (Drangey Island in the distance)

Volunteer Work Placements

The Snorri Program will take care of finding you a host family and arranging your work placement. If you have specific requests, you are welcome to let us know in advance and we will try our best to accommodate your wishes; however, we cannot make any guarantees.
Previous Volunteer Jobs have included:

  • Horse rentals
  • Whale watching tours
  • Farms
  • Greenhouses 
  • Tree planting projects
  • Slaughterhouses
  • Fish freezing plants
  • Construction projects
  • Daycare programs
  • Retirement homes
  • Swimming pools
  • Museums
  • Hotels and guesthouses
  • Banks
  • Shops
We will try our best to accommodate special needs and/or wishes. Please keep in mind that due to language limitations (i.e. insufficient knowledge of Icelandic) and the fact that the time period is not very long, it could be difficult to get a job related to your specific interests and/or education.  
No changes will be made on the job or family placements after they have been confirmed unless there is a special reason to do so. No matter what kind of volunteer work you do, you will have the experience of a lifetime!

Adventure Tour

During the last week of the program, you will embark on an epic adventure tour around Iceland. The itinerary varies from year to year, but past trips have included:  
  • Hiking
  • White water rafting
  • Glacier trekking
  • Volcano tours
  • Lava cave tours
  • Horseback riding
  • Soaking in natural hot springs
  • Camping
  • Museum tours
  • And ample ice cream

All groups visit Hofsós, Iceland and tour of the Icelandic Emigration Center (Vesturfarasetrið). Weather permitting, most groups also go on a boat tour to and hike up Drangey Island where Grettir the Strong (from Grettir's Saga) lived as an outlaw.