About Heimavist MA and VMA

Heimavist MA og VMA is a dormitory for students enrolled in Akureyri Junior College and Akureyri Comprehensive College and live outside Akureyri city. The dormitory is well situaded within a walking distance from the schools and also close to the sportcenter, swimmingpool and the city.

The dormitory has a good reputation; we try to have a a good atmosphere so that the students feel like it is a home away from their own home and families. Every student has access to the cantine and a there is a laundry service. Each semester we have an event in the cantiea connected to season for example, a christmas dinner the night before every one leaves for christmas vacataion and barbecue in springtime. The students have their own events in the dormitory f.e.x. playnights, Easterbingo, cinemanights and so on.

The dormitory can host maximum  of 330 students aged 16 to 20. Although they are many the staff is able to learn most of their names and also learn from where they are and so on.

We are concerned with the students‘ physical and mental well-being. We try to have a good connection with their parents; if there is anything we are concerned about and we think is out of the ordanary for a teeanger we call the students parents. We have staff working shifts 24 hours and also a phonenumber for their parents to call 24 hours and many parents do call us even though it is only a concern about wheather they are awake or not attending school.
We have a nurse service for the students twice a week and we also have a good relationship with the councellers at the schools.

Before a student is accepted for the dormitory he and his parents have to sign an agreement for the rent/rooms and they also have to accept the rules of the dormitory. The students and parents know that if they breake the rules f.x. try to smoke in the building or on the grounds, consume alcohol or drugs, there will be consequences and they will have to leave the dormitory.

Every other week we have what we call a room inspection – where a member of staff enters their room and inspects the room to see if it has been cleaned or not. If the students fail to clean their room they have the chance to try again and we will then inspect again the next day. The room inspection is of course also a way for the staff to see how the students feel in general.

In spite of our many rules students do feel great and many of them make friends for life. We have had generations of families staying in the dormitory while they attend college.