Description

Denmark is a small country (approximately 5.4 million people) that has a lot to offer within easy reach: beautiful landscapes, informal culture, modern cities, and a large physical presence - its easily recognizable peninsula juts straight into the North Sea, serving as a literal bridge between Scandinavia and continental Europe! A continuous stream of cultures have gone back and forth over this land bridge for hundreds of years (including the Vikings), making the country an integral part of European history. Today, it is a member of the European Union and prides itself on its highly developed public schools, higher education, and health services. The climate is temperate with mild summers and snowy winters.

Highlights

Year High School Program:

Spend a full academic year in Denmark! Before leaving students will have a gateway orientation in New York to prepare them for their departure. From New York all the AFS USA students will leave for Copenhagen where they will have a four day welcome orientation about the Danish language and culture. After the four days students will go to their host family and spend a week getting to know them before school starts. These host families and schools could possibly be in Greenland, as it is a territory of Denmark. Throughout the year students are to go to school and possibly come and participate in activities put on by AFS to make the year even better.

Semester Community Service:

Take this chance to share in and contribute to the life of a Danish community by living and working alongside its members in a community-based service organization.

You'll pitch in as needed and learn about the Danish culture at the same time. Placements include helping with social programs, teaching children, working in kindergartens, assisting the elderly, working in environmental projects, improving public health, or taking part in a Danish folk high school (a unique Danish concept for lifelong learning). Depending on what work you do, you might live with a host family or at the project.

Projects are often in the social/educational area but other types of projects - i.e. environmental or cultural projects - are also available. Some projects have a combination of work in a school in the morning and work in a leisure time club in the afternoon (most kids spend their afternoons in such clubs). In leisure time clubs children can do various leisure time activities, such as sports, drama, other creative activities, etc.

Denmark also has unique institutions called Højskoler which are lifelong learning schools for young people and adults. Participants who are placed at these schools will live in dormitory apartments at the school during the week, that way they can take part in the activities offered at the school in their spare time. Participants staying at the schools will spend time during the weekend with their weekend host families.

Qualifications

- Be within the program age range at the start of the program. Refer to website.
- Have a minimum 2.8 GPA
- Be in good mental, physical and emotional health.

Languages

• Danish

Cost in US$:

Refer to AFS-USA Website

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• International travel
• Medical insurance
• Pre-departure orientation/Training

Program Fees Include:

- Professional guidance and support throughout the entire application and program
- Placement with a carefully selected volunteer host family
- Placement with a host school
- Round-trip international travel
- Orientations prior to departure and after your arrival
- Comprehensive secondary medical insurance
- Visa information
- Access to a support network that includes AFS Professional Staff in the U.S. and your host country, plus thousands of trained volunteers worldwide.
- 24-hour emergency assistance

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

This Program is open to

American Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Application Process Involves

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Transcript

Typically The Application Process Time is

varies

AFS Intercultural Programs/USA's Mission Statement

AFS Intercultural Programs is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, non-profit organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. AFS Intercultural Programs is a leader in intercultural learning and offers international exchange programs in over 50 countries around the world through independent, not-for-profit AFS organizations, each with a network of volunteers, a professionally staffed office, and headed up by a volunteer board.

Year Founded

1947