It was a well founded decision for me to go for the
option of Copenhagen as my destination for the study trip abroad within the
framework of the Global Social Work module. Why ? The care system in
Scandinavian countries is running ahead of our Dutch system and by comparing this
there is much to be learned.
After a short flight we landed at Copenhagen Kastrup airport
and immediately I noticed that on the one hand people looked different and on
the other hand that Denmark is a rich country. We smoothly transferred to our
base in Copenhagen Downtown Hostel, a hostel unlike many others,
characterized by creative decorations using vivid colours and wood, which enhance
its cosy and relaxed atmosphere.
Our first visit was to the municipality of Roskilde.
On arriving there, my immediate impression was that Roskilde is much different
from Copenhagen, much poorer in fact.
We went there to learn how Danish social workers
provide services to problem families and how they work with safety plans, a
method that turned out to compare well with the way Youth Care in the
Netherlands operates. These social workers take a problem solving attitude and apply
a number of methods to empower families to ensure that children can stay in
their nuclear families.
The next day Christiania was on the programme, a society within a society that started out as
a hippie commune in the seventies of the last century. As soon as I entered the
area I noticed the graffiti, the murals, the creative, liberated and relaxing
atmosphere. It was very interesting to observe how this community has developed
from a social experiment into a small free state, with “a green light district” and with all kinds of different
homes, designed by the people themselves. In this community each
individual has a role to play in taking care of the area and the wellbeing of
the community.
The day after this we went to Kofoedskole, an independent, non-profit humanitarian organization that provides
help in the shape of a school where jobless people learn a trade. People using
the service at Kofoed's School are called students rather than (service) users
or clients. Here all activities are geared towards enhancing self esteem and
personal development. Much of this is done by offering all kinds of workshops,
varying form car repair shop to learning Spanish. The aim is not just to help
the 3000 students but also to support them to take responsibility for their own
efforts. In order to increase their ability to act themselves, students working
in some of the workshops can use for example the Kofoeddollars they earn to buy
items such as food and drinks within the school canteen.
And then we went on to Projekt Udenfor, one of the few
outreach organisations based in Copenhagen. Projekt Udenfor is a private foundation which combines active social street work
with training and research in approaches to homelessness and social
marginalisation. They carry out practical social work on the street, to help homeless
people who for one reason or another have lost contact with the official social
security system and/or have lost their personal network and are not supported
in any other way. We heard a very inspiring story from a psychiatrist who had
now found his calling here in working with the homeless people.
Looking back on all these experiences, I can say that
it was a very educational and enjoyable study trip. Both the organisation as
well as the programme were very good. We were a highly motivated group of
students and the teaching staff that guided us during the trip were pleasant
company to be with. We’ve really been able to make good comparisons between
Copenhagen and Rotterdam. I’m glad we had this international experience.
Photo credits go to C. Numan
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