Packed with opportunities for young people in Hafnarfjörður

The work of young people has been revitalised.

Services for young people in Hafnarfjörður have been overhauled. Not only has the municipality received the stamp Child-friendly community, which means nothing about children without children, but new youth centres have risen; houses that serve them.

A new youth centre called The Nest by the Stream is in The Innovation Centre by the Stream. Work is then underway to enhance the old Music and Motor. The operation has been split up and will be in two locations.

• Music by the Stream is at the Innovation Centre. There is excellent facilities for groups or individuals aged 13-25 who want to practise and make music videos.
• The engine room will be at the Quarter Mile Club, Track 1, on the Quarter Mile Track at Vällarna. The operation will be based there. There, young motorsport enthusiasts will learn directly from our most skilled motor experts. An opening is planned for the near future.

The Rock is a social club for disabled young people aged 16+. The Rock is at 14 South Street. There are both daytime and evening activities. It is open to young people after school from 1 pm to 4.30 pm. Then there is an evening activity twice a week, which most people know as Evening activities at the House and find it under that name on Facebook. It's on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 6 pm to 10 pm. The activities are split into two. One session is for 16-20 year-olds and the other is for those aged 20 and over. Different rooms in the building, different staff, and a different programme for each group.

The Rock reaches out to young people aged 12-25. There they can get free counselling on Wednesdays at 8 Austurgata. 50-minute sessions are available for those who book through bergid.is. You can discuss anything and everything. The most common topics are depression, anxiety, stress and heartbreak. The service is popular and similar to that offered by psychologists. Only one rule applies: you must want to come yourself.

Let's take a closer look at this: What is on offer for young people in Hafnarfjörður?

• The new youth centre The Nest by the Stream
• Music by the Stream is in the Innovation Centre
• The engine room at the Quarter Mile Club
• The Innovation Centre by the Stream – art and photography facilities, a digital workshop and a recording studio for young people and others to record music or podcasts.
• The Rock Work for 16+ disabled young people.
• The Rock – Free advice on Wednesdays
• Summers are also a time for young people: Creative summer jobs for 18-25 year olds and art group Hafnarfjörður's summer school makes life more fun.

It is also worth noting that not only are there 32 sports clubs operating in the town, but the surfing scene is thriving and Gafló, the new drama school of the Gaflar Theatre, has opened in the Innovation Centre. And don't forget that 16-18 year-olds get a leisure grant.

The innovation centre is ideal for young people.

To add to the variety still further, young people then find all sorts of other things in The Innovation Centre by the Stream. The campus is bustling with activity and ready to come alive. There is a variety of things suitable for young people. There is:

• The Sound Workshop. WedYou can record music and make podcasts. A continuation of the work at the library.
• The cup. A space to come and be. It's a sort of café. You can have a drink and meet other young people.
• Photography facilities. There are plans to have a video recording facility. The photography studio has a backdrop for studio photography. Bookings for the facility can be made by post to nyskopunarsetur@hafnarfjordur.is
• Experimental workshop. It is dedicated to artistic creation. Open house is on Wednesdays from 3 pm to 7 pm. Guided tours are available.
• The Tech Foundry is a FabLab-style makerspace with:
  • Vinyl cutter. For example, you can create stickers to put on walls, glass or cars. You can also cut textile vinyl and heat-press it onto heat-resistant material.
  • The 3D printer is in the area.
  • Laser cutter
  • And work with a system called Sawgrass Sublimation. There you can print images that can be pressed onto mugs or treated fabric.

But where can we get materials to take part? There is a certain stock of items at the centre that people can buy for a small fee. The usage and equipment fee is 500 krónur per hour.

Slunkuný and ready for an adventure together

Bryndís Steina Friðgeirsdóttir is the director of the Innovation Centre by the Stream. „We are brand new and ready to evolve further with youth activities. Our activities are so varied that we hope our young people will see an opportunity to come along and enjoy socialising and the arts,“ she says.

„The Idea Box is online to develop our activities even further. You can suggest even more things to do. It says a lot about what activities young people want to see in the house,“ she says, adding that the ideas will be looked at to make things even better.

„We welcome club activities. Role-players, for example, meet here on Thursdays. The Hafnarfjörður Youth Council also meets in the building. Yes, there's plenty going on,“ she says, pointing out that a 20-square-metre meeting room in the building can be used for all sorts of club activities. „There's plenty of room.“

• The innovation centre opens at 9 a.m. Staff are on site until 10 p.m. on weekdays.

Yes, there is a variety of things on offer for young people. And that's not all. We would particularly like to point out that the library has Kit/Cosplay workshops fortnightly where young people and adults meet and work on their own costume ideas –

Please note that this is for teenagers and older… not children 😉

Let's show our young people all the opportunities – Yes, this is for them.