Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Nordic Education Special – Danish Højskoler
Mind the gap year Here is one gap not to be avoided. Vejle Sports School is where young people from Denmark and all over the world come to improve skills and gain a clearer idea of the future. By Thomas Bech Hansen | Photos: Vejle Sports School
Imagine you have finished high school, or similar, and the world is your oyster. But what should you make of it? How should you express yourself and put your talents to use? These are some of the questions an increasing number of students come to Vejle Sports School to find answers to. “Most often, people come here to have an experience, as part of a break, a gap year, to develop personal competences and better understand what the next steps in life should or could be with regards to career, studies and so on. And of course, they like to do lots of sports,” says Dina Knudsen, communications officer at Vejle Sports School, where the last couple of years have seen the number of international students rise from 15 to 30, with Danish students up from around 80 to 100.
International students can now look forward to Danish lessons as part of their course. “Our international students have asked for it, and they get a perfect platform for learning Danish. While Danish is the main language, we offer a mix of English subjects or Danish lessons, which are translated,” says Dina Knudsen.
30+ SPORTS SUBJECTS Vejle Sports School offers sports courses in over 30 subjects with challenges for both beginners and advanced students. Discussions, creativity and general knowledge subjects are also important aspects of the curriculum. Courses are usually between 19 and 43 weeks’ duration.
For more information, please visit: www.vih.dk/english
Broaden and explore your Christian faith Many church communities are shrinking, but not the apostolic church in Kolding on which Kolding International Apostolic Bible College is based. Teaching students to put theory into practice, the folk school attracts people from all over the world keen to explore their faith. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Kolding International Apostolic Bible College
The story of Kolding International Apostolic Bible College began back in 1929 when a large group of young Christians met for summer camps. As the years went by, the conference grew and, in 1939, the current folk school was founded. Today, the folk school runs two half-year courses as well as many shorter week and weekend courses. The courses explore all aspects of the Christian faith such as hymns, leadership, miracles and, of course, the Bible. Super intendent Ingrid Frederiksen explains: “We want to cover all of life, and an important part of that is faith; it’s a vital aspect of our humanity. That’s why the existence of God is not up for discussion at 74 | Issue 94 | November 2016
our school; it’s our frame of reference, our starting point. And, it’s not a God of the distant past or future but a God that’s present, relevant and useful here and now.” The practical implementation of theory is fundamental to this vision of God. Every week students are involved in different areas of church ministry in the local church. They participate in the Sunday services, take part in the church’s community work and travel abroad to meet and work with other cultures. For more information, please visit: www.iabc.dk