Fifth Year of Danish Cultural Exchange Program Returns to New York City

From June 28th through July 5th, six high school students from the small Danish town of Ribe, birthplace of Jacob Riis, spent a week taking in the sights, sounds and rhythms of New York as part of the fifth year of Riis Settlement’s Danish Cultural Exchange Program.   The visitors- Johanna Vejrup Andersen, Gitte Beck Christoffersen, Birgitte Cramer, Nina Kjar, Henriette Birch Nielsen, and Simone Bruhn Rosendahl, along with their teacher and chaperone Elisabeth Abrahamsen- are from the Ribe Cathedral School, the oldest school in Denmark dating back to 1145.  The selective school, led by Rector Bent Karsdal, prepares young people for entrance into universities in Denmark and around the world. 

But decidedly more new-world pursuits were on the agenda during this year’s visit, hosted by Riis teen program participants Mohammed Ali, Jaquan Franklin, Bablu Shiekh, Sebastian Simon, and Dante Williams.  Among them was a visit to see a gospel choir at the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral, a special request of several of the young women and one that provided opportunity for fascinating cultural comparison. As Birgitte remarked, “In Denmark you have to be very quiet and sit very still when you’re at a service, so when I saw all those people dancing, singing out loud, saying ‘Amen!’ and ‘Hallelujah!’ whenever they felt like it, it was overwhelming and I was deeply touched.”  Of course, New York’s world-renowned museums and cultural icons were on the itinerary, including the Metropolitan Museum, Museum of Natural History, Ellis Island, Times Square and Brooklyn Museum, but some lesser-known sights and activities truly broadened the horizons of the visitors as well as their hosts, such as the 39th Annual International African Street Fair in Brooklyn. “I thought it was an interesting trip, seeing other parts of New York than just Manhattan,” said Henriette, who had visited New York once before. “My host family was great.” 

That feeling was definitely mutual. For the first time this year, the Danish visitors stayed with Riis Settlement staff during their time in New York. Kelly Watts, Adolescent Service Program Coordinator who oversaw this year’s Exchange, hosted two of the students, as did Vanessa Quiñones, Director of School-based Programs, and Maria Oliveras, Program Coordinator at I.S. 126.  This provided a wonderful opportunity for catching up and sharing experiences after a long day of activities. As Vanessa explained, “For the first two days (my guests) were feeling things out and were a little unsure of what they could and could not do…As the days progressed they became more comfortable and we talked often during the evenings before bed.” Food was a big part of the picture as well. “This was the first time that they had peanut butter and home cooked cheeseburgers and French fries,” she added.  Also on the menu were Cuban/Tex-Mex fusion cuisine in Clinton Hill and a birthday barbecue in our own Queensbridge Park.

Initiated in 2006 by Riis Settlement Board Chairman, Flemming Heilmann, the exchange is a partnership with the Cathedral School in Ribe. Since its inception, it has sought to increase intercultural understanding and provide opportunity by allowing young people from each community to visit each other on alternating summers. The Program is supported by the contributions of Riis Settlement Board Members, their affiliates and generous donations from the Royal Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Hansen & Karlsen family and their company, Cyncron, and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). 

Next year, the five youth hosts from New York will head to off to Ribe and Copenhagen, where they will stay with local families and visit farms, the coastal marshlands, Legoland, and the Tivoli Gardens.  Not only do the New York youth look forward to their first visit to Denmark, but the Danish students are already planning their return.  “I had one of the greatest times of my life, and when I graduate in two years I’ll be back,” exclaimed Birgitte.