Danes Worldwide, originally known as Dansk Samvirke, is an organisation which represents

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

who live abroad for personal or career reasons. Its activities include educational programmes, local networking around the world, and participation in the public debate on matters relevant its members. The association was also involved in the establishment of the

Fredensborg Houses The Fredensborg Houses ( da, Fredensborghusene) form a housing complex in natural surroundings on the outskirts of the small town of Fredensborg in the north of Zealand, Denmark. The houses were designed by Jørn Utzon for Danes who have worked for ...

north of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

which offer lucrative housing to Danes who return home after long periods abroad.

History

Danes Worldwide was founded as ''Dansk Samvirke'' in 1919 as an initiative to strengthen the ties between Denmark and Danish emigrants around the world at a time when emigration to the United States and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

was at its height. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

membership increased drastically, peaking in 1947 to 10,000 members. The war made contact to Danes abroad very difficult and many Danish expats, especially in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

, lost their livelihood. Dansk Samvirke concentrated its efforts on helping those returning to Denmark. Chairman Jørgen Saxild launched an almost ten-year aid programme ranging from financial support to a social service for those who lost everything. After the war, in 1949, the association acquired its own building, a property in the diplomatic quarter of the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, which served both as an office and a meeting place for Danes who returned home. In 1998, Dansk Samvirke changed its name to Danes Worldwide and acquired a new logo, a "Danish globe" designed by Piet Hein.

Educational programmes

Danish Summer School

Danes Worldwide arranges an annual three-week Danish Summer School which gives Danish children abroad the opportunity to learn Danish and experience Danish culture. It was introduced in 1981.

Online Language Lessons

Since 1990, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Danes Worldwide has been running a programme for distance learning for children aged 6–17 to supplement their local schooling. It collaborates with the Danish Summer School, giving pupils following the distance learning courses the opportunity to take the Danish School Leaving Examination.

Kronborg Meeting

Up until 2012, the association arranged an annual meet-up for Danes living abroad at Kronborg Castle in

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northern ...

. The first meeting took place in 1935. Although Kronborg is now a thing of the past, the association continues to arrange various events and meet-ups. Most recently in Politikens Hus on September 1, 2015, in celebration of dual citizenship.

Magazine

The association publishes the members' magazine ''Danes'' with information from Denmark as well as from the many small Danish communities around the world. The magazine was first published as "Danmarksposten" in 1920. It was re-launched in 2010 under the current name. The last printed edition of the magazine was october 2022. Since then, articles have been published only online on the website www.danes.dk

Fredensborg Houses

Danes Worldwide was also involved in the establishment of the

, now a self-owning institution, in

Fredensborg Fredensborg () is a railway town located in Fredensborg Municipality, North Zealand, some 30 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is most known for Fredensborg Palace, one of the official residences of the Danish Royal Family. As of 1 Janua ...

north of Copenhagen, which provide cheap and attractive housing on a rental basis for Danes who return home after long periods abroad. Located next to Fredensborg Golf Course and

Fredensborg Palace Fredensborg Palace ( da, Fredensborg Slot; ) is a palace located on the eastern shore of Lake Esrum (Danish, ''Esrum Sø'') in Fredensborg on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in Denmark. It is the Danish Royal Family’s spring and autumn ...

, the housing complex was built from 1960 to 1963 to the design of Jørn Utzon, architect of

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. The attached houses come in two sizes, 73 and 130 square metres, and have low rental rates.

World Dane of the Year Award

Danes Worldwide establishes the World Dane of the Year Award in 2008. Handed out at the annual Kronborg Meeting, it honours a Dane who has made a special contribution to putting Denmark on the world map. Recipients have been: * 2008:

Michael Laudrup Michael Laudrup (, born 15 June 1964) is a Danish professional football coach and former player. He is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. He is the older brother of fellow retired footballer Brian Laudrup. During his pl ...

, footballer * 2009: Bent Fabric, pianist and composer * 2010:

Lene Hau Lene Vestergaard Hau (; born November 13, 1959) is a Danish physicist and educator. She is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and of Applied Physics at Harvard University. In 1999, she led a Harvard University team who, by use of a Bose–E ...

, physicist

Lobbying

For many years, Danes Worldwide advocated in the Danish parliament for the right to dual citizenship for Danish citizens abroad. This goal was realized in 2015, when a recently passed law took effect, allowing Danes to acquire other citizenships without losing their Danish citizenship.

References

External links

Official website
{{Danish diaspora Danish diaspora Organizations based in Copenhagen Organizations established in 1919 1919 establishments in Denmark