Elderlearn's review
Welcome to Elderlearn's press page. Here you can find the latest news about Elderlearn.
2024
Intern for social media and communication
Do you want to make a tangible difference for thousands of seniors and foreign newcomers?
Do you like creating engaging content for social media? And do you want to help drive a young, non-profit organization forward?
Then apply for the position as a communications and social media intern at Sammen på Tværs.
Press Release
Elderlearn transfers all activities to the non-profit organization Sammen på Tværs
Sammen på Tværs is a non-profit organization that aims to bring the unique resources and life experiences of senior citizens into play - for the benefit of society as a whole.
This will be done through various initiatives that build bridges between generations, strengthen social cohesion and contribute to overall cohesion.
2023
Zealand News
Absurd that the municipality stops cooperation: We are living proof that it works
Roskilde Municipality ends highly successful collaboration with Elderlearn to save money.
Michal Raska and Doris Israelsen have been in a family of choice since they were matched by Elderlearn four years ago, when Michal came to Denmark from the Czech Republic. Back then, he didn't know a single word of Danish. Now, only his accent reveals that he hasn't lived here all his life.
Your Næstved City Portal
Friendships across nationalities flourish in Næstved
Elderlearn collaborates with Næstved municipality and especially tries to match SOSU students and employees with local senior citizens. When meeting with SOSUs, the focus is on study support and encouragement, as many bilinguals struggle with their education.
The two local volunteers sit down together and talk about interests, family, food habits, work culture, collegiality and language flowers.
Zealand News
Cake and conversations with Jytte help Gwyneth from Ireland improve her Danish
Jytte and Gwyneth meet every Wednesday so that Gwyneth can improve her Danish language skills.
Jytte volunteered with Elderlearn after reading about the concept in the newspaper. Right away, she thought it was just the thing for her:
- It 's not about me correcting Gwyneth's language or that we have certain things we practice when we meet. The focus is on the content of the conversation, and we talk about everything from work and family life to movies and vacations. The most important thing is simply that we speak Danish," says Jytte Christiansen.
Taastrup local newspaper
Friendships across nationalities flourish in Høje Taastrup
34-year-old Forouzan and 79-year-old Sabine met through the Elderlern community, which connects Danish seniors with international newcomers.
Both Forouzan and Sabine live in Høje Taastrup, where they first met 6 months ago.
- When Sabine and I got to know each other, it was amazing how many things we had in common. In this short time, I can see that I have become much better at understanding and speaking Danish. With Sabine's help, I was able to strengthen my Danish skills, and that's how I got my dream job," says Forouzan.
The four seasons
Elderlearn brings people together
Inge is 86 years old and a retired pharmaconomist. She is a volunteer at Elderlearn, where she has been matched with Sujata, who visits Inge weekly to practice her Danish language skills.
- Sujata comes to my house and we have a cup of coffee and have a good time, and then she sees what a Danish home can look like and learns about Danish culture. It's very good, says Inge
Zealand News
32-year-old Carolina from Ecuador is friends with 75-year-old Allie
Elderlearn matches seniors with international newcomers to create joy and well-being and give newcomers the opportunity to practice their Danish. Both Carolina from Ecuador and Allie from Næstved experience the cultural encounter as an enrichment of their lives.
- It's one thing to go to a language school and learn how to write grammatically correct Danish, it's another thing to sit down with a person and have a conversation, says Carolina.
2022
The trade magazine FOA
Kevin's healthcare dream takes wings when he talks to Lars
Lars and Kevin are talking. Just ordinary conversations about everyday life. This helps Kevin improve his education as a social and healthcare assistant.
- With Lars, I don't care how I pronounce the words in Danish. Because I know that if I say something wrong, he will say 'no'," Kevin says with a laugh.
Lars Koberg Christiansen and Kevin Syssoh are part of the agreement that Frederiksberg Municipality has entered into with the organization Elderlearn, where a senior and a newcomer with language challenges volunteer to meet and talk to each other about once a week for 1-2 hours. The agreement is designed to help newcomers integrate, understand the culture and improve their Danish language skills.
Herning Folkeblad
Elderlearn has been a mutual benefit for Japanese Ena Kawamura and Danish Birte Roveen
Japanese Ena Kawamura and Danish Birte Roveen both live in Herning, Denmark. Since December last year, the two have met through Elderlearn.
In 2019, Ena moved to Herning with her family because her husband got a job in the city. Ena started language school and quickly realized that she had to do something extra to become really good at Danish.
Through Elderlearn, Ena and Birte were matched. They meet every week, and Ena is getting better and better at the Danish language. There is also room for socializing, and the joy goes both ways, they say.
Herning Folkeblad
Seniors meet foreign language students to practice everyday Danish and reduce loneliness
Elderlearn collaborates with Herning Municipality to create contact between foreigners who want to learn Danish and elderly people who experience loneliness, in order to create better integration and reduce loneliness.
Older Danes carry a huge resource due to the knowledge they have built up about Denmark and the Danish language over a long life, making them the best language helpers there are.
Zealand News
Mikael from Høje-Taastrup and Pindi from India speak Danish together
In 2018, Pindi moved from India to Denmark with his wife and young son when he was offered a position as a project manager at Leica Geosystems A/S.
Alongside his work, Pindi attends language school and meets up with Mikael every Friday.
- It's good to connect with a Danish person who knows about Danish culture and traditions. You get something out of it - not only in relation to the language school, but also in relation to living and working in Denmark," says Pindi.
Fagbladet Folkeskolen
Retired teacher: "I'm broadening my horizons"
66-year-old Erna Stensbjerg has spent her entire teaching career working with children and adults with special needs. Today, she is retired and works as a volunteer at Elderlearn - a social enterprise that matches seniors with newcomers to Denmark. Once a week, she meets with Segen from Eritrea.
- It's great to meet another person from another culture. Gain insight and knowledge - and at the same time have the opportunity to do some volunteer work, says Erna.
Erna Stensbjerg has been a volunteer at Elderlearn for almost a year, and since March this year she has been matched with Segen, married and mother of two small children - and also living in Silkeborg.
On average, the two meet once a week at Erna Stensbjerg's home in Silkeborg, Denmark, for an everyday conversation about food, children, education, traditions and everything else.
Local newspaper Taastrup
Seniors help language students with Danish - and you can too!
This summer, Mikael and Pindi met at the library in Høje-Taastrup for the first time. Mikael is from Høje-Taastrup and a retired deputy police inspector. Pindi is from India and a project manager at Leica Geosystems A/S.
What they have in common is that they are both volunteers at Elderlearn and meet to speak Danish together and keep each other company. Three quarters of a year has passed, a lot of glosses have been exchanged and a new friendship has blossomed.
- I take my hat off to people who want to make a difference and move to Denmark. I want to help them along the way and teach them things they can use. And then it's a mutual process. I also get a lot out of getting to know new people," says Mikael.
Seniorbladet 60+ Gladsaxe
Elderlearn brings people together
35-year-old Sujata comes from Nepal and has just started her SOSU education. She finds that Danish can be a challenging language, but being with Inge makes an important difference.
- We talk together and I learn about Danish culture, which helps me with my education and my future in Denmark," says Sujata.
TV Midwest
Learning a lot from each other: Bente helps Mexican Alexa with Danish
On Wednesday, Bente Sloth and Alexa Astorga Elizondo are seated at a table at Dyrby's cafe in Herning. Here, the two are not only stimulating their taste buds with pasta with chicken. They are also practicing their Danish.
- I don't normally speak much Danish, says 25-year-old Alexa Astorga Elizondo, who came to Denmark last year to study a Master's degree in chemistry at Aarhus University.
Zealand News
When Michal met Doris
The two Roskilde citizens Michal, 23, originally from the Czech Republic, and 74-year-old Doris enjoy each other very much.
- Doris is fantastic, she is super active and we understand each other in many ways. Our meetings have not been 'Danish lessons'. We've just talked, and that has given me the confidence to speak Danish, even if I make mistakes," says Michal.
Doris Israelsen, who has lived in Roskilde for 21 years, is equally enthusiastic:
- For me, it has been a gift to meet Michal, who shows me things I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. For example, he has made me read Kafka's book 'The Process, which is otherwise difficult, she says.
South Coast North
- The hardest part is the numbers
Rita Pedersen, 81, and Maike Krütt, 34, have been dating since January. The two Ishøj residents meet so that Maike can improve her Danish, but the two have also become good friends.
But what is the hardest thing about Danish if you come from Germany? Maike has no doubt about that:
- The numbers are the hardest, and it's only after getting to know Rita that I really got the hang of it. I started language school, but then I got too busy. I'm really grateful because I have a Danish boyfriend, but he doesn't correct me," says Maike, who also benefits from Rita's experience as a mother and grandmother.
TV Ishøj
Do you know Elderlearn?
Every Friday, 33-year-old Fatimah from Indonesia and 82-year-old Bjarne from Ishøj meet in the Danish language.
Since December last year, they have met through Elderlearn and talked about fiction, the EU and much more. Fatimah is happy to meet with Bjarne because he helps her practice her pronunciation with the difficult silent g's
Ishøj Municipality has made a video about Bjarne and Fatimah. In the video, you are invited to one of their weekly meetings. Watch it in the link below.
Zealand News
Friends across generations and languages
A municipal project has brought Shalini and Elsebet together and they practice Danish, talk about culture and rejoice that cultural life has reopened.
2021-2018
Altinget
Less paperwork and administration, more time for humanity and matchmaking.
Innovation Fund
New project will create the perfect match between volunteers and NGOs
Health magazine
First came language help, then friendship blossomed
Senior magazine
Danish seniors are experts in Denmark!
Coexistence
'We spoke Danish so it was a pleasure'
Global Goals
Pensioners teach Danish to foreigners: "Now we can't do without each other"
Zealand News
When two worlds meet, you learn something new
The challenge
Andrea made a friend - Erik got a breath of fresh air
Newspaper 2770
Rahim and Peter became best friends
Roskilde Dagblad
Tuesday Amal goes to school with Carl Ove
Dagbladet Holstebro Struer
2 men - 1 language = integration: Karl-Henrik and Fadi turn the world situation around every week
AAU Navigator
The magic potion to fight loneliness and learn Danish.
B.T.
78-year-old Elsebeth has a special lifeline during the corona crisis: 'It's really touching'
Nordea Foundation
More cultural encounters between older and young foreigners
Frederiksbergbladet
95-year-old Ulla has made friends with Spanish Maria: "We break down some prejudices over the coffee table"
The trade magazine FOA
Linda got help with visits: Like having a daughter
Universal Music & Medina
'Bigger Than Us'
Ageing & Society
Reattached: emerging relationships and subjectivities when engaging frail older people as volunteer language teachers in Denmark
TV2 Cosmopol
Older people teach Danish to young foreigners - breaking down prejudices
Zealand News
Young people from abroad want to meet Sorø's elderly
KAB insights
Ahmed trains Danish with 'A real dane'
Policies
Jette and Zahra became friends via leatherlearn
Family Journals
We enjoy our cozy Fridays
Knowledge across the board
Tina is a new loneliness ambassador: Older people often say they miss someone to talk to
TV2 Cosmopol
How to help a foreigner improve their Danish
Roskilde newspaper
Lis helps Maggie with Danish: I hope we can play scrabble one day
Kristeligt Dagblad
73-year-old Jette Butters and Iranian Zahra Shahabi's conversations are mutually beneficial
TV2 Cosmopol
25-year-old Indian and 82-year-old Dane drink cola together every Friday
TV Ishøj
Chatting with multiple benefits
Policies
Hans-Olof's loneliness disappears when meeting a Portuguese friend
DR.dk
Ruth and Mahmoud are a match across age and religion: 'We find similarities rather than differences'
TV2 Cosmopol
Annelise and Massoumeh are a success: Elderly teach immigrants to speak Danish
MOOT
Are older people and foreigners actually the perfect match?
Randers County Newspaper
Elderly people must teach foreigners the Danish language
Berlingske
Kirsten serves sparkling water and Danish expressions for Aujaswi
TV2 Cosmopol
83-year-old is a Danish teacher for a new Dane: Now they are good friends.
TV2 Cosmopol
Home care "screened" 700 seniors for loneliness - now the project is expanding
Zealand News
Older people teach language: A match for the community
Djøfbladet
Andreas had a great idea that solves two problems
Reach For Change
SOMETIMES THOSE WHO GIVE THE MOST ARE THE ONES WITH THE LEAST TO SPARE
Nordjyske Stiftstidende
Older people can help foreigners with Danish
Berlingske
82-year-old Kirsten teaches Aujaswi that you don't get burned when you get burned
