Thank you for joining us at the Reykjavík City Intercultural Conference
The conference, held last weekend at Hitt Húsið Youth Center on Rafstöðvarvegur, sparked important and necessary discussions on multicultural issues.
This year's theme was "Belonging," with a focus on communication, attitudes, and democracy. Reykjavík is an intercultural city, with a quarter of its residents being of foreign origin. Nearly 70 people attended the conference, where they could explore multicultural topics through 8 workshops and presentations from various perspectives.
Eliza Reid, the First Lady, led a workshop on literature and the importance of translations, highlighting how good translations can open up new worlds and convey culture. Participants included author Hallgrímur Helgason and translators Veronika Egyed and Luciano Dutra, who discussed whether good literature translations could contribute to inclusion.
For the first time, the conference offered a workshop specifically for young people of foreign origin, ages 13-18. These young people had the opportunity to share their experiences and discuss what it's like to be a young person of foreign origin in Iceland.
About 30 people attended a workshop on community interpreting aimed at professionals and individuals who work with interpreters. Community interpreters facilitate oral communication between people who do not speak the same language without taking a stance on the subject matter. The workshop participants had the chance to express their views on the future of community interpreting in Iceland and worked on solutions to restructure the community interpreting program at the University of Iceland.
The Intercultural Conference is a vital platform that creates space for people to meet, learn, connect, and discuss issues related to multiculturalism and inclusion.
See you next year!