Denmark seeks to make itself seem less desirable to migrants. Because of this they have a strict immigration policy. They also strive to create incentives for migrants already in Denmark to work. These goals are achieved through polocies. Lowering social benefits for migrants, enforcing strict language requirements to enter Denmark, continuous improvement of danish skills to help migrant workers join the danish workforce, and shorter deadlines for asylum seekers to stay in the country. This is caused by their center-right government of 2015-2016 which implemented a total of 47 policies regarding migrants.

What I took away most from our speaker was that he suggested that we all go out of our comfort zone in life because it can lead to many wonderful experiences. I think an assumption I had about refugees was that they were miserable because they had to leave their home country. I think this opened my eyes because although of course he did not want to leave Afghanistan and was sad to have to leave, he talked all about the many wonderful experiences he has had in other countries and how he has enjoyed getting to learn about all of those different cultures. I have always wanted to travel the world and in college that desire has only grown. However, I have always felt discouraged because of the money and time you need to do so, as well as the fact it takes a lot of mental and physical energy to travel. Hearing from him really inspired me to do it even though it is hard and to really get out of my comfort zone like he said. Thinking back over my life I think that the best and most memorable things I have done have been when I stepped out of my comfort zone. I think that sometimes life forces us to do things we are uncomfortable with, and even though they are really hard, there are still silver linings.

 I also found it so interesting to learn about how different “asylum seekers” are treated in the US vs. Refugees that are not asylum seekers.  I never knew how much more difficult it is to start a life here if you are not under the asylum seeker label, I guess I assumed all refugees were offered the same resources. It was interesting to learn this is not the case.

Sources:

“Could the Current Strict Danish Migration Policy Serve as an Example for the EU, or Does It Undermine a Common EU Migration Approach?” European Futures, 19 Jan. 2022, www.europeanfutures.ed.ac.uk/could-the-current-strict-danish-migration-policy-serve-as-an-example-for-the-eu-or-does-it-undermine-a-common-eu-migration-approach/#:~:text=Denmark%2C%20a%20relatively%20homogeneous%20country,already%20in%20Denmark%20to%20work.

Food is a basis of survival. It is necessary to be able to live our lives and yet so many do not know what or when their next meal will be. I am very fortunate to be able to say I grew up not having to worry about if I was going to be able to eat my next meal. I am very grateful for that. I know a lot of people in the US and especially in other countries in the world cannot say the same. Having come to college I have learned more about food production and consumption in a few different classes. I have learned that we have more than enough food (calories) in the world, the issue is maldistribution and the actually quality of the calories being eaten. Many places also waste a lot of food. For example at the university of Oregon people constantly waste food. We get served standardized big [portions that most people don’t eat all of. And there is not even a compost to put the waste in, it goes directly in the trash which is the worst way to dispose of food waste. I know that my food waste for any once meal does not directly impact other peoples food insecurity across other countries. But the maldistribution of food leaves snout 1 billion people starved and 1 billion people stuffed. Meaning over 1 billion people suffer from food insecurity while 1 billion others suffer from obesity or too many calories that they intake from food.

Specifically in Denmark as of 2018 according to the article Food insecurity in Denmark-socio-demographic determinants and associations with eating- and health-related variables, the “prevalence of low and very low food security was 6.0% and 2.4%, respectively.” There is not a lot of food insecurity in Denmark compared to many other countries.

Lund TB, Holm L, Tetens I, Smed S, Nielsen AL. Food insecurity in Denmark-socio-demographic determinants and associations with eating- and health-related variables. Eur J Public Health. 2018 Apr 1;28(2):283-288. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckx121. PMID: 29020375.

We decided to do a research project on civic education as it was something we were all interested in. Our project will examine how civic education is taught in Scandinavia. We each decided to focus on a specific country within the area and compare and contrast our findings. We were all fascinated by the happiness levels present in Denmark and other parts of Scandinavia. We also all have some heritage residing from there and thought it would be interesting to learn more about their ways of life. We will unpack the styles of government and types of schooling, and then we will discuss how this contributes to the success of active citizenship. We want to understand how their residents are so happy and if their mental health correlates with education and citizenship.

I am going to look specifically at Denmark. My great grandparents are from Denmark and Norway and growing up I often did research projects on one of the two countries. They have always seemed like wonderful places to live, and I wanted to further research aspects of the culture to try to understand why. I have not researched their civic education system before this project so I am enjoying learning about it.

Some of our preliminary findings are that Scandinavia is one of the regions of the world that uses a lot of their resources to benefit their schools. This academic journal covers the overarching ideals of civic engagement with classrooms. “In Denmark, Norway, and Sweden the aim is not only to train the students’ skills and enhance their knowledge of democracy, but also to create a context in which the students gain experience of self-dependence in social, political, and democratic processes.” This study focuses on democratization of the primary school, students’ political self confidence and self-belief and how students can engage not only in politics at the national level but also the local levels in their schools.

This academic journal analyzes the impacts of the schooling environment and civic education in Scandinavia. The journal is based on historical and secondary analysis of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS). With the help from this academic journal, we can explore the research and look into Scandinavia as a whole instead of by each country. This may give us a more holistic view of the research question and our understanding of civic education in Scandinavia.

I have also learned that Denmark Civic and Citizenship Education (CCE) is based on a whole school approach. This means it entails a combination of cross-curriculum, curricular, and non-curricular elements. The way school principals implement CCE depends on what they value most of the specific components. By tradition Denmark employs relatively progressive education and emphasizes personal and cultural maturation in the process of human development and this concept is at the center of the CCE system there. This article is helpful because it gives a nice overview on the Danish CCE and its values it promotes. I know it is reliable because it is a chapter from a published book Influences of the IEA Civic and Citizenship Education Studies.

Both authors have taken part in many credible studies and are educated in psychology and civic education and were a part of the IEA. The “IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) is an international cooperative of national research institutions, governmental research agencies, scholars, and analysts working to research, understand, and improve education worldwide.” I am excited to continue researching and learning more.

Sources:

 Bruun, Jens. (2021). Civic and Citizenship Education in Denmark 1999–2019: Discourses of Progressive and Productive Education. 10.1007/978-3-030-71102-3_5.

Democratic Experience and the Democratic Challenge: A Historical and Comparative Citizenship Education Study of Scandinavian Schools. B Lieberkind, Jonas.