The Search for the Commons

Search for the Commons took place in Denmark from 09.08 to 30.08 2007

The aim of the camp is to identify what Danish culture has in common with cultures elsewhere from planet earth. This is hoped to increase the awareness of the Danish culture and increase the understanding of other cultures. This we will do by inviting people from abroad to Denmark to describe what they identify as Danish culture. Hereby we identify cultures that we share across different parts of the world. The identification of common values is to be based on intense interaction with the Danish population. This implies that the participants are to live and eat with Danish people carrying out their daily life.

Transportation around Denmark will mainly be done qua hitchhiking since this is a good way to get to talk with local people. The participants will throughout the project work intensively with the press, communicating their experiences. The conclusion of the project will be presented at a festival in central Copenhagen. The workcamp is supported by a team of experienced Danish volunteers and is financially supported by the Danish Council for Information about the EU. The camp will be divided in teams that visit different parts of the countryside of Denmark. This project is the sequel to last year's successful travelling study camp, "The Search for the Danish Mentality".

The volunteers will not have a permanent base, since they will constantly be on the search for hospitality providing them with lodging, meals and opportunities for exploring the Danish cultures finding common values. This even means sleeping in tents when necessary. The camp will have a backup budget, but the idea is that the main consumption of food should be given from Danes who have an interest in inviting the camp to dinner and exchanging points of view regarding Danish mentality. It is important that the participants understand that the fact of not having any mean is seen as a means to get as close interaction with the Danish population as possible; - do not worry, the volunteers will never starve! LA: English. Participants must speak a good English as communication with the Danes in very important. LO: Wherever in Denmark that common values can be found. The camp will start and end in Copenhagen, in "the Commons Park" (Faelledparken), where MS' festival CPH > Connect and the connected workcamps MS08 and MS09 take place. T: Airport: Copenhagen. Train and bus: Copenhagen.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: MOTIVATION LETTER NEEDED. AGE LIMIT: 21+.

In order to make the project a success, it is important that the participants:

speak very good English.

are very open-minded and not afraid of knocking on the door of people whom they do not know

are capable of acting on their own and

are ready for basic conditions which might include sleeping in tents.

The project will be hard work since you each day are on the move. This requires that the participants have a positive attitude and show interest in talking to many different people while exploring cultural behaviours.