Program Details
| Program Length | Start | End | Price | Age on Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | June | $73,800 | 15-18 |
Denmark is one of the smaller Scandinavian countries with strong historical ties to especially Sweden, Norway and Finland. The country is situated just north of Germany, where it has a Danish-speaking minority in the northern part. Denmark is a member of the European Union and prides itself with one of the most developed social welfare systems. The economy is very strong due to a high degree of industrialization and an educated workforce.
Denmark consists of the mainland Jutland, a peninsula bordering with Germany. The capital Copenhagen has a population of approximately 1,4 million people. The climate in Denmark in temperate with cold and often wet and windy winters. The summers are mild with some warm or hot days at times.
AFS in Denmark
AFS in Denmark has been in existence since 1957. There are 50 chapters and committees throughout Denmark. AFS Denmark counts around 2000 members. There is a National Office near the Danish capital Copenhagen. The school based program offered includes a language camp on arrival for about ten days, orientation camps during the stay and an end of camp stay before the departure. AFS in Denmark sends out a monthly Newsletter to students with information about various activities and their camps.
Host Schools
Most placements in Denmark are in public schools. The Danish education system offers various different types of high schools. High school starts in year 10 or 11. All schools are co-educational and the relationship between students and teachers would be experienced as very informal by Australian standards. However, a very high level of maturity and responsibility is expected from students, and most schools, especially the “Gymnasium” (grammar school), are very academically focused. Participants can also be placed in year 10 of the Danish comprehensive school, which covers Kindergarten to year 10.
The school day starts at 8 a.m. and normally finishes between 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. Extracurricular activities are not very common, but catered for by other organisations and clubs outside the school system itself. Most Danish teenagers are engaged in sports or other activities after school and very popular sports are soccer, handball and badminton, which are played by both girls and boys.
Host Families
There are many different types of families in Denmark, with one or two parents, married or unmarried. There is a high level of informality in the relationship between parents and children and between siblings, and children are encouraged to be independent from a young age. Teenagers generally enjoy much freedom but are also expected to carry responsibility, for example for schoolwork and household chores. Many families are busy, with the vast majority of families being based on two full time jobs, and household duties, including cooking, are normally shared between both parents and children.
For the official website of AFS Denmark, please refer to the front page.
