Folkemøde i Nord og Syd

Folkemøde in North and South is an international youth engagement project led by VUC Storstrøm in partnership with Campus Bornholm and Stellenbosch University, South Africa. The project aims to strengthen young people’s understanding of the relationship between democracy, active citizenship and the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The project is based on the Danish Folkemøde model, which promotes democratic participation through dialogue, debate and collaboration between citizens, organisations and decision-makers. By introducing and adapting elements of this model in a South African context, the project seeks to create meaningful learning experiences that enable young people to explore how local democratic action can contribute to sustainable development and social change.

Twenty Danish students from VUC Storstrøm and Campus Bornholm will work closely with South African students through a series of exchange activities, workshops and collaborative learning processes. The project includes participation in Folkemødet on Bornholm, where South African students will gain first-hand experience with democratic dialogue and citizen engagement. Danish students will subsequently visit South Africa to support local students in developing and implementing democracy-focused activities inspired by the Folkemøde concept.

Throughout the project, students will actively contribute to the development of digital learning and inspiration materials focusing on democracy, participation and the SDGs. They will document and communicate their experiences through presentations, workshops, social media activities and participation in youth-oriented public events such as Ungdommens Folkemøde, Møns Folkemøde and Folkemødet on Bornholm.

The project particularly addresses SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). Through international collaboration and peer-to-peer learning, participants will gain greater awareness of global development challenges, strengthen their democratic competencies and become ambassadors for youth engagement in sustainable development.

The project builds on an ongoing collaboration between VUC Storstrøm and Stellenbosch University and further develops previous successful experiences with international exchange, student-led communication activities and youth engagement initiatives. By combining local democratic participation