Investigative journalism in Denmark
The Club Europe investigates in a Danish efterskole
Fifteen Club Europe students joined Campus Vedersø, deep in the Danish countryside, for a French-Danish collaborative journal. The immersion in an efterskole: Denmark’s unique “school for life”: left a lasting impression on the teams.
The project
Efterskoler welcome around 20% of Danish teenagers: 245 schools, close to 28,000 students. At Vedersø, students take part in shared chores, English is the everyday language and well-being sits at the heart of the school organisation.
The group produced a collaborative journal between students from Guadeloupe and Danish students, with a welcome stopover in Copenhagen, and observed innovative practices: “refreshments” gathering the whole school, an “assembly” around a shared song, psycho-social skills integrated into teaching, participatory cleaning, biographies of notable figures on every classroom door.
Two individual staff mobilities completed the stay: observation of mathematics-physics classes taught in English, tumbling initiation, visit of a wind farm and reflection on Danish sustainable development.
The Club Europe built its collaborative journal remotely: French-Danish editorial meetings by video conference, allocation of investigation topics and shared layouts before joining the Vedersø campus.
On site
- Investigation among students and staff of the Vedersø campus
- Writing and layout workshops for the French-Danish journal
- Immersion in the efterskole model: assembly, shared refreshments, participatory cleaning
- Discovery of the outdoor classrooms used to teach outside
- Extra-curricular activities: sport, music, games
Highlights
- French-Danish collaborative journal published by the Club Europe
- Comparison of the French and Danish education systems written by staff
- Cultural stopover in Copenhagen and discovery of Jutland
Crossed perspectives
The teams were struck by the wellbeing placed at the heart of the Danish school: days punctuated by refreshments bringing everyone together, the assembly moment around a shared song, psychosocial skills integrated into teaching, teachers living right next to the school and students gaining autonomy.
Results and follow-up
Progress in spoken English, learning to live as a community, a concierge-service project inspired by Danish shared chores, and the prospect of hosting Danish students in Guadeloupe.
In pictures
