Icelandic Camp
Íslenskar Sumarbúðir
ICELANDIC CAMP STAFF
BRAD HIRST
In 1996 Brad was approached by the legendary Laurence Johnson to host an Icelandic pavilion at the Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School. After a successful event his love of all things Icelandic skyrocketed.
After coming home from a teaching term in Ukraine Brad joined the Selkirk Bruin Chapter of the INL of NA. There he worked alongside Laurence Johnson, Sveinbjorg Bjornson and Mac and Guthrun Dryden plus many other wonderful people.
In 2002 Brad became a Snorri and an advocate, for this life changing program. After meeting his family in Vopnafjöður his love of Iceland exponentially grew. That next year Brad was approached by the Icelandic language and Culture Camp's director to be the language instructor for the camp. Since then Brad has been involved with Icelandic Camp and in 2008 became the Camp Director and then in 2014 stepped aside as director to take the position as Chief Executive Officer for Icelandic Camp.
Brad is very excited for this years camp, with 2 extra days and a world class staff the campers at this years camp will haves world class experience.
CHRISTINE SCHIMNOWSKI
Camp Director
MALLORY SWANSON
Mallory Swanson lives in St. Paul, Minnesota where she is very involved with the Icelandic community. When she isn’t busy obsessing over anything and everything having to do with Iceland she works as a Speech Language Pathologist for St. Paul Public Schools. Mallory went on the Snorri Program in 2011 and loved every minute of it. She has been back twice since then to visit all the people that she met during the program and hopes to go back again in December 2015. This will be her third year working at the camp.
Signey Dzydz
Signey Dzydz has been attending Icelandic Camp since she was 11 years
old, when her cousin, Claude Thorsteinson, Erika Thorsteinson’s Afi, first
told her about it. This summer will be her eighth year returning to the camp.
Signey first started as a camper, then became a junior counselor, and is now
a camp counselor. She enjoys exploring her Icelandic heritage and learning
about the Icelandic culture and language. She feels that learning about her
heritage is helping her connect with Icelandic traditions and culture. Signey
hopes to go to Iceland on the Snorri program, and possibly even further her
Education with a semester of University in Iceland.
This upcoming summer, Signey will be returning to Icelandic Camp as a
counselor.
SARA PAINTER
Sarah Painter, granddaughter of Helga Malis, was one of the youngest Icelandic Campers on record as a four year old child in 1987. A dedicated an enthusiastic camper, she did not miss a year up to the age of 12. She completed the Snorri Program in 2011, which she felt was the opportunity of a lifetime. Keen to keep Icelandic culture alive, she returned to her roots in Icelandic Camp to help create the experience that she was so lucky to have as a child to others. Professionally, Sarah graduated from University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Nursing in 2009. She has been working at St. Boniface Emergency Department in Winnipeg and as a Flight Nurse for STARS Air Ambulance.
ERIKA THORSTEINSON
Erika Thorsteinson, of Winnipeg, has been involved with Icelandic Camp since she was 10 years old. Her younger brother, Carter attended at the same time but started off as a day camper, returned as a camper and is now a junior counsellor. This upcoming summer will be Erika's 9th year attending camp and for the past summers has worked her way up to being a counsellor! Erika's Afi lives in Gimli and as soon as he heard about it he signed Erika and Carter up! Erika will hopefully be going to Iceland with the Snorri program in the summer of 2016
Guðmundur Þór Hafliðason
Hi my name is Guðmundur Þór Hafliðason. I am 25 years old and I come from Reykjavik Iceland .
I have been apart of Icelandic camp since 2009. My good family friend Kent Bjornson told me about this camp and ask me if I would be interesting to see this camp and perhaps stay there for a week and help out.
Of course I said yes and don´t regret it. I think my job at the camp is just to help the kids to have their best time of their life for 5 days
and I try my very best to do so. When I am back here in Iceland I also try my very best to promote the camp from here and I have got at least one company to support the camp over the years and what better company than nr 1 candy factory here in Iceland Called Nói Síríus and I know the kids always love the candy that I bring for them as a special sweets. Also I am working with very known Icelandic singers almost every year to find a special Icelandic song to teach the kids for the time I am there with them and it has always work out really great.
Last year some of the kids came to me and ask me if they could learn more about the singers and others famous people from Iceland
of course I said. I went to work on that when I came back home and here are some of the famous people that support the camp last year: the band OF Monsters and Men, the World strongest man of Iceland Hafþór J Björnsson and Singer Songwriter Sverrir Bergman who donated his first album to all the kids and staff. He's a really nice guy. I have to say I am very thankful for Kent Bjornson for taking me to that camp if not I would´t meet all this wonderful kids and staff members that I truly can say are my very good friends.