The Course in Short
“We’re all in this together. A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of” Nelson Mandela
Inspired by the above quote from Mandela, in this course, you will have the chance to try out your ideas and build your capacity to be able to live, study and work with other fellow colleagues anywhere in this interconnected world. You will discover and experience a sense of balance and wellbeing in the company of a diverse group of people with different backgrounds and perspectives. You will meet fellow youth from Denmark and from around the world and learn to co-generate smart projects for public good. You will have the chance to learn from and together with fellow youth from around the globe. This is because Crossing Borders is an interdisciplinary course designed for socially minded and globally oriented students from Denmark and from around the world.
- Introduction to the Nordic the welfare system, democracy and social justice
- A unique learning space for students to raise their awareness about the pressing issues of our time: individual wellbeing, cross-cultural communication and co-existence and cooperation
- Climate challenges, knowledge, innovation and actions
- Migration challenges and opportunities
- Dialogue space, communication and networking skills for active global citizenship
- Social competencies to seek understanding, communicate, connect and cooperate fellow youth from across borders
- Focus on key current global issues of our time
- Taught in English by a multicultural faculty
- Based on mutually complementing learning and action modules
- Solid expert introductory inputs, active student participation leading to concrete results, e.g. articles, short films, multimedia presentations, public actions, exhibitions, performances, and local or global initiatives
- Experiential learning through field visits to selected green and social enterprise initiatives in Denmark
- Study tours and exposure to Danish schools, public and civil society organizations and companies
By the end of the course, you will complete the following 9 modules:
- Cross-cultural communication and presentation skills in global context
- Introduction to Nordic Living focusing on the values social justice and gender equality and welfare system.
- The concept of globalization from different perspectives
- The 17 UN Global Goals for sustainable development
- The environment/climate and the impacts of human activities
- 12-day sustainable living study tour of sustainability initiatives: eco villages, urban sustainability (Berlin) and clean energy Samso island in Denmark.
- The power of the media and smart use of the social media
- Peace and Conflict transformation
- Social entrepreneurship project management
The main aim of the study-tour is to give Crossing Borders students a direct experience of the sustainable initiatives in the countryside, on Samso clean energy island and urban sustainability in Berlin. The tour will take the students to the most innovative eco-centers and cultural sites of interests in Ananda (anandaaaorii.dk), Samsø island: www.cbsnews.com
The study tour to Berlin explores urban sustainability including circular economy: crclr.org
Green fashion: greenfashiontours.com
Mimycri: the Berlin project where migrants upcycle refugee boats into bags: www.independent.co.uk
Inclusion gardens: www.bbc.com/
As the course focuses on the core, current global-issues of concern, you will experience sustainable living in-action where ordinary citizens, civil society organizations and towns and cities walk. We will meet, live and work with people who live in harmony with and not on their surrounding environment. Thus, we will live with the local people and participate in the everyday activities of these innovative ecovillages and renewable energy centres.
Come, meet the world and get a global perspective to explore the world with open eyes, mind and heart.
Payment
International students need to pay the entire tuition fee before the course starts. Students who need a visa to Denmark, need to pay tuition in full before the school can send them forms to apply for visa/student residence permit. The course cost covers room and board at the school as well as the 12-day study tour in the middle of the semester. If you opt for shorter course of 7 or 9 weeks, the travel costs are excluded.
If you decide to drop out before the course ends, you must pay the tuition for the time you stayed at the school plus four additional weeks. For students who need visa/residence permit, you will need to provide documentation from the Danish embassy that the visa has been cancelled.
In addition to the tuition:
- expect costs for 2-3 journeys round-trip journeys to Copenhagen as they are not included in the tuition fee of the course
- Finally, you will need to take care of your own pocket money for the duration of the stay.
Welcome to Nordfyns Højskole
Nordfyns is one of 70 folk high schools in Denmark, but it is special in that it was founded by a Japanese enthusiast Tadao Chiba, who came to Denmark more than 50 years ago. Since then Nordfyns has been an international folk high school welcoming student from all over the world to study here. In the multicultural environment, students meet a variety of people, lifestyles, hopes and dreams for the future. All students strive for creating a better life in a better world.
Therefore, we offer subjects and a learning community that will produce new ways of living personally and in the “global village”. Here you can learn with your heart, your brain, your hands and your body. This holistic learning will be qualifying you for the future – you shape your future and “you will be the change; you want to see”
Studying in a new country is both exciting and challenging at the same time, particularly if this is your first time living abroad. Thus, we want to make this transition as smooth as possible. It is therefore important you fill out the information on the application form clearly. After you fill out the application form, you will first receive a confirmation email containing all the information you filled out. When you have been accepted to the course, we will send you admission letter with the bank details to pay the tuition. Once, we received the tuition, we will send you the forms to apply for student residence permit. Finally, we will send you an official welcome letter with practical information: start date and program, as well as life at the school and in Denmark.
You are responsible for making your visa application, travel arrangements and insurance for your stay. Depending on your country of origin, different rules apply for residing in Denmark. The Danish Folk High School website offers in-depth information on rules and regulations.
Remember, you are always welcome to email: garba@nordfyns.nu
STUDENT LIFE
Life at a folk high school – the sky is the limit
Nordfyn Højskole (folk high school) is a nonformal public body, operating under the Danish Ministry of Culture. The aim of the school is to offer students both from Denmark and around the world nonformal education based on the ideals of life-long learning.
The goal of this education is to broaden learners ‘horizons and deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them as enlighten active citizens. It is a residential school where students and staff live and have a conducive learning and compassionate community space.
This space enables the students to learn to live under the same roof, eat around the same table, study and take part in study tours both in Denmark and abroad together. This enables the students to share knowledge and exchange ideas about pressing personal and global issues of our time. Thus, to study at a folk high school requires engagement, responsibility and development of social competences.
The school has a humanistic view of human nature, where all people are equal irrespective of gender, ethnic, religious or social background. Here unity in diversity is the rule, not the exception.
To further the self-worth and personal developing potentials of each individual, we give priority to the development of the multiple intelligences and international understanding of the students. We focus on people who prefer learning in a unified perspective. Our motto is: “Wise in many ways”.
The body is important in relation to attitude, feelings and self-confidence. Therefore, we follow the motto: “A sound mind in a sound body”.
We will combine individuality, being together and professionalism so that the human qualities of each individual student is respected and grows and, at the same time practice the art of being together in an atmosphere where education and manners are an assumption of each other.
Our aim is that individuality shall not develop into self-sufficiency and selfishness. We shall avoid that being together is experienced as being estranged. The intention is to support the students’ personal development in a social environment that will make them conscientious of their co-responsibility to communities in society.
“As the leader of Crossing Borders, I have unique opportunity to interact with youth from around the globe and to learn to see the world through their different backgrounds and perspectives. In their stories, I have learned to see seeds of peace in the global challenges. I have come to believe that cultural diversity is as necessary as the biological diversity of the universe. Having such a multicultural group living under the same roof, studying, working in teams and traveling together seems to be the key to learning to live together on equal terms, which is the key to peaceful coexistence.”
Garba Diallo