Volunteering in Denmark

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Created on Wednesday, 22 March 2017 20:43

Written by denmark

Volunteering in Denmark

The Danish welfare model

In Denmark we have the universal welfare model. The universal part of the welfare model indicates that it is in fact for everyone: not only the most unfortunate people in our society, but also the most fortunate. For this to function properly the Danes have to pay high taxes in order to receive the numerous universal welfare benefits. Amongst the welfare benefits are our free schoolings systems where universities are included; our free health care system which means we can go to the doctor’s office whenever it seems necessary as well as going to the hospital, getting surgery etc.; students that are 18 or older receive student grants every month from the state to (mainly) be able to overcome the life as a student, especially if the student is living by themselves so they can pay for rent, food, textbooks and so on; and last but not least: if you are unemployed the state will pay you cash benefits and make sure you don’t end up on the street, but in order to keep receiving these benefits when you are of job, you have to constantly apply for jobs with the help from local job centres.  

Because of our welfare model and the different benefits, volunteer work might not as necessary in Denmark as it is in other countries, but nonetheless there are an abundance of different volunteer organisations nationwide. The organisations take on different kinds of issues such as illnesses, animal cruelty, loneliness and so forth.

Volunteer work in Hillerød

In our hometown of Hillerød there are also different kinds of volunteer work. For instance, there are three different stores which sell donated clothes, furniture and different kinds of knick-knacks. These shops are run by different kinds of volunteer organisations, examples being the international Red Cross and “Kirkens Korshær”, which is a Danish Christian relief agency. These stores are non-profit, and the earnings are donated to different humanitarian causes, both locally and globally. It is most commonly the elderly who run these stores, since they have to stay open during ordinary school- and work hours. They are greatly supported by the local community, and every generation can be seen donating and buying from these stores. However, it is not only the elderly who volunteer in Hillerød. The younger generation, which we belong to ourselves, have plenty of opportunities to volunteer too. Many teenagers volunteer in their local sports clubs, which can be done in plenty of ways; some teach children how to play football, whilst others help out during tournaments. Annually, there’s a big hucksters’ market in Hillerød, where a lot of local organisations and sport clubs set up a stall where volunteers from all ages sell homemade food in order to raise money for a certain cause or their sports club. It is also very common for parents to volunteer in their children's sports club as a coach for the team or as a helping hand around the club; this makes it possible for children from all social layers to play a broad spectre of sports, since it highly reduces the price.  The purpose of this kind of volunteering is often different than the purpose of the volunteering that goes on in the Red Cross store. Volunteering in a sports club secures funds for the local community, i.e. the sports club, whereas volunteering in the stores mostly secures funds for developing countries or other projects that aren’t local.

Volunteer work at our school

At Frederiksborg Gymnasium we have a few volunteering initiatives. For example, one day every year the students are offered an opportunity to do volunteer work in cooperation with “Operation Dagsværk”. This organisation has existed in Denmark since the mid-80’s and every year they ask high school students for their help to raise money for different purposes. In our time at the school we’ve raised money for the LGBT community in Kenya, helped giving youngsters a voice to be heard in Somaliland and, last but not least, help Guatemala fight inequality and unemployment as well as improving their educational opportunities.

Furthermore, the Danish Red Cross organisation are apart of our school volunteer work as well. They try to get as many of the students to participate in their yearly fundraising and to get the students even more involved they hand out prices to the schools with the highest number of participants. In 2016, the high school with the most participants won a concert at their school with the worldwide known Danish singer MØ.

Another volunteering project at our school is the Amnesty Youth club, which collaborates with the non-profit organisation Amnesty International. This organisation collaborates with schools all around Denmark. Members of Amnesty Youth spread awareness of different humanitarian subjects through campaigns, which most commonly consists of videos, posters and signature petitions. Amnesty International usually determine a handful of yearly campaigns, which vary in subject. In a recent campaign, the subject was “My body, my rights”, which focused on women’s right to determine what happens to their own bodies with a special focus on Ireland’s abortion laws. These campaigns are very well received at the school, and contribute to the general focus on humanitarian matters.

Our experiences with volunteer work

Maria Aarup: I have been volunteering on several occasions. In my 10 years of being a scout, I have participated in the annual fundraising for Danish Church Aid. In school context, I have participated in the “Operation Dagsværk”, and by that helped to raise money for various projects in Africa. Additionally, I have in my spare time participated in the volunteer project DFUNK (Danish Refugees Youth), where my work has been to integrate refugees into their local town. Here I have, with a host of other volunteers, prepared various activities, such as pumpkin carving, an iceskating trip and Christmas-cutting and pasting. It was great to meet people with a very different background than my own and thereby experience a different way of looking at things.

Melissa Nielsen: I have been volunteering since I was a child through my handball club. I sold advent calendars around Christmas time and sold food at the aforementioned yearly hucksters’ market, both to raise money for the club. When I went to primary school, I was a school crossing patrol a couple times a week, which means that I made sure that the small children got safely across the trafficked road next to my school. In these past few years, I have volunteered in a couple different projects, both through my school and outside of it. I have participated in “Operation Dagsværk” and in an annual day for collecting money for charitable purposes - both of these projects had been advertised at our school. Also, I am a third year member of the aforementioned Amnesty club. Outside of school, I have been a voluntary visitor for elderly citizens. This is a nationwide program, which is arranged by Red Cross. Once a week, I visited a lonely woman at a nursing home, who needed someone to talk to. I hope this experience was every bit as rewarding for her, as it was for me.

Maria Larsen: Unfortunately, I have not done as much volunteer work as I would have liked. My first time doing any sort of volunteering was in 7th grade when me and my classmates sold Christmas seal to help raise money for the Danish Handicap Federation. In my time at Frederiksborg Gymnasium, I have participated in both “Operation Dagsværk” where I worked at a local podiatrists office selling shoes and such. The money I earned went to LGBT community in Kenya as previously mentioned. Furthermore, I participated in the Red Cross fundraising with my friend where we went door to door in one of the neighbourhoods in Hillerød. It was for a good cause and it was fun spending the day with my friend.

The benefits of volunteering

Volunteering is unpaid, so the rewards you reap will be more emotional and perhaps spiritual, rather than economic.

Here, the benefits could be:

- to make a difference for others - and yourself

- to support a case, you feel passionate about

- to meet new people and expand your network

For students who need volunteer work to upgrade their CV or qualify for scholarships, so volunteering is a particularly important and necessary commitment of time. Our high school offers proof of one's voluntary work, so you have the opportunity to show this for future education.

So the benefits to us as students are:

- to use existing skills and gain new knowledge, experiences and skills

- to get something on your CV and a stronger position in relation to new education or jobs

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