What is BROEN’s mission?
Flemming: BROEN’s mission is to support socially disadvantaged children and young people by integrating them into the social community through leisure activities. This is done through memberships in clubs and the providing the necessary equipment.
The idea behind this is that the children develop new skills through their chosen activities, strengthening their self-confidence. At the same time, they can meet other children, socialize, and make friends. Through these activities, they should have a positive community experience and find positive role models in the supervising adults.
What else can you tell us about the association?
Flemming: BROEN has been working for more than 20 years to give disadvantaged children more confidence, which happens through placements in local clubs that offer activities in sports, theater, music, art, etc., including scouting groups. BROEN maintains relationships with 35 associations in Denmark. At our office in Herlev, BROEN has been active for 13 years and has helped 450 children during that time, with an average of €300 per person for leisure activities. Currently, 94 children and young people are active through the association.
What does BROEN’s work look like in practice?
Flemming: The first step is to clarify which activity the child is interested in or what best suits their abilities. Then, they register with the association, membership fees are covered, and the necessary equipment is provided. Volunteers also accompany the children to help them further develop their skills and feel like a permanent part of the community. Often, as their self-esteem increases, their school performance also improves.
Can you give us some examples of positive development?
Flemming: Through our donation, we came into contact with the association’s representative, Lars Nybroe. He didn’t miss the opportunity to visit us at our Herlev office and thank us personally. Lars had a few stories with him that illustrate the association’s impact. We are very pleased that we could support the association in its important work. Here are a few comments from parents about the association’s work:
I am deeply grateful for your support for my son and me through your voluntary efforts in Broen Herlev. Your generosity has had an immeasurable impact on my son, who, thanks to your help, can continue to play basketball!…. Through basketball, he has found a safe and supportive community, his self-esteem has been strengthened, and it has positively influenced his schooling…
I want to thank you for giving our daughter the opportunity to attend the riding school. That had a huge impact on her and us. We used to have a child who came home from school every day and just lay/sat in her room, had no friends and no social life, and now we have a child who is really blossoming, has made friends, and loves going to riding school…
I am so grateful for what Broen is doing and has done for me! Being able to dance is the best thing I know! Dancing always makes me happy! And just having the opportunity to go there, even if I’ve had a bad day, to forget about everything and just concentrate on dancing, makes me really happy. With the help I received from Broen, I also managed to dance in disco world tournaments!…
This is a fantastic project, and we are delighted to be able to support young people in this way. Thank you very much for your time, Flemming.
