vss 2013 herald 3

VSS Herald April 2013 1 VSS 2013 July 21st to 26th

INGA

THE VSS HERALDApril 2013


EFILVOLUNTEERSUMMERSUMMIT

DENMARK

2013july 21st to 26th

in RANUM

! When we started the preparation of the VSS 2013, we first thought about the theme. It was important, because we needed something big, something interesting, something that would be different than the previous edition of the Volunteer Summer Summit. Then we realised that if we wanted to do something different, we had to continue with what was done last year.! In Latvia, something crazy happened in a sauna (and it’s not what you’re thinking about) with a crazy portugese trainer that did a workshop about sustainability. This workshop was so amazing that the participants asked the prep team of this year’s summer summit to have a more sustainable event.! OK! Nice! How can we do this? That was a debate, not as long as the t-shirts colors obviously, but still, a very important one. Some ideas came up, and I can’t remember who brought up the idea of a bus trip ! Come on?! Are you serious?! A bus? Going all the way from Lisbon to Ranum? What? Two buses? one from Lisbon? The other one from Istanbul? That was a crazy idea, probably the craziest, no hold on, yeah we have something crazier, but you’ll see that in Ranum.! So Let’s go back to this Bus Trip idea. It was 4 months ago, the temperature was below 0 C° and the sky was dark. Now the sun is slowly showing up, temperatures are mostly over 10C° and you, participants of the EFIL Volunteer Summer Summit 2013, are now thinking about “Where should I take the VSS bus?“ or maybe wondering about “Who is gonna be on that bus?“ or last but not least “Where should I click to go on that bus !“ ! A crazy idea, for a crazy prep team, but remember this “Only the one who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that will do“

EDITOby Joshua Fitoussi

WHAT’S IN IT ?

EDITO

WELCOME TO DENMARK

Page 4

AFS DENMARKPage 11

THE VSS KITCHEN TEAMPage 12

DANISH CUISINEPage 22

THE VSS BUS TRIPPage 23

INFORMATIONSPage 24


WELCOME TO DENMARK

"Denmark is a Scandinavian country,

but not a very Scandinavian country!"

"If Scandinavia is a ball of rice pudding, Denmark is the 'smørhul' - the golden hollow in the middle filled with butter"

" D a n e s a r e o l y m p i c

drinkers - it even says so

in Hamlet"

“Danes co-operate. LEGO derives from the Danish for “play well” and this is just what Danes are good at”

April 2013 - Efil Summer SummitDenmark - VSS HERALD

www.efilsummersummit.org/2013


A HOW TO GUIDE TO DENMARK

by Charlotte Klinting & Tea Christensen

"Danes think of their neighboring countries as they would of members of their family - Denmark is the baby sister, who's idea of fun occasionally shocks"

"The Danes who cannot fly flags out of doors

have mini flagpoles as part of their table

decorations for high days and holidays"

"There is really only two things Danes envy other nations: one is warm winters, and the other is beautiful language""Hygge is the art of creating

intimacy: a sense of comradeship, conviviality and contentment rolled into one"

"A Dane will tell you frankly how much

their mortgage is, how much they earn

per hour and whether or not they shave

their armpits"

Extract from Xenophobe's Guide to the Danes by Helen Dyrbye, Steven Harris and Thomas Golzen (Oval Books, London, 2008


How to be like a DaneDanish guys and girls have quite distinct styles and looks. If you want to blend into the crowd during your stay in Denmark, here are few tips:Firstly, you must wear dark or black clothes. This does not mean that we are boring people, but we are simplistic in design and like things that can fit with anything. The only item of color you will definitely find on most people is a bright colored Fjällräven backpack, which is every student's must-have. A Danish girl will always wear a big scarf and guys favor hipster glasses, even if they don't need them. Girls need to

s p e n d n o t i m e whatsoever on their hair a n d l o o k completely styled, while guys must l o o k l i k e they have just rol led

out of bed, but must spend hours achieving this look. You may also notice that most people around you are blond, and if they are not

n a t u r a l l y, they dye it, so there is no shame i n t h a t ! When you are now on the train on the way to

the VSS venue or to Copenhagen, remember not to smile or make eye contact with anyone! And don't be upset, if no one makes contact, we just like our personal space. Danes may be the least viking-y of all the Vikings, as a Dane will be used to many

different kinds of weather and we have an odd relationship with the cold. Either you respect the cold and wear sensible shoes and coats, or you wear shorts all year round and practice winter bathing. So choose what you prefer! The final thing you will need to complete the picture is an old, rusty, ugly bike to take you around the streets of Copenhagen, looking at the little Danish flags on the busses on the birthday of a member of the royal family, going by Tivoli, which is not just an entertainment park, but part of our cultural heritage and a magical element in our childhood.


Danish society may be hard to unders tand f rom an outs ider ’s perspective. Why would anyone (more or less) willingly hand over more than 60% of his or her paycheck to the state? We are a welfare state, where almost all services are provided for free - through taxes. It is because we believe in social protection and equality for everyone and when you pay towards it, you also get the benefits. We may sound l i ke we are a community-centered society, but actually we are very individualistic, but with the values that make us seek consensus and inclusion. So, in order to integrate into the Danish society it is important to understand how the welfare works and contribute towards it. We like conformity and live in a society, which is summed up in a social concept called "Laws of Jante". The core of this idea is that anyone who sets himself above the rest of the group will be knocked off his perch.

Being average is respectable and even desirable. Politically, we are so conform that most 'right-thinking' people end up having the same opinions, and what may be seen as liberal or conservative for us, is downright socialist anywhere else (for more information on the Danish political life, watch the TV-series Borgen ) . I t 's a lso important to remember that we are a combination of informal and punctual. We may call our teacher by his first name, but we will do everything we can to be on time and should we know of a 5-minute delay, we will inform whoever is waiting.

How to be a Danish AFSer

How to integrate with the Danes

Fun fact: even though Denmark is a very small country, we have around 30 local chapters (including Greenland and Faroe Islands).In Denmark everyone is member of one organization or other. We have very strong life and identity within our associations, and AFS Denmark is no different. AFS Denmark is first and foremost volunteer based, as any other AFS organization, but in Denmark young volunteers are independently in

charge of planning, coordinating and carrying our national and regional camps, with only support from the office when (money is) needed. A Danish volunteer learns very quickly how to be a trainer, coordinator and active in local and national activities. There are many social traditions and activities linked to being a volunteer, which contributes to a strong volunteer base - we enjoy themed parties, costumes, celebrating holidays and getting to


know each other through energizers, games and social activities at the AFS office, where we spend most of our time. Danish volunteers are lucky, because we have an AFS office that lets us use their space for meetings and fun, we have an attic filled with everything we need for our camps, and we always cook ourselves. To be a Danish AFSer you must be able to take

responsibility, you cannot be shy and you must enjoy the following: being social, sleeping on the floor of our schools during the camps, frying loads of bacon and hanging out at an office space, and of course tolerate walking up and down the stairs when we load all our equipment into the van!

How to piss off a DaneThere are many ways of pissing the Danes off, but to make it easy for you we have gathered a couple of things you can do when you enter the Danish society, to make sure you really get on our nerves. A good way of pissing us off is by asking, “How are you?” It is a big joke that English-speaking people ask this question in passing with no intention of stopping and listening to the response. If you want to make a friend, ask this question when you have 5-10 minutes to spare. Ask it just in greeting and the Danes will probably think you are the most insincere person on the planet. As far as Scandinavian languages go, Danish is considered the most difficult to learn. There has been recent speculation that even the Danes do not understand each other. Danes speak English. You know we speak

English. We know you know we speak English. So attempting to order your latte in Danish is perceived by your impossibly chic barista as an unnecessary awkwardness that can easily be avoided. She rarely hears her language spoken by foreigners, and it is easier for her to switch to English than it is to try to understand your accent. So if you want to be sure to get on our nerves refuse the English and order your vee-ner-brawd (a Danish pastry) with confidence. Demand the right to speak the language!Like all other aspects of Danish society, bike etiquette is designed to operate like a well-oiled machine. All anticipated actions should be signalled! Fail to signal and you will trigger a chain reaction of last-minute breaking and a string of surprisingly violent hisses from passing bikers.


Finally, you can be certain to piss off a lot of Danes, if you act like a human at the grocery store. The Danes are grocery store robots. Maybe it is because shopping is one of the few public situations in which we are forced to cooperate in close proximity. But we expect things to go smoothly without having to speak or make eye contact with anyone. To piss us off simply refuse to play the Danes silent game as you gather your groceries. Do not allow yourself to be shouldered out of the way. Do not move

until the Danes are forced to mutter undskyld (excuse me). Look us in the eye and smile before stepping aside. Acknowledge our existence, and demand to be acknowledged in return. Approach the register. This is where the game gets serious, and you cannot falter for a second if you hope to maintain your place in line. And do not be deterred by the fact that the person behind you is practically on top of you, mirroring your every inch forward as though their life depended on it. Stand your ground.


How to get to know a DaneA lot of foreigners often complain that it is very hard to get to know the Danes, because we at first seem very reserved and cold in our attitude. That does not mean that we are all just a bunch of unsympathetic a*****, it just means that we

do not want to intrude in other people’s personal space, and we make you try a little harder. We have a saying that people from the South are like peaches, whereas Danes are like coconuts. Southern people are very easy to get close to, they are your friends right away, but it is extremely hard to get all the way into their core. Danes on the other hand is very hard to get close to, we like to avoid superficiality and you have to work hard to bust the coconut shell open, but once you are in there we truly

embrace you and you have a friend for life. The trick is to get in there. Respec t ou r pe rsona l space, but still show us genuine interest – you might have to make the first move. As said before, do not ask us how we are if you do not have the time to hear what we have to say. Sharing a beer or a cup of coffee is always a good way to start pounding on that coconut-shell. And if you show interest in the Danish “hygge” (does not translate to English well, but comes close to cosiness and contentment), you are sure to get points for taking interest in one of our most treasured social commodities. So if you pound on that coconut little by little, you will find the Danes to be open, helpful and humorous.

How to drink like a DaneSo, you properly think that if you want to drink like a Dane, you should reach for the beer, but a matter of fact is, that if you want to drink like a Dane you should start by drinking coffee. A lot of coffee. The average Dane drinks about 4 cups of coffee a day, which makes the Danes some of the most coffee-drinking people in the world.

That said there is something to it about Danes and our beers. Be careful with this step, since it takes time to get used to drink beer like a Dane, and it can be both dangerous and embarrassing to try to keep up with a Dane, i f you do not have the practise. A beer is something to share, a n d w e h a v e a l o t o f occasions where a beer is

welcomed, whether it is a Saturday night with your mates, at Christmas- and Easter dinners or celebrating that it is yet again Thursday. Most importantly, embrace our beer-related traditions such as the semi-national holiday where the Christmas beer is released and we all wait patiently in bar as the countdown reaches 9pm. So as said in “How to get to know a Dane”, share a beer with us and you will properly get a little closer to busting our “coconut” open.

Skål!


AFS DENMARK

AFS Interkultur Denmark is the oldest, Danish organisation of international youth exchange. The organisation counts more than 3500 members spread around the Danish continent in 31 Local Chapters. host families and volunteers.

The cornerstone of AFS Denmark is the volunteers. Annually, around 300 individuals are involved in AFS activities apart from the exchange students. They work dedicated and wholeheartedly towards maintaining the stability AFS Denmark is known for. They are in charge of planning, coordinating and carrying out of several camps with support from the secretary when needed. They have the responsibility to improve education quality, which is why they also

organise domestic education camps as Lederuddannelsen and, the more internationally recognized one, Uddannelsesbazaren – on which just as dedicated volunteers are in charge of the kitchen!

Within the international arena, AFS Denmark has been represented at all of the VSS camps by an increasing number of volunteers – as participants, preparation team members, and trainers. Now the time has come to move the VSS to Denmark, which is a task that the organisation as a whole takes pride in fulfilling. If you want to know more about AFS Denmark feel free to have a look at our website (we'd

recommend google translate if you don't understand

Danish :-)).


THE VSS KITCHEN TEAMby the Kitchen Team

Every year at the VSS we u s u a l l y h a v e t h e trainers-, support- and prepteam. But this year w e a r e

introducing a new team for the first time in the VSS history: The Kitchen Team! Beware that this is perhaps the most

important of all the teams, since they will

be in charge of preparing all the meals at the summit. In AFS Denmark we t r a d i t i o n a l l y h a v e kitchen teams consisting

of volunteers at all the AFS camps. So, while

participants are d o i n g

energizers and reflexion e x e r c i s e s , s o m e volunteers are peeling (many!) potatoes in the kitchen. Usually the food turns out great, so we thought that you as participants

at the VSS, should have

the same opportunity to eat home-cooked food during the whole camp. Tha t ’s why we pu t t o g e t h e r a v e r y handsome and talented

team to take care of this!

In Denmark we are very proud that the w o r l d ’ s b e s t restaurant, “Noma”, i s l o c a t e d i n C o p e n h a g e n .

“Noma” serves “New N o r d i c ”

gourmet dinners, based only on produce found in the Nord ic Count r ies , costing around 200 € per person! You can of course expect the same focus on Danish cuisine and the same gourmet experience at the

VSS.We will even provide a

cookbook with the best dishes after the VSS. Then you'll be able to p r e p a r e a l l t h e de l ic ious food a t home!

We are looking forward to feed you all at the VSS.

Best of luck until then!

The VSS Kitchen Team


Astrid Enslev Vestergård23 years old

What do you do when you're not cooking? Studying

engineering

If you were to open your own restaurant, what kind of food would it serve? Brunch food and delicious café style snack

food.

Describe you favourite danish dish: I am not the greatest fan of traditional Danish food, it is too heavy for me. But if I had to

choose one I would say meat balls in curry.

Fun fact about yourself: I'm a sucker for boybands!

Where and when did you go on an exchange? I

went to a small island out side of Seattle, WA, USA i

2005-2006


Bjarke Rix Rasmussen29 years old

I attend University of Copen What do you do when you're

not cooking?When I’m not cooking in the

kitchen, I work as a lawyer for the city of Copenhagen

Fun fact about yourselfMy girlfriend tells me that there is nothing fun about

me !

Where did you do your AFS exchange?

I went on exchange back in 2001 in a small town called

Yuba City up in north California. It’s a hot and interesting place

where you find orchids with lots plums and rice fields

Describe your favourite Danish Dish

My favourite Danish dish would be fish eggs from lumpfish

served with toasted rye bread, finely chopped red onions, lemons and creme fraiche

If you were to open your own restaurant, what kind of food

would it serve?If I had the choice my restaurant would serve good, no fuss food,

such as moules frites, steak frites and something with lemons, I like lemons a lot


Kasper Jepsen25 years old

What do you do when you're not cooking? I spend a lot of time playing “da bass.” I play both the double bass and the electric. I also travel a lot and

sometimes keep the dancefloor cooking with my superb DJ'ing

skills.

Describe you favourite danish dish: I looove

gravy. In Denmark you often get over-boiled

potatoes, that taste very boring. Fortunately you

can put gravy (consisting of cream and fat) on

them and then all potatoes tastes delicious!

Where and when did you go on an exchange? The Dominican Republic in

2003/2004

Fun fact about yourself: I love coffee. Especially good quality,

fresh grind coffee.

If you were to open your own restaurant, what kind of food would it serve? Definitely Thai-food! I spend one year with my family in Thailand when I was a

kid.


What do you do when you're not cooking?

I am studying sociology at University of Copenhagen. Since 2008 I have been a volunteer in

AFS, mainly for the hosting chapter where I have organized

camps and been a trainee at camps. This is my second EFIL

VSS.

Describe you favourite Danish dish:

Open sandwiches with a lot of awesome toppingIf you were to open your own

restaurant, what kind of food would it serve?

I would only serve ‘the meal of the day’, which should be

characterized by being simple food made by the best

ingredients. One day it could be Indian food the other day it

could be traditional Danish food. Nothing fancy just delicious.

Where and when did you go on an exchange?

I am one of the few who have never travelled with AFS

Kira Solveig Larsen21 years old

Fun fact about yourself:I play basketball and I have never seen myself as being

small at all, but I am actually only 1.64 meter tall.


What do you do when you're not cooking? I am a master student in

Innovation Management at Copenhagen Business School. Working part time as student

assistant at IBM Denmark. In AFS I have been volunteering since 2003

and tried almost everything including local chapter, coordinator of sending team, trainer and board

member.

Describe you favourite danish dish: Really difficult to choose just one. Maybe

homemade frikadeller (meatballs) or fried pork

skin with parsley gravy. In Danish: “stegt flæsk med

persillesovs”. If you pronounce it right, then I will

make for you!!

Fun fact about yourself: I am completely unable to follow a

recipe…

Where and when did you go on an exchange? Campos dos

Goytacazes, Brasil, 2002/2003

If you were to open your own restaurant, what kind of food would it serve? The restaurant

would probably be a fusion kitchen primarily preparing traditional

Danish food (as my mother would serve it) combined with Cajun style

cooking.

Lars Andersen27 years old


Lars Overgaard Paven 27 years old

What do you do when you're not cooking? This spring, I´m

finally doing my erasmus in Valencia, Spain. Playing the uke, organizing pub quizzes, working on my dj-skills and running like a maniac when I´m not trying to cleanse my inbox of Salto emails.

If you were to open your own restaurant, what kind of food would it serve? In all honesty, I would probably focus more on the music being played than the actual food in the restaurant. But

it would most likely be a new nordic approach to thai food,

tapas and tartelets.

Where and when did you go on an exchange? Honduras

(Tegucigalpa), 02/03

Fun fact about yourself: My nostrils have the quite rare and distinct anatomical feature that I can attach several toothpicks to

the front of them. I usually employ this nice little trick when

I´m dating.

Describe you favourite danish dish: On the 7th day, God didn’t rest. He

made tartelets. The classical version entails a

creamy substance of chicken and asparages served in a sort of puff

pastry and garnished with chopped parsley.


Rasmus Poulsen26 years Old


I guess I’m just one of those people who’s always got

something cookin’.

Describe you favourite Danish dish:

You take the skin off a full-grown pig. Then you cut it in slices, boil it and then lastly you fry it in the oven with plenty of salt. Then you have my favourite Danish

snack “flæskesvær”!


would it serve?I love slow cooked food, so that would of course dominate the

menu!

Fun fact about yourself:I once cooked 800 kg of spareribs

in less than 5 hours!


Minnesota, USA in 2003/2004


Thomas Rix Rasmussen22 years old


I eat. Besides that, I work in the Royal Danish Airforce, where I am a teacher in a number of

different disciplines. I do a lot of Crossfit (A sport/way of

working out) which gives me happiness, physical challenges

and satisfies my need for competition. Friends and

family are an equally big part of my life

Fun fact about myself:I have read all the Harry Potter

books to a minimum of 9 times, of which number three, The Prisoner of Azkaban, has

been read 13 times.


would it serve?It would be serving Paleo

(Stone-age food). That is my way of life, which has helped me and my health in amazing ways. I would love to spread

the word of Paleo and possibly help somebody with

their health!


In 2008/2009 I went to the extraordinary country of Peru. Home of Pisco, potatoes and llamas (probably/possibly)Fun fact about yourself?

I own a time-turner, but I somehow Describe your

favorite danish dish:Well that is not easy to

answer. I guess 'Frikadeller', which is a

kind of meatball and is a very typical thing for the

typical danish family.


DANISH CUISINE AT THE VSSby the Kitchen Team

At the Summer Summit, the kitchen will do their outmost to give the participants the best possible experience of home cooked food. This will be done through a variety of initiatives focused on giving participants new experiences with food along with giving them the chance to taste some unique Danish cooking. Two days at the VSS will have a theme: One will focus on vegetarian food and one on Danish cuisine. At the Summer Summit the goal is for cultures and traditions from all over the world to meet. We realise that this is also a challenge for the kitchen. This summer Ramadan will overlap with the Summer Summit. Cooking ourselves, we will be able to take this into account. Furthermore, we will also be aware of the different allergies and

other special needs participants have stated in their application – so make sure to let us know what your needs and constrains are.And finally – we will spoil all of you with a cookbook with recipes and pictures of our favourite dishes from the Summer Summit! We will make sure to include the best Danish dishes so YOU can go home and share the magnificent Danish cuisine with others!

Danish cooking dayIn order to give you all a proper introduction to traditional Danish food, we have decided to dedicate one day during the VSS to it. During this day we will challenge your open-mindedness towards our traditional food, so we hope you will be curious to try something different. The kitchen crew shares a strong passion for old-fashioned Danish cooking, which you will be able to tell from the menu. But we will also try to experiment with some more modern interpretations of classic Danish food and ingredients as our attempt to introduce “New Nordic” food to the VSS participants. Without revealing too much, here are some of the keywords to wake your appetite: Potatoes, cabbage, pork and open face sandwich.

Vegetarian dayOne of the initiatives on the Summer Summit arranged by the kitchen crew is the vegetarian day. This day will be in contrast to the Danish food day a day where no single chicken will have sacrificed its life for the food that will be served! Even though the kitchen team insists of meat lovers, we are very good at cooking vegetarian meals as well. This day will have a more international approach and include dishes such as quiche, salad, bread which will add up to a great buffet where everyone will find something (s)he likes, as well as something new.


THE VSS BUS TRIP by Tinna Sveinsdottir

5 Reasons to travel to Ranum on the VSS Bus:

1. Be sustainable – your carbon footprint will be much smaller if you come by bus than if you come by plane.

2. Make new AFS friends – you will have plenty of time to get to know your fellow travelers are you drive through Europe.

3. See Europe by road – there will be no clouds blocking your view.

4. Spend a night in Germany – If you get on the bus before Germany you will spend on night in Cologne or Berlin.

5. Have fun – the trip is bound to be great fun as we drive through Europe picking up AFSers along the way.

Already many participants have signed up for the bus. In order to make the whole idea come true 40 participants must sign up for each route. The prep team hopes that volunteers across Europe will take part in this new and exciting idea and help us make it come true and help the environment.

The Lisbon RouteLisbonSalamancaSan SebastianBordeauxParisCharleroiKölnBremenHamburgRanum

Budapest Bratislava/Vienna

PragueDresden

BerlinHamburg

KoldingBillundRanum

The Budapest Route


Official homepage:

http://efilsummersummit.org/2013/

EFIL Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/vss2013?ref=ts&fref=ts

VSS Sunflower Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/vss.sunflower?fref=ts

Videos:

http://vimeo.com/groups/174421

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/vssdenmark

Questions can also be referred to [email protected]

How to quench your information thirstby Tinna Sveinsdottir

IN THE NEXT ISSUE ...

MEET THE TRAINERS

More about the VSS THEME, more about the program, the ownership of VSS, and last but not least...















mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Oh and one more thing...What if we add a bit more color to this VSS?


Text : Tinna Sveinsdottir - The Support Team - Annika Menke - Joshua Fitoussi

Design : Joshua FitoussiPictures : Joshua Fitoussi - Inga Menke - Support Team

April 2013 - Efil Summer SummitDenmark - VSS HERALD

www.efilsummersummit.org/2013

vss 2013 herald 3

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