The schools in Tvind - at a glance

Tvind is situated on the West Coast of the Danish peninsula Jutland – 10 km from the North Sea, 250 km from the German Border, 400 km from Copenhagen – near the village Ulfborg between the two towns Holstebro and Ringkøbing.

The landscape is flat and open, sprinkled with cattle- and crop-farms. The sky is huge and overwhelming – and the spruce and pines are fencing the fields leaning westward, forced by the persuasive west wind.

The School Centre in Tvind is a bouquet of schools, homes, and cultural centres with strong traditions of being untraditional, with solid pedagogical experiences, and with an international orientation influencing all parts of school life. In total around 100 people - hailing from more than 15 different countries - live, work and go to school in Tvind.

Brief description of the schools in Tvind:

Det Nødvendige Seminarium (Danish for "The Necessary Teacher Training College") is a four year education with students from all over Europe. The DNS teachers' education is structured into 4 years and includes:

A 4 month study travel to Asia, 6 months' work experience in Denmark or the US, 9 months' teaching practice in Denmark, 7 months' teaching practice world wide, 10 examinations in the teacher training subjects, lots of practical experiences, living and studying together with students from many countries, taking care of children and youngsters who need special care and much more...

The students at DNS study and take exams in all the subjects included in the official Danish teacher education. As the students live and study in Tvind for long periods of time, they also contribute to the international environment in Tvind by arranging cultural evenings, being “big brothers and sisters” to some of the youngsters living in Tvind, and representing a solid human surplus in the everyday life at the School Centre. More about DNS: www.dns-tvind.dk

The DNYS-education at DNS is a newly started branch at DNS, where young people committed to working with children and teenagers can get a two-year education. It is based on working as apprentices on the schools, and studying  psychology, theory of education, and management skills while specializing themselves in different fields of practice. The “DNYS’ers” are mainly former students who are eager to work at Tvind schools, but not necessarily in a teaching capacity. Therefore they seek to complement their practical experiences with certain academic skills. Their individual specialization projects are for example: park and forestry, wildlife and outdoor activites, network administration, construction, painitng and decorating, "best buddy" for students with special needs.

PTG International Youth College (PTG stands for Practical and Theoretical Basic Education) is a home for 25 young adults aged 18 - 24, approved by Ringkøbing County. Its concept is to offer a solid base for a mixed group of 10 young people with social and emotional difficulties, and 15 young people with social resources. They live and go to school together, and are building up strong relations to each other, practising the difficult art of sharing life with people of different backgrounds. One of the teachers is a balloon skipper, and PTG has two red hot air balloons. They participate in various competitions and balloning events all over the World. More about PTG: www.ptg.dk 

The Day School at Tvind is the school where students from PTG and Casablanca (a care home in Holstebro) go to school. The school has three lines: The study line, the practical line and the one-off line. All students follow individual study or work plans. 

The school is equipped with servers, networks and a PC for each student, and the students on the study line and use an extensive database with access to study tasks at 12 different levels. The study line prepares for 9th grade exams, 10th grade exams or A-levels. The practical line carries out professional construction tasks and improvements indoors and outdoors. The one-off line students have specially designed programmes, usually including work experience in nearby towns. See more at www.dagskolen-tvind.dk

The Free school and the International Continuation School in Tvind – DIE Tvind is a day school and a boarding school for students between 14-18 years.

The DI Programme in Tvind will have its roots here, and will have a lot to do with the students here. Many of these did not have a good start in life and need training in social, practical and theoretical skills. Some of them are suffering from ADHD and emotional neglect. Yet others are just lacking self-confidence, and need a fresh start with enough care, encouraging experiences and adults who do not give up on them – and who believe that everybody have some talents and abilities to contribute with.

In the Free School and DIE Tvind the students are from Denmark and Germany. The school focuses on involving the students in politics and world affairs, in teaching them languages, and giving them handicraft skills via numerous  practical projects improving the school and the campus in general. The school also participates in cultural events including theatre, music, poetry and sports. www.efterskole.com