When young people take the floor and the baton
“We are a movement of young people who don’t follow the straight path in the educational system. Together we fight for a better and more inclusive educational system and a society with room to stand out and be vulnerable." This is how the organisation Modstrøm (in English Against the Current) describes its purpose.
‘The others’. That is how a group of young people were often referred to because they did not opt for the 'straight and narrow' path in the educational system. The feeling was that many people talked about the young people who are outside the educational system and the labour market, instead of with the young people. This created the motivation for change, leading to the formation of Modstrøm.
A movement against status quo
Modstrøm is a student and interest organisation that fights for more student democracy in the Forberedende Grunduddannelse, FGU (in English the Preparatory Basic Education and Training Programme) and for a society that to a greater extent listens to the young people who do not take the straight path through the system.
Egmont has supported Modstrøm from the start as part of the incubator programme, and today, the organisation is an important voice for young people and is heard by the politicians in the Danish Parliament. Modstrøm is also working to ensure that FGU students can influence their education during these crucial years when FGU is finding its format as an educational programme.
The support from Egmont will be used to build up Modstrøm as an organisation and develop a number of specific activities. These include strengthening student councils and building stronger communities among young people. Once a year, Modstrøm holds its Association Workshop, where student councils and young people at and around FGU jointly decide what the organisation should fight for in the coming year.