Feature on Frontrunners program
Callie Frye: I went to Denmark to check out a program called Frontrunners. Many out there know about it, but some don’t. It is where some international deaf people attend every year. I went to the capital city of Copenhagen and took a train ride to the west to Hedensted, which is where Frontrunners is located. The trip took about two hours and a half.
[Image of a map of the train ride between Copenhagen to Hedensted]
After arriving, I rode in a car to a quiet town and when I got to the campus, I couldn’t miss the red building with the words, “Castberggård.”
[Video of the front of the campus and of the interior of a meeting room with Frontrunners students]
I met with several people and interviewed six of them.
Ole Vestergaard (Founder): I am the founder of Frontrunners. I was born and raised in Denmark.
[Image of the Casterberggård building]
Callie: Can you briefly tell how Frontrunners was established? Where do you get funding from?
Ole: How did Frontrunners start? I used to work as a school administrator. I had a meeting with the board and I was talking with the board president about my desire to start a leadership training program for deaf people. There were some programs out there but I wasn’t satisfied because many of them would teach how to manage meetings, create agendas, or how to set a budget. These were good things, but I felt what was missing was how I could empower myself to manage a meeting. To have confidence. How to resolve conflicts. To be focused on personal development. So I wanted to start that. We had a program but then I realized that there were too few deaf people in Denmark to have success. So I thought of making it an international program. We wanted to try it and it was never done before. For the program, I went to Copenhagen, a big city, and met with deaf people who weren’t Danish nationals. I asked them what they would want to experience if I started a program. I kept notes of all of their ideas. Then in 2004, we started marketing the program to see who was interested. We had a good response and that was our first cohort.
[Image of a group of Frontrunners students]
Filip Verhelst (Veteran teacher): My name is Filip. I grew up in Belgium and moved to Denmark. I have been teaching for 17 years with Frontrunners. I was a part of the first cohort of Frontrunners students. After that, I became a teacher for a long time.
[Video clip of four Frontrunners students doing a song]
Callie: What does Frontrunners program entail? Explain briefly what courses are offered.
Filip: Frontrunners is where you can explore your passion and your journey in learning about who you are. We cover leadership and teamwork. We also teach Deaf Studies and sign language and discuss perceptions from the outside community versus how we see ourselves for a better understanding of the Deaf community. We do focus on diversity and minorities and discuss these topics.
[Video clip of a Frontrunners workshop]
We provide media training and how to create videos. We cover organizational leadership and we also provide extracurricular activities such as sports or tours. We aim for a balance between classes and activities for good mental and physical health. The program lasts nine months.
[Images of Frontrunners students doing activities in the outdoors]
Callie: How long is the program? How much is it?
Filip: Frontrunners starts in September and continues into May. The program includes meals, the program, sports, swimming, and evening activities. Everything is included. The cost is 82,000 Danish Krone.
[Image of Frontrunners students sitting outside and cooking in a kitchen]
Callie: What do you hope cohorts to take away after completion of the program?
Amandine Mansilla (New teacher): I’m Amandine. I’m from France. I moved to Denmark. It is our vision for students when they come on Day 1 and stay here until the last day — what do we want the person to have?
[Amandine turns around and writes on a blackboard the word, “IMPOSSIBLE.” The words “IM” is then crossed out to show only “POSSIBLE.”]
See that. Why? Many think that things are impossible. They have been told that they can’t. But no. We remove the “im" from impossible to make it possible. How? We have to examine the self and the environment. If we understand ourselves better and understand the world better, it is much easier to have success.
[Images of Frontrunners students doing outdoor activities and sitting around a fireplace]
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[Sponsored video from Convo: www.convorelay.com]
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Callie: Can you share the highlights of your experience when you enrolled in Frontrunners?
Sarah Lind (Former student): Hello, my name sign is Sarah. I grew up here in Denmark. In 2015 to 2016, I was a part of Frontrunners Cohort #11. What I remember from that year is that I was very nervous at the start. But after I finished the program, I walked with confidence. I remember that feeling. My cohort only had five members. Their cultures and livelihoods were different. It was so important how we made accommodations and developed new perspectives. The five of us learned a lot about patience because we were together throughout classes and at our residence. We had to separate the two settings and it was a good learning experience. I also remember how I went from a comfort zone into something that gave me many new experiences and new emotions. I felt that I had new emotions and they were made alive. I connected with them and navigated through a beautiful year that I will never regret.
[Images of Frontrunners students in a media class and in a gym]
Callie: Why did you apply for Frontrunners?
Sheila Schlechter (Current student): Hello, I’m Sheila from Germany.
Cyril Pekel (Current student): Hello I’m Cyril from Switzerland.
Sheila: I have a deaf family and had deaf teachers and went to a deaf school. But I didn’t feel that I had enough knowledge about the Deaf community so I came here for a full immersion in the Deaf community and learned about Deaf empowerment. That’s what I wanted to learn more about.
Cyril: I studied media last year and this year, I switched to organizing. I find it more interesting because that helps me dive deeper into the Deaf community. My glass of water was half full and I was unsatisfied. I came back again to get my glass of water full. I want to build a solid foundation for my personal development.
[Video of Frontrunners in group discussions in a classroom]
Callie: What are some life-changing experiences for you so far in the program?
Cyril: I had several impactful experiences in this program. For instance, a few workshops especially on toxic masculinity. The topic hits me at the core and makes me look at my emotions inwardly. My mental health has been unstable and for the most part deteriorating. I went through a lot of emotional exploration and discovered a good way to cope.
Sheila: I was impacted by the concept of language oppression. When I grew up in school, I thought it was normal. But now I realize that my language was oppressed. The workshop by Amina and Jamila had a profound impact. I grew up with some fears but now I can control some of my fears so it was a good experience to have these challenges.
Callie: If a country wants to establish a similar program as Frontrunners, what do you say to them?
Ole: If another country wants to start a similar program as Frontrunners, I would be thrilled! We really need this. If someone wants to start, my tip would be to prioritize sign language. Make it centered on sign language and make it deaf-centered. Don’t let others influence it. Deaf people already know how to do things so it’s a must. We almost never use hearing presenters. We use deaf presenters because there are a lot of talented deaf people out there. We should use them! The second tip is if you want to make it international, you can’t only offer things from your country alone. You have to have international teachers. Frontrunners always provide Danish teachers and those from different countries. That’s important because if we only focused on Danish culture and the Danish system, we wouldn’t have the different perspectives from teachers and their different cultures. It’s so important. It makes you open-minded.
[Video clip of Frontrunners students doing a song]
Callie: Perhaps you have graduated or are done with K-12 and want to do something for your gap year or yearn for a break between jobs. Frontrunners could be a good option for you. Thanks, Frontrunners folks for your time!
** Note: Our video had a missing name tag and position for Amandine. Her full name is Amandine Mansilla and she is a new teacher.