Community, sustainability and international focus

Hi! My name is Llorenç Viña (@_llor_) from Spain and I was a volunteer one year (2022-2023) at Brenderup Højskole, DK.

What is Brenderup Højskole?

Brenderup Højskole belongs in the circle of newer Folk High schools. It was founded in 1986 as the Nordic Folk High school for Peace in Brenderup GI.

The school works from a conviction that modern peace work is primarily between people. Communities across cultures, nationalities and sustainable values are in focus at Brenderup Højskole.Thus the school is a meeting point for international and Danish students.

The school’s focus is community, sustainability and the vital and personal development of all students. Thus, there are no exams and students can choose between different subjects such as Art, Ceramics, Sustainable house construction, music, sports, redesign, etc.

Students live at the school for one o two semesters (6 months or 1 year). During this time they are responsible for different community tasks at school (cleaning, kitchen duties, etc.). Normally, students go to school to take a break or a gap in their lives, to think that they want to study or to prioritize their personal development.

What was my main project? (Solidarity project)

My main task/project at school was to work in the garden from the philosophy of permaculture. Specifically I worked on different projects related to water. The main objective was to improve the water stations (expand and improve them) and create new spaces (lakes) with water to increase the pland and animal diversity of the garden.

In the garden I also carried out different tasks with the school students. Always working from the perspective of sustainability, respect for nature and people.

Off-grid house or “Casa Verde” was also a work site where I grew medicinal plants and herbs, we did classes with students and we planned different innovative projects for the school.

Another project that I supported is the creation of the garden map and reorganize some areas of the garden. Apart from theses projects, I was responsible for watering the garden and taking care of it at all time.

Other responsibilities at school as a volunteer (Junior Staff)

As a volunteer I was part of Junior Staff along with other volunteers from Serbia, Nepal, Japan, Costa Rica, Turkey and Morocco. The team of international volunteers always lives at the school with the students and that means that we have different reponsabilities to supervising regarding the basic tasks of daily life in the school (meals, kitchen duty, cleaning time) and others related to the organization of activities and contributing to creating an inclusive and positive climate at school.

As a volunteer I supported the team of teachers in different activities, study trips or tasks in the school community. In the following sections, I detail the different topics on which I worked at the school, always from an international, sustainability and community focus.

MAKE COMMUNITY

Community and living together is one of the focuses of Brenderup’s philosophy. Throughout my stay I gave support and helped organize different activities in leisure and free time, sports or in the organization of different workshops, such as cooking. Creating activities for the participation of all students was one of the objectives as a volunteer, and making everyone feel part of the Brenderup family.

SPORTS AND WELL-BEING

Supporting and facilitating sports activities was one of my extra responsabilities at school and one that I really enjoyed. Organizing badminton tournaments, doing yoga every night, going for a walk in the forest (forest bathing) or going running were some of the activities I led or facilitated with and for students. Meditating or going to the natural sauna (and prepare it before) are also activities we did.

We joined the Brenderup 5 and 10k race. It was a very interesting challange and we achieved it! 😀

MUSIK AND CULTURE

In Denmark spending quality time with coffe, tea, cake and bonfire is very common. It is what is called HYGGE. At school we did many bonfires to talk, sing, eat and spend quality time together.

Music is very important at school. The students sing every day and there is also a music subject. The school has a very nice music room with a lot of music instruments!!!!!

The Brenderup Music Association organizes a concert every month at the school for the people of brenderup and sorrounding areas. The students and volunteers always help to dismantle the statge at the end of the concerts.

KULTURAL EVENINGS

Every wednesday the school organizes a cultural evening working on a tipic related to culture of some part of the world. As a volunteer I participated supporting their organization. Also creating themed evenings (as a workcamp leader as well as contributing my culture from Spain).

In the school I also had the opportunity to learn more about Danish culture such as the Danish Carnival.

MARROCO STUDY TRIP

As Junior Staff I participated and supported the team of teachers in different Study Trips (national and international trips). But for me the most interesting was visiting Morocco, my first time traveling outside of EU in a completely different culture.

We had the opportunity to do a deep dive into Moroccan culture. The first days we collected and produced argan oil and we visited different communities and their families. The following days we visited different typical markets, we tried the Hammam (the typical Moroccan bath) or were at the Iftar (when the fast is broken during Ramadan) together with different Moroccan families. 

DANISH SUMMER COURSES IN BRENDERUP FOLK HIGH SCHOOL (Summer – june and july 2023)

In summer the atmosphere of the school changes because there are no students and different groups attend school courses for more than a month. The groups are very different from each other: for example, one week is a group with people with mental health problems and they spend the whole week at school doing differents thinks like music or art. Other weeks families assist in carryng out activities or other groups of musical artists to practice and learn music.

Walking courses are also common at school. I attended and helped three walking courses (one week for each course) where Danish people walked every day to different historical and natural sites in Denmark. I really liked helping and participating in the island course in which every day we traveled to a different island in Denmark.

In these summer courses my main tasks were to welcome the guests, help the leadership team with some activities and manage the bar. In the bar I was responsible for selling drinks and other products, managing the money and preparing the bar site.

LEADER WORKCAMP 2023 (2023 August)

In August 2023 I had the pleasure of leading (togheter with Ana partner Ana) a group of young people from all over the world. It was a workcamp where for 15 days they had to do different tasks in the school garden with the topic of water.

My tasks were to plan (previously) the activities and the program during for the 15 days. Then, welcome them on the first day of the program and facilitate activities throughout the program, provide support in daily activities and organize free-time activities to create a positive and inclusive environment among all participants.

The tasks that we managed to complete during the 15 days were:

1. Remove the soil from the roof of the strawberry house | 2. Improve the water canal of the green house | 3. Create new water tanks in the garden | 4. Paint rooms in the Green House | 5. Create a new water canal in the small like in the garden | 6. Make a new lake in the school garden.

HERE I CONCLUDE MY SUMMARIZED EXPERIENCE IN DENMARK. The best life and growth experience so far. Don’t hesitate to do an ESC! Please! 🙂

For any question you can write me:

Instagram: @_llor_ | Email: llvmascarell@gmail.com

Llorenç, from Spain.