Creative summer jobs – Hama
Humans of Hafnarfjörður is about introducing the people around us and the stories they have to tell. The aim is to promote this beautiful community we have here in town, to encourage people to reflect, and to show gratitude for the everyday and the diverse experiences that shape each person's story.
My name is Hama and I have been a photographer for some time. I originally came to Iceland to study film-making. But as a token of my gratitude for everything Hafnarfjörður has given me during my time here, I wanted to leave a few crumbs of kindness on the path of creative summer jobs, before I head out into the world of adventure again.
I was working on a project called „Humans of Kurdistan“, which was inspired by „Humans of New York“which sheds light on the daily lives of New Yorkers. Then I had the idea of bringing this concept to Hafnarfjörður and working on it as part of the creative summer jobs scheme.
The project is about introducing the people around us and the stories they have to tell. The aim is to promote this beautiful community we have here in town, to encourage people to reflect, and to show gratitude for the everyday and the diverse experiences that shape each person's story. What do the different generations have to say, what do we have in common, and what can we learn from one another?
The project is set up so that Hama posts on Instagram with a picture of the interviewee and their story, life experience and knowledge. He compares it to the good old-fashioned phone book, but instead of a name and a phone number, we see a name and a story. In doing so, he creates a high-quality collection of stories from the town's residents, which can inspire others and encourage creativity.
„Every time I conduct an interview, I get the drive to carry on, to meet more people from Hafnarfjörður and share their remarkable story. I find it truly rewarding to make films, take photographs, work on sound production and, above all, to bring happiness to others. It's incredible how much of an impact you can have on someone else's day if you do everything with a smile.“
Humans of Hafnarfjörður on Instagram Humans of Hafnarfjörður (@humansofhfj) • Instagram photos and videos
About Creative Summer Jobs 2023
In the summer of 2021, the City of Hafnarfjörður, in collaboration with the town's youth centre, Hamarinn, decided to revive the “Creative Summer Jobs” project, which had been run in the summer of 2017. Individuals and groups aged 18-23 were also invited to submit ideas for creative projects in Hafnarfjörður. Selected groups were given the opportunity to work on various creative projects in different artistic fields that would also liven up the town's social life, delighting tourists and residents in one way or another. The staff of Creative Summer Jobs, run as part of the Hafnarfjörður Summer School, are tasked with bringing the town to life, making it more fun, beautiful and diverse with artistic and creative events. The projects are varied and appeal to different age groups and interests. Klara Ósk Elíasdóttir is the project manager for Creative Summer Jobs.
This year, there are nine diverse groups and individuals working as part of the creative summer jobs scheme, and they will be featured weekly over the summer.