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While the coronavirus epidemic is putting our lives in turmoil across the world and turning our societies unrecognizable overnight with limited mobility; empty streets, schools, and airports; lockdown of countries; restrictions on our social pursuits and freedoms and militant directives on social distancing in order to urgently diminish its spread, it might just also provide a necessary reset and (ironically) connect us closer together. Infusing Interconnectedness The coronavirus is affecting us across continents, borders, ethnicity, skin color, gender, and income levels – it does not discriminate or favorize, and social status or privilege will not set anyone free. We are not only equal in the risk to be affected, but we are also bound together in our interconnectedness, depending on the action and responsibility of each other. Additionally, wherever we look across the world right now, the coronavirus grounds are common – the interruptive avalanche on our socioeconomic lives are similar, the protective and preventive measurements taken are similar, and the fear, anxiety, overwhelm, and uncertainty we experience is similar – it brings us all in the same boat – we can relate to each other and find compassion for each other from our own present reality. Standing Together We are all in this together and we will only win if we stand and come together. The coronavirus is demanding us to pause and to reset our lives as we know them – and to stand tighter together, whether as a family, neighborhood, country or global community. What if the coronavirus is a call to reset our lives and come back to what truly matters to us? What if it calls on us to see ourselves, each other and our world with new eyes? What if it is a call on us to be, come and stand stronger and better together? What if it is a call on radical compassion for each other across the world, reminding us that in fact, we are equal in our common humanity? While the turmoil of our everyday lives is real, equal to the deep uncertainty and overwhelming fear we might be experiencing, take a moment to reflect upon what the coronavirus reset came to teach you. Reset our Compassion for Each Other “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together”, Desmund Tutu What if the lesson the coronavirus is passing on to us is radical and actionable compassion? When seeing this epidemic with new eyes, we might start to witness the possibility in front of us for an emergency of more compassion for each other. At the heart of compassion is acceptance; the better we are at accepting the reality in front of us right now, the more compassionate we can become towards ourselves and others. This is true for the coronavirus times as well as beyond. Just imagine for a moment if these months of isolation, restricted movements and time in quarantine became our everyday lives, and now imagine that this “experience” in fact is what life looks like for millions of people around the world from slave camps in Libya, refugee camps in South Sudan, Lesbos, Bangladesh, DRC, Turkey, Syria, etc., indigenous people fighting for their survival (and ours) in the Amazonia, women being restricted in their movements across the world, across Latin America notably due to the risk of femicide and in Saudi Arabia due to the male guardianship system among other examples. In these times of complete reset globally, let’s recall that with or without the coronavirus we are equal and bound together in our common humanity and interconnectedness. Recognizing our shared humanity is a reflection of real compassion because it means that we are able to clearly see ourselves in each other. Helene Guldborg Life Coach and Crossing Borders board member

The CORONA Quarantine is not only limiting our mobility, bringing our everyday lives in turmoil and breaking down our social pursuits, but it might also expanding our imagination and compassion toward those millions of people whose daily lives in fact have been quarantine for decades, years, months for weeks by powerful people. Sadly, quarantining is an everyday reality The hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants currently held in slave concentration camps in Libya, in swamps and mosquito infested camps in South Sudan, on islands on Lesbos in Greece, on the Mexico-US border where a pregnant woman fell from the Trump wall and died on the spot today, refugee camps in Bangladesh, in the DRC, in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the jungles on the margins of rich cities in Europe and the indigenous people fighting for their survival (and ours) in Amazonia etc etc etc. Unlike the Coronavirus, the driving causes of those limitations are purely man-made out of greed, sometimes short sightedness or even unconsciousness and lack of compassion. Lack of understanding and respect for the fact that the wellbeing of people everywhere is inextricably interconnected to us – and our interconnectedness is inherent in the globalised world we have created. Thus, let’s turn the limitations the Coronavirus has imposed on us into opportunities – we can simply ask ourselves “how can we turn the situation we are in into an opportunity for something meaningful? How can we seize the extra time to reflect honestly and deeply on what the coronavisrus in fact is teaching us? What might it even teach us to let go of) Let’s seize the opportunity to reconnect with ourselves and those we love. Let’s take advantage of the online platforms to phone, email, chat with those we forgot or didn’t have time to reconnect with, because were too busy running around – to care for one another. Let’s also clear, clean and re-arrange our indoors, bookshelves, old CDs, clean, fold and give away the many clothes, the booths, the shoes, we know we will hardly have the time or the needs to use. Let’s clean our gardens (those who have the luxury), parks and other surrounding spaces to help it them be clean, healthy and beautiful. Let’s be creative in making and eating according to our needs to avoid hoarding food from the shops. Let’s go for a long and fresh walk and enjoy the opportunities while we consider and support those in need  in our families, neighbours, friends, networks and other fellow humans and other beings we share this planet with.  Let’s do some non-violent or non-competitive sports, like meditation, yoga, Thai-Chi and dances. Let’s read the books we did not have the chance to read and read again the books we read long time ago. Let’s listen to our favourite music while we open old photo albums and rejoice in and reflect upon the good old days when we were younger and our kids were babies, teens and parents were with us, younger and stronger Let’s recognise, appreciate and share the privileges we are blessed to have and enjoy. Let’s use our position of power and influence  to consider, talk about and do something to help relieve the pains of and sufferings of those who have been unfortunate to find themselves in the wrong places, at the wrong time with wrong people in power shaping the circumstances of their lives. Finally, also remember that limiting our often-unnecessary mobility is good for Mother Earth as it reduces the severity, frequency and size of our footprints on Her body and soul I stop here and walk the talk by going for a long walk and do some of this I wrote about above Stay calm, safe and smiling  Love and respect Garba

Like, many other good people around the world, we celebrated International Women’s Day in true Crossing Borders way. in this CB way, some 150 people from many different backgrounds, nationalities, ages, genders, and professions came together under the same roof to shed light and height the lives of women on the move, who have made it against multiple odds. For this we had 8 amazing women from 8 different countries share 8 powerful stories, songs, and poems with delicious food prepared by 8 men 8 different countries. The hall was full of people, deep emotions and inspirations. People left the place with positive energy, smiles in their faces and tears in their eyes and determination to make the world a better place for all. A billion thanks to all those who came to be with us on this day, many thanks to the powerful speaker that gave us some food for thought, the poetries that we heard from Wanjiku Seest and Sarah Diallo were super powerful and made us think, the talks by Mozhdeh Ghasemiyani, Suzana Milovic, and Mary Consolata Namagambe opened our eyes on a lot of struggles that women still facing up to those days, and we don’t forget the very amazing music and powerful song words by Pernille Tolou Isedora Johansson that you are hearing in the video below. Special thanks go to our Vice-Chair of CB board, Rikke Rønholt for moderating the whole event and introducing the speakers, as well as a big thanks, go to our CB Board Chair, Vibeke Quaade for the event opening speech. You all have made our night unforgettable. We don’t forget the CB team and the great cooks who made the food, the great team that makes things happen, we feel so lucky to have such a team from different countries in one place, working on the same missions, to create a place where people could live in peace. Thank you dream team. Photos credit: The pictures are taken by one of our very own, the talanted photographer Kannan P Samy, Project manager and CB board member.  Facebook: Kannan P Samy  Instagram: Kannan P Samy 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV6eBdK1AuE On February 6th we held one of our Food for Thought Events and we were excited to hear an inspiring story about the motivation behind Gorilla Media Denmark. We had the honor to have all the “gorillas” present, along with its Creative Director and founder Alex Sabour. Alex shared with us the journey of Gorilla Media from the very initial idea and desire to do projects that he truly “burns for” to the publication of its first successful projects and all the challenges and struggles along the way. 78 Awards and over 500 million people reached are just some of the stunning numbers achieved by this creative advertising agency and production house which started in December 2016. It first began as Alex´s dream of doing projects on important topics and at the time, it seemed an impossible dream. He started with a simple Facebook page, logo and website, but when the opportunity came, Alex took his chance. On 9th February 2017 the Danish parliament released the official statement, which stipulated: “The Danish parliament concludes with concern that there are today areas in Denmark where the share of immigrants and descendants from non-western countries is more than 50%. It is the apprehension of the Danish parliament that Danes should not be a minority in residential areas in Denmark.” In short: Danes within housing projects should not be in a minority. As a reaction to this statement, Alex wanted to do something about it, so together with Lelo Shalby and Sasan Askari made a video named “Jeg er Dansk” (I am Danish).  The video received mixed reactions from ecstatic to enraged, with some groups severely disagreeing with Gorilla. Alex´s expectations were exceeded when the video went viral in such a short amount of time. In just under 24 hours, the video had 1.5 million views and received a huge reaction not only from the Danish market but also internationally; it went viral in Sweden and Norway and shortly after started spreading throughout Europe and South America. The main motivation behind the video was to change the perspective on minority groups, not only in Denmark. The message they sent out started a domino effect and Alex realized that when he pushed, he could get a reaction. The campaign was therefore successful because they brought a different perspective to the entire debate on who is actually Danish; Danish parliament subsequently re-wrote the statement and made it more inclusive for minority groups. It had a direct effect. Alex and his team won a London prize for the “Best Viral Campaign” for reaching over 100 million people worldwide. It was a huge honor and success – they beat big brands in the category like Ikea, Norwegian air and Adidas.The successful campaign #JegErDansk was a milestone marking the official start of Gorilla Media. Knowing that they could do something beneficial, the team started to play with multiple perspectives on the topics that were not discussed or challenged yet. Their purpose became clear – “to see the video and leave the viewer with an impression regardless of what that impression is”. Gorilla got its first real client, Dansk Kvindesamfund (Danish Women Society), followed by a partnership with Extra Bladet (a Danish tabloid newspaper) where Gorilla published 12 episodes on minority topics on their platform. Their received a lot of views but also provoked hate, debates and comments. Throughout 2018, Gorilla Media was growing bigger and settled in its new office. The team kicked off a big and successful  campaign on Revenge Porn in partnership with Dansk Kvindesamfund and PornHub. Further collaboration enabled them to spread the campaign and, as a result, porn sites began to remove illegal content. 2019 was a general election year for Denmark and there were more successful projects for Gorilla Media. Danish media was under fire for giving a platform to promote the agenda of Danish lawyer Rasmus Paludan and his far-right party, which had gained traction ahead of the election. His political movement Stram Kurs (Hard Line) called itself the party for “ethnic Danes” and wanted to ban Islam and deport all Muslims from Denmark. The party was forecasted to win 2,3% of the vote, which would be enough to enter parliament. Gorilla media decided they need to get involved and, together with Rasmus Paludan´s brother, Martin Paludan, they launched a video in which Martin urged Danes not to vote for Rasmus Paludan´s party. The video spread rapidly over social media and gained hundreds of thousands of views with both negative and positive reactions. Paludan lost 30% of people who wanted to vote for him, blaming Gorilla Media for his failure to get Stram Kurs into parliament. Whether it was a result of the video or not is unproven, but one can admit that its intention was achieved, and that’s surely what matters. With successful campaigns on controversial topics, Gorilla Media inevitably face groups of angry people. With it comes hatred and death threats too. Gorilla Media produced a number of videos which were either removed from Facebook or pulled from publishing due to “controversial” content. Alex revealed to us that some of the videos and publications never previously shown to the public. One can wonder, what is it behind the decision of big players to not publish content intended to offer different perspectives on fundamental topics. Is it fear that people’s eyes will be opened, or are their personal values not aligned with Gorilla Media´s content? Gorilla Media is continuing to do innovative work and such rejection will not stop them.  Successful projects have already proven that through hard work they can inspire, provoke and change people’s perspectives. Alex´s story inspired us to believe in ourselves and that following one’s passion is possible even if the system is against you. Their success is not final and failure is not fatal, it is their courage to continue that truly counts.  Gorilla Media has great courage. As Albert Einstein said: “Never stop questioning”. We are very excited to see what comes next, how

I spoke to Garba Diallo – the managing director of Copenhagen-based NGO Crossing Borders and self-proclaimed citizen of Globalistan – about how the organisation was created, the value of education and dialogue and his nomadic origins in West Africa. Garba explained the normality of human movement, the dangers of “Hygge Democracy” and, most importantly, why Jeff Bezos doesn’t own any cows… “I come from a nomad culture in West Africa. We don’t really see borders. I am a part of an ethnic group spread over 25 countries. We are not settled people. You know, we are always crossing borders, we don’t really give a damn up to today about them – if it’s green on the other side, then…!” Garba Diallo is from a community named the Fulanis who constitute one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa, despite being spread across 25 different countries. They usually find themselves marginalised due to the fact that they are, by nature, unsettled minorities. Before setting off on a journey that would eventually see him settle in Denmark, Garba grew up as a cowboy in Mauritania. As a teenager, he went to a local school he said he felt was a prison: “I ran away after a few months because it was not a school but a torture camp. Our languages were banned and our culture was not respected. We only learnt about French history. Vive la France! What you gained at that school did not make up for what you lost!” He escaped this place and returned to his village, where at the age of 19 he decided to pursue his own education and begin his journey across the world. In doing so, he achieved fluency in French, Danish, Arabic, Norwegian, Swedish and English as well as his native tongue of Fulani. Using any transport he could, he made his way to Libya and later received a scholarship to study and work for two years in Qatar. It was from here that Garba swapped the barren heat of Asia for the bleak cold of Norway to study his dream subject of International Relations and Development Studies. After I asked him about his experiences as a migrant here in Denmark, Garba was quick to correct me: “First of all, I am not a ‘migrant’, I am an expat! I was invited as an expert from the North (from Norway) and landed here in little Denmark. The expat should be white! Normally it’s a contradiction to be black and to be an expat!”. Crossing Borders’ activities began in 1999 with a project that brought 60 people from Israel and Palestine together to debate and produce articles. According to Garba, changing formal education and the curriculum isn’t easy. “In all the arab textbooks, Israel doesn’t exist!” he says, “And in all the Israeli textbooks, Palestine doesn’t exist! Then I joked with them and said, well then, there is no problem!” It is instead through informal education and the media that change can be achieved. The Israelis and Palestinians produced articles together and exchanged roles during debates: the Palestinians became part of the mainstream zionist movement, the Israelis the Palestinian Liberation Organization. “No one is born Jewish or Muslim or communist or capitalist. It is society that makes you into that. And education. From the school, the home, the media. We felt the key was education, but informal education. The formal one is a no go. You go from A to Z, studying what is decided by the authorities. There is space, with extra-curricular and informal education, where you can influence.” Crossing Borders is clear about its motivations – to produce dialogue in society and in the process create active global citizens. Garba says that this now occurs in the context of a battle over information in modern society, where data is fast becoming our most precious resource. “Information is not only power but money. Powerful people in the world are producing information, there are no cows running around belonging to Jeff Basos”. Now based in Ubuntu House right in the centre of Copenhagen, CB coordinates over ten international projects in a variety of locations from Uganda to the Caucasus; they all aim to promote dialogue in society. Here in DK, Crossing Borders has a school workshops program, aiming to bring the world into Danish classrooms and bring Danish classrooms into the world. Crossing Borders views maintaining authenticity as extremely important and when it goes into schools and creates dialogue among young Danes, it isn’t Danes who convey the message. “We use people who are part of this story, we use migrants, we use refugees to talk about refugee issues and immigration issues, we use people actually who are suffering from climate change, from Somalia and the Middle East, where water is running out, or certain parts of the African Sahel, to talk about climate change”. In Garba’s view, Denmark offers great opportunities if you have the vision and knowhow to carry out your ideas and funding is plentiful. However, he also discussed how hard it is to be an expat in a country with such a tight knit population. He railed against a phenomenon he cheekily brands ‘Hygge Democracy’ – what he sees in Denmark as a kind society ready to take care of each other, but simultaneously excluding those who are different. In a challenge to such thinking, Garba takes pride in the sheer diversity of his organisation. Crossing Borders has volunteers and employees from 20 different countries in the central office in Copenhagen alone, and many more among its representatives across the world. Time has run out, but Garba feels he needs to sum things up: “We are united as human beings, as people who have the energy, will and vision to create a world that they want and deserve to live in. Crossing Borders is there for you and you are welcome to join. All ideas are welcome, nobody is dismissed and we are ready to go out learning and

Last Thursday, at the first Food for Thought of 2020 Crossing Borders hosted Dr. Samay Hamed. The event opened as usual with a presentation of Dr. Hamed’s experiences in Afghanistan where he has been trying to bring various means of non-formal education and break cultural taboos, all with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of his fellow Afghanis. Following that, our wonderful intern, Ms. Yuka Fuji, and her friend Hika presented an incredible Japanese dinner for us featuring five different dishes (and which very well could have been presented as a 4-course, five-star meal). Like all of our FFT speakers, Dr. Hamed is a man of many talents. He is a trained medical doctor, a journalist who won the 2003 International Press Freedom Award, a prolific author of books and songs (32 book, 100 songs, and counting), and is committed to challenging the status quo of culture, education, and ways of thought in Afghanistan. In Dr. Hamed’s mind, the way to change society is by starting from the bottom rather than the top. To do this, he says, you must change the way people think and help encourage critical thinking. After noting the lack of space for critical thinking in Afghan society and education, Dr. Hamed decided the best way to do this was by creating these spaces himself. These spaces include (among others) musical festivals, workshops, satirical T.V. shows, and underground publications. His first attempt at this initiative was to create a new alphabet song for children. The song provided an alternative way to learn about letter sounds that the common methods (used in mosques and schools) had not employed. The alphabet song ended up becoming so popular that the Afghan Ministry of Education now employs a similar method throughout the country. Furthermore, to counter the concept that only famous individuals can create art or stories worthy of public consideration, Dr. Hamed invited students to a workshop that produced an original story that which received international publication. In a similar vein, he also developed an initiative that collected discarded blackboards from around the country. Workshops about the physics of light, color, and shapes were turned in to painting events for children and the resultant works were sold around the world. Proceeds from the sales were used to purchase 1000 whiteboards for classrooms throughout Afghanistan.  To bring spaces for critical thinking to adults, Dr. Hamed has employed a variety of methods. Of particular note were magazines that included poetry, art, and poignant political satire. He has also helped facilitate a clothes recycling workshop for women that simultaneously discuss social issues and political rights. Ultimately, it can be said that Dr. Hamed is seeking Afghan-led solutions for the issues he has identified. As a cabinet member of the government, he is seeking to “shake a hand” for the country rather than relying on international monetary deals. He called to our attention the corruption that comes from dumping money into problems rather that digging into society’s roots to look for solutions. He spoke about an older tradition in Afghanistan what was similar to the community kitchens/and meals he saw during his time here. He would like to renew this concept but make it larger in scale so that a sense of local and national community is refreshed, and social bonds strengthened. Speaking of food, the culinary portion of the night centered around a traditional Osaka pancake called okonomiyaki, filled with onion and drizzled with mayo and a wonderfully tangy brown sauce brought by Hika. Dish number two, nikujaga, featured boiled potatoes and vegies which were essentially a vehicle for the infamous umami flavor that can be difficult to find in Denmark. Takikomi gohan (rice with veggies) provided additional heft to our plates as dish number three. The meal was rounded out with piping hot miso soup and weafed salad covered in a sesame dressing. As usual, there were hardly any leftovers and I was left begging for recipes.  Thanks to all who attended, the CB team looks forward to seeing you at our next event! I would like to leave you with a poignant thought from an original poem by Dr. Hamed that speaks specifically to Afghan-US relations but is relevant to our hope for a peaceful future: There are children who play and dream/of a free and fresh future/they could understand each other/and/they will meet each other as tourists/not as soldiers.

This educational piece, written in 2004 by our Crossing Borders Managing Director, Garba Diallo after attending the UN Earth Summit in Johannesburg in 2002, explains the vital relationship between proper education, sustainable development and the creation of positive global citizenship. Learn more about our role as educators in the context of fundamentally unequal globalization – it is as important today as when he wrote it.  Introduction As with national citizenship, proper education is the key to both sustainable development and the creation of positive global citizenship. Sustainable development aims at meeting the needs of today’s generations while taking into consideration the rights and needs of future generations. Sustainable development should also include acknowledgment and respect for the positive heritage and legacy of past generations. In order to link the present with the past and future, we need education for sustainable development. In the present global era of interconnections and networks, educating for global citizenship is a natural response to the increasing demand for global consciousness, intercultural understanding, and cross-cultural competence. Designing and implementing present and future education programs in the global context does give education a better meaning and concrete framework. Thus, education for life, sustainable development, and global citizenship are three interdependent contributors towards the creation of a truly global community. If it can be assumed that all human beings have a right to freedom and equality regardless of where they are born, then global citizenship must be built on the principle of equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities of all citizens without discrimination. The principle of equality is the surest way to develop the sense of individual, local, national and global “belonging. In other words, people need to feel and believe that membership in a global community serves their interests and reflects their various identities and cultures, and future aspirations. The problem with the present globalization In theory, there is general support for both education for sustainable development and global citizenship. This can be seen in various international declarations and documents of the United Nations. The same can also be said about globalization. As such, the problem is not about globalization, but what kind of globalization. For many people around the world, the present globalization is no more than the globalization of the interests of powerful countries and their companies. Therefore, it is easy to confuse the concept of sustainable development of people with sustaining welfare of the big multinational companies. This makes the development and implementation of education for sustainable development and global citizenship a difficult task. The question is how to educate people on global citizenship and sustainable development in the context of the contemporary politico-economic global system. The paradox of the present global structure While we talk about the global village and the international community, the present global system does not represent or serve the interests of the majority of the people of the globe. The consequence of this system can be seen in the fact that:   · Less than 20% of the world population (mostly in the west) controls over 80% of the world’s resources while the same minority contributes over 80% of global pollution · The elite of the 20% control the three most powerful global institutions (WTO, World Bank, and IMF) that set the agenda for global trade, development, and finance, respectively. · While some 800-1000 million people suffer from acute lack of food, sanitation, and access to basic health care, energy, and clean water, people in the USA alone spend 75-100 billion dollars per year to deal with affluanza (sedentary illnesses and obesity) problems. This amount is about double the amount needed to meet the Millennium Goals set by the UN to half the number of starving people, provide access to clean water, health care and energy by 2015. · Even though there are enough money and resources, political vision and leadership are lacking. According to the conclusions of the May 2004 Global Conscience Conference in Copenhagen, a 0.1% tax on international money transactions would provide 241 billion dollars annually. · If we look at the cost of the war against Iraq, the US has already spent over 100 billion dollars. This amount does not include the killing of 10-13,000 Iraqi civilians, and the destruction of property, infrastructure, environment, and cultural heritage. As educators, it is important to provide the necessary space and opportunities for students to be made aware of this dimension of globalization and development. This can be done by presenting and analyzing the existing global politico-economic structure and how it affects different communities in different countries. What are the links between acute poverty in some parts of the world and too many riches in other parts? The problems of refugees, asylum seekers, and global terrorism can be related to perceived global injustice and inequality. These are relevant education topics for both sustainable development and global citizenship.   Neither fair nor free The architect of the present global system likes to preach open markets and free trade. However, the hard truth is that there is neither free nor fair trade. While the rich north has turned the world into an open market, it does not allow free or fair trade with the global south. The north spends 356 billion dollars annually in subsidies for its already rich farmers. On this, it is worth noting that the number of active farmers in the US and the EU is 2% and 4% of the population respectively. In addition to the one billion dollars per day subsidy, the north has erected a wall of trade barriers against agricultural products from the south. In order to make agricultural products cheaper, the north also gives export subsidies for shipping products to the south. A transport tax deduction is another way of making it possible for northern farm products to be dumped in the south. In teaching about global citizenship and sustainable development, unfair trade can be related to development aid and corruption, as two important dimensions of globalization. In any unfair relationship, corruption can

Through Croydon’s drizzle I made out Noor’s shape, nebulous and bin-bag like against the sharp neon of chicken and betting shops. My boss had asked that I help this young man, who was my age, as a kind of warm up after I’d begun volunteering at an organisation specialising in giving practical advice to refugees. Having just graduated and with the irksome realisation that I needed to convince people I was up to a job, I’d jumped at the chance to sort out his life instead of mine. The charity had multiple projects, but mine was the only one that continued to assist young people after they turned 18. One of them was Noor – a young man from Afghanistan with learning difficulties. He was the son of a Taliban commander who’d been killed in combat, and the Taliban’s plans to have him avenge his father by making him put on a suicide vest had forced his mother to hurriedly send him away, spending everything she had in the process. Circumstances for women in modern-day Afghanistan meant the process of getting her son to Europe could only be achieved with the aid of a male (in this case his maternal uncle). I felt I was treading on eggshells as I entered Noor’s room. Looking down, I realised I was – they were strewn all over the room and led up to a giant pot of scrambled egg, as old as it was rubbery. Noor was suffering. He limped on both feet with an ingrowing toenail on one and a fungal infection on the other. He wasn’t shy about showing this and hadn’t so much offered me a hand but a nude and blistered foot upon meeting. This was partly due to dank conditions in his bedroom with the egg neighbour only to an uncovered bed and an unordered mound of papers strewn all over the floor. He pointed to the window and laughed. “Broken. It has been broken for a long time!” He presumably understood the irony of £650 a month of Housing Benefit having been stumped up for this place and siphoned off to a private landlord whom he hadn’t heard from in months. Noor’s status as a Care Leaver – someone who had as a child been looked after by social services ­– meant that he still received limited help from a social worker but, due to his learning difficulties, this wasn’t enough. His Personal Adviser at the council was unreachable. When Noor did get through to her, she mostly reminded him of how little time she had. According to her, he’d been ignoring his texts from Universal Credit and worse, had failed to organise his finances correctly; she wasn’t keen on acknowledging that Noor could barely read his own name in English. This, along with an absent landlord, had resulted in him building up nearly £4000 in rent arrears. Even his right to the egg den now seemed precarious. Something had to crack. My first task was accompanying Noor to Job Centre Plus. On the bus I tentatively asked about his history and he disclosed that he was alone here in the UK, speaking fondly of his older brothers who he’d lost on the journey from Afghanistan. This struck me as particularly sad as it seemed he would have benefited greatly from caring older siblings. Once in the job centre, we were shepherded to the top floor by the G4S guards. Individually they were nice enough, but the company’s corporate edge seemed inappropriate for such a setting, adding to the overall feeling that it was a place where one is punished for even having the cheek to be there. The room wasn’t so much intimidating as stagnant. You could sense immediately that frustration was universal and, as a man barely capable of purchasing a bag of crisps without incurring some sort of late fee, I couldn’t help feeling I was the wrong person to be guiding him through. “You will ask about bed bugs?” said Noor furtively as we edged through the foyer. He had developed a speculative obsession with his skin condition being a result of bed bugs in his room, his confusion made obvious by his thinking that the job centre was the place to sort this out. He was no longer receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance after repeatedly missing appointments and his inability to read meant that Universal Credit’s appointment confirmation texts were ineffective. Luckily I had arrived: his English eyes and English ears. The guards sat us on a sofa in front of a woman bamboozled by an out-dated computer. She continually prodded at it with a one-fingered technique.
 “Oh, the system…” she sighed. After a few visits I’d become familiar with this utterance. I tried to explain the situation: that Noor couldn’t keep to appointments when told about them by text alert, let alone spend the requisite 25 hours a week searching for work on a computer he had not the slightest idea how to use. He was on the verge of losing his house and hadn’t enough money to buy food. Ms Patel stared back at me blankly with what I would soon realise to be a face of perpetual puzzlement.
 “I am sorry but this is how the system works.” I immediately became desperate, realising that I was dangerously under-qualified for the situation and lacked any decent rebuttal. “But obviously he is simply incapable of doing that”. “But this is the system…” Noor wasn’t with us. He was staring out of the window at the Croydon horizon.
 “Many buildings. They are doing many buildings here. Could I live in one of these?” 
This was no time to get into a nonsensical dialogue about the housing crisis and I swerved the conversation back to Ms Patel.
 “And what about his Housing Benefit?” Noor’s rent money was now not going to his landlord but straight to him, an unfortunate arrangement for a man who, according to his bank statements, had an unhealthy habit

Just over one month ago the Crossing Borders community came together to celebrate how far we have come in 20 years. Since 1999 our family has continued to expand, and it was a true joy to bring some 250+ family members from all over the world together under Cinemateket’s roof for an extended night of storytelling, food sharing, and revelry. The event was a true celebration of a borderless world in miniature. Notable speakers such as Sara Omar, Jacob Holdt, and H.E. Zindzi Mandela shared stories of past struggles and future dreams. The mood was festive but there were also persistent reminders of how far we have yet to go and why the work of Crossing Borders is so important. Ambassador Mandela put it aptly with her opening words, “welcome comrades, welcome friends.” In noting that we all share this world, she reminded us that we must push forward together as one to create a more open, inclusive and welcoming world were our friendships can freely blossom. Mpho Ludidi, Khalid Albaih, and Sara Rahmeh were just a few who took part in  the two part our Voices of the World feature where artists and activists shared their ongoing efforts to break down borders and promote a more inclusive global society. With our bellies in mind, a number of attendees and CB staff had worked up a sweat in their respective kitchens prior to the event. A decadent tasting buffet with homemade savory dishes and sweet desserts from every corner of the world filled everyone’s stomachs and hearts. It speaks to the quality of the cooking that nary a crumb was left at the close of the night. In addition to the time put in by CB volunteers and staff, the event could not have gone as well as it did without the generous contributions from sponsors: Stalks and Roots, Fiolblomster, Kultorvets Blomster, Impact Roasters, and Nordhavn Coffee Roasters. We at Crossing Borders are eternally grateful for all the positive energy from the event and have used it to propel us further. Since the event, we have continued our mission. Just last week, staff visited Berlin as part of a Dialogue in Adult Education, we hosted a multiplier event targeted at entrepreneurial migrants and refugees in Ubuntu House, and staff hosted a training of trainers for youth engagement in northern Fyn which drew practicioners from four European countries. The list could go on and on. Looking forward, we are proud to announce the relocation of our Global Studies højskole program to Nordfyns Højskole and the opening of shorter programs in northeastern Sjælland. We have come so far in 20 years, but this is not a path with an end. This is a mission where the reward comes from the journey, not from reaching an end point. We will not succeed without the continued support of our friends and family. Thank you and we look forward to seeing everyone again!

Jacob Holdt made the Food for Thought event an unforgettable experience, not only for those guests who already know him, but mostly for those who heard him for the first time. His charismatic personality and life experiences were almost impossible to imagine — he left the audience impressed, inspired and empowered. It almost felt as if one evening was not enough to get to hear all that Jacob has to say. During the evening, the author of The American Pictures, and the newly published book “Om at sige ja”, presented some of the chapters designed for the audience to understand what milestones or better, coincidences shaped his life decisions, personal opinions and beliefs from early childhood to where is he today. He started off by showing pictures of his family and family house in Fåborg  (the village where his spent the most of his childhood). As the son of the pastor at Grundtvig´s Church, expectations of who he should become were set. However, after being thrown out of high school, his next rebellious moves opened the doors in a world outside of Denmark. In 1970, Jacob travelled to Canada to work on a farm and from there he wanted to travel to South America to support the government of Salvador Allende after he was elected president of Chile in September 1970. However, he never made it – he arrived with only 40 dollars, fascinated and shocked by the social differences he encountered in the US. Holdt stayed in the USA for more then five years, crossing the country by hitchhiking over 100,000 miles and taking thousands of photographs. During these years Jacob started working with civil rights issues. He spent years protesting the Vietnam War and conditions in the Third World. He talked about how these events shaped his perspective on the issue of human rights and democracy and how it evolved over the years. He shared the interesting and adventurous part of his journey with us through the chapter love amongst the oppressed – in spite of all and showed photographs that presented aspects of black culture rather than aspects of oppression. The chapter Ghetto Love revealed pictures and story behind Jacob´s first marriage. A particularly interesting picture featured Jacob and Annie holding the South African consul´s baby during their wedding ceremony. Another fascinating story Jacob shared with us took place in 1977, when his book was published and the KGB revealed to him that it was their intention to use it in their campaign against President Carter in an effort to demonstrate that human rights were violated as much in America as Russia. Holdt hired his lawyer, Søren B. Henriksen, to stop his own book across the world except for in Germany, Holland and Scandinavia where they had already signed contracts with his Danish publisher; he managed to stop it and until the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, Jacob did not release the book again. Jacob told us of his escape behind the Iron Curtain to Poland, experiencing and seeing the real face of communism in everyday life and meeting people until he met his current wife and took her on an adventurous journey around the world! Due to him losing most of his expected income from his book, Jacob could not fulfil his desire of financing a hospital but his hard work, activism and efforts throughout the years enabled him to build a nursing school for the Namibian resistance group SWAPO in Angola. Among all others stories, photographs and thoughts Jacob shared with us with such a passion, he taught me one fundamental thing – if we want to change the world or at least play a small part in influencing it positively, we need to find the “freedom to be able to say yes; the freedom to throw yourself into the arms of every single person you meet.”