Farfuglar ses – Hostelling International (HI) Iceland is a non-governmental and non-profit membership organization established in 1939. The organisation is a member of Hostelling International (HI), a global network of Youth Hostel Associations, of over 4000 hostels with members in more than 80 countries. Membership means that the Icelandic hostels fulfill the international standards for HI Hostels. Its mission as stated in its constitution:
Opening the World to Youth: “To promote the education of all young people of all nations, but specially young people of limited means, by encouraging in them a greater knowledge, love and care of the countryside and an appreciation of the cultural values of towns and cities in all parts of the world, and as an ancillary thereto, to provide hostels or other accommodation in which there shall be no distinction of race, nationality, colour, religion, sex, class or political opinions and thereby to develop a better understanding of their fellow men, both at home and abroad.”
Since its inception the organisation’s main goal has been to promote and encourage people of all ages to travel and to increase their knowledge and appreciation of nature and culture.
The Hostel network enables young people of different nationalities, cultures and social background to meet informally, share experiences; learn about themselves, each other and their surroundings. Hostels foster a remarkable international awareness about current issues such as environmental issues, sustainable tourism and sustainable development as a whole.
Hostelling also has a fundamental, but unofficial, role in the development of young people as future employees in a global market. The hostel environment encourages social awareness and the importance of living in a community, plus it develops the kind of self-discipline skills that result from experiencing different situations, having to make individual decisions and learning from them.
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