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Preface |
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This book is being written by a collaborating conglomerate of contributors to 'The Foundation for the Support of Humanitarian Purposes, for Promotion of Research and for Protection of the Natural Environment' - in the following just called the Foundation for convenience. The book deals with this foundation and its objectives, its projects, its funds, its accountability and its people. The book is not about what is commonly called 'Tvind' in Denmark - in all its brevity. This simple name, which is really the name of a place where a typical small Danish stream 'tvinder' (= winds) itself through a fresh West Jutlandic landscape, covers many, and in themselves, interesting stories from a series of lively, independent and coordinating schools for people of all ages. The first started in 1970, and still living happily (and in the best of health) in the kingdom. This 'Tvind' has been associated with the Foundation, but the fact of the matter is that the two things have nothing to do with each other. When the Foundation has been associated with the above mentioned schools, it is connected to the fact that some of the people, who, in their professional lives have worked at the schools, privately have participated in contributing to the Foundation. But to use an adapted old Danish proverb "Raisins (not rubbish! -) to one side, and cinnamon to the other!" Just because both things are Good, with a capital G, there is no reason to mix them up! The direct occasion for this book is that in April 2001 the Foundation was assaulted by forces which apparently did not want to acknowledge the function and praxis of the Foundation during its fourteen years of operation. It happened in Denmark, where the Foundation is native and registered. The book is a narrative about the Foundation’s entire life, its donations, its funds, its deeds and its results. We who are telling the stories do so because we think they should come out. They are good stories. They represent us. They are an expression of what the idea of this foundation was for us: We were contributors, we gave our private money away - stop for a moment and think about it: our private money, our salaries - for precisely these objectives, we were happy to do it, did it entirely on purpose, and we were delighted every day to do so. The fact that we today, by obscure forces, are accused of it all being intended for something other than the objectives of the Foundation - that the money was returned to economies that had something to do with the former 'Skolesamvirket Tvind' [the School Cooperation Tvind], that all of it is a criminal scheme, and much more which we honestly have difficulty keeping track of - we have decided to take in high spirits. This we can easily do, since the fact of the matter is that it is utterly and entirely unfounded. In this book we speak out and explain ourselves. We, who are contributors to the Foundation, became so because it was, and is, our opinion that we can well spare some of our private income for the benefit of people and activities which are able to accomplish something about the series of problems facing the World, and which many of us have had an interest in, and worked with, in different ways, during a not insignificant part of our adult lives. With the Foundation as a tool we amplified this our own generous, charitable contribution by making use of the similarly generous, public provision, allowing citizens to give their money to charitable objectives, and of the fact that the state in such case refrains from collecting taxes of such gifts. We are thus facing a charitable joint venture between a privately founded and supported foundation on the one hand - and the public sector, the state, on the other. On this background the Foundation was founded, whose contributors committed themselves for 11 years - a quite significant span of years - to give 15% of their (our) income to the objectives detailed in the statutes of the Foundation. It was, and is, clear to all that the funds of the Foundation never could, or can, be returned to its donors. It was, and is, clear that every single contributor to the Foundation did not, or does not, assert themselves as a lobbyist for the purpose of receiving the money, under some kind of pretext. It will also become clear from this book's review of the 29 projects which the Foundation has supported, or considered, between 1987 and 2001, that they have a general and overall nature which is of such a quality that any hint of the projects being related to narrow and private economic interests of the contributors is markedly out of accordance with the facts. No, we who were contributors to the Foundation GAVE for altruistic reasons. We SUPPORTED out of interest, curiosity and on the basis of humanism. We meant WELL. Believe it, if you wish. That's how it was. With the Foundation, we:
And we did it on purpose. We do not regret a single project, not a single penny. No matter how many come after us - and shout at us. For that reason it has also been a special pleasure for us to prepare the expositions of this book, which we hope the readers will enjoy. With kind regards, A collaborating assembly of contributors to The Foundation for the Support of Humanitarian Purposes, for Promotion of Research and for Protection of the Natural Environment. Tove Birkø, teacher, consultant for building and construction enterprise Grete Flintegaard, BA in Spanish, musician Thomas Højmark, Bachelor of divinity, school consultant Allan Lund Jensen, naval architect, director of Tvindkraft Sune Jørgensen, teacher, school consultant for music and theater Lisbeth Krohn, teacher, principal of teacher training college Jytte Martinussen, teacher, leading associate of the company 'e-advice' Mikael Norling, MA in sociology, chairman of Planet Aid Inc., USA Anders Svensson, teacher, director of a residential institution November 2001 |
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