The education sector in Denmark has changed with the establishment of Lolland International School in Maribo, which this month has become the first municipal international school in Denmark ever!
To mark this significant development, HRH Crown Princess Mary officially opened the new school on August 24th!
Its opening has greatly expanded the international school choice for international and Danish families.
Lolland International School not only offers a free, internationally certified program, but is also the third school in Denmark to offer a fully bilingual (Danish / English) program to its families.
21st Century Odyssey
The fulfillment of a central strategic goal for my organization Globally Local has helped me to reflect on my own personal and professional journey towards creating a more global local Denmark.
I was born and raised in the USA, met my future Danish wife at the graduate school, moved to Denmark in 2011 and became a Danish citizen on Constitution Day (Constitution Day) in 2020. My story may sound very familiar to many foreigners who are in the home country of the , they love.
I arrived in Denmark without speaking a word of Danish, with a limited understanding of the culture and almost no network. In addition, I was acutely aware of switching from a purely foreign context to moving to my fiancé’s home country. This challenged my self-understanding and made me wonder if I would stand out in the expat bubble, assimilate or perhaps integrate into Danish society.
Bursts the bubble
For me, the goal was never to assimilate or, as I used to think, ‘become local Danish’ in the way I thought of it at the time.
My goal was authentic to integrate into Danish society: to learn and grow, contribute, challenge the status quo and ultimately make Denmark a more dynamic and inclusive place to live and work. This goal was and still is rooted in my firm belief that Danes and foreigners can inspire each other to help Denmark become an even larger society.
For me, authentic integration meant that I maintained my self-understanding as a global citizen while still being actively involved in the local community. I quickly found out that this approach would require me to step outside my comfort zone and face the fear of exclusion, insecurity and sounding like a two-year-old speaking Dane!
Persevere and thrive
I knew that standing in the gray space between the expat bubble and full assimilation required vulnerability. I had to keep coming out of the security of inclusion in the expat bubble and dare to learn a new language / culture, contribute as a full member of society and have the courage to challenge the status quo.
My personal efforts would not have been enough to integrate, if not for the wonderful Danes I have had the privilege of knowing, working with and calling friends who have themselves been vulnerable enough to include me, and have given me the social permission to learn, contribute, challenge, fail and succeed.
On my journey, I received the gift of learning the Danish language and an invitation to understand and contribute to Danish values that make the culture so great.
The capital of trust
When foreigners read about Denmark, it is often said that Denmark is the happiest country in the world, but this is just a slogan. What Denmark came to embody for me was centered on trust.
In my opinion, trust is the capital of Denmark, and Denmark is the world capital of trust. It is both trust between people and trust in institutions. This incredible asset is more than just the peace of mind you feel when you leave a stroller unattended outside, it is the mentality that governs daily interactions. I love the level of trust in Denmark and how it supports the social welfare model.
I love the democratic values, the emphasis on equality, freedom, coziness and equal justice for all. This is the Danish canon that I have come to learn and support.
Inspiring, inclusive, innovative
As a former international department head in Copenhagen, I worked on setting up the first fully Danish / English bilingual school program in Denmark. Danes and foreigners were able to move outside their comfort zones and break down the barriers to separation and assimilation.
We succeeded in creating a hybrid culture where authentic integration was possible for expats and ‘global Danish’ families, and where authentic internationalization was possible for Danes seeking a more global approach.
These basic principles support the purpose of my company Globally Local and Global Denmark Podcast, which I host. It always comes back to Danes and foreigners inspiring each other to create a more inclusive and innovative society.
So much potential
The education sector plays a key role in my company’s mission. An expanded choice for international and Danish families is not only a good thing to have, but more and more a reflection of the increasing demand for international education programs in Denmark.
With the need to attract and retain global talent as important as ever, and with more and more Danish / multi-ethnic families seeing the value of internationalization in education, the need is real. So while Lolland International School may be the first international municipal school, it certainly will not be the last.
A new market and new potential for Danish and international stakeholders has been created. For the first time in Denmark’s history, it is now possible for local municipalities to establish a free public international school opportunity for its international and Danish inhabitants. Thus, the opportunity to achieve local growth strategies has received a major boost nationally.
Values make the Dane
I used to think that to be Danish you had to be a native, have generations of family from Denmark, speak flawless Danish and have an understanding of any cultural practice down to a tee.
My time in this great country has taught me that I was wrong, as it really is the values you fight for that make a Dane. I believe these values are universal. Everyone can learn and promote them, regardless of whether they were born in Jutland or Philadelphia.
I know that I will always be a Danish-American. This duality, both in terms of citizenship but also in terms of self-understanding, is a by-product of my story. I believe that being Danish is both municipal in the form of common values, but unique to the individual history.
I hope that my journey can help inspire Danes and foreigners in Denmark to become more vulnerable and dare to inspire each other. I believe that if we do, together we can create a more inclusive, innovative and prosperous nation for future generations. A global local Denmark, if you will!