Did you know that Brobyggerne has its very own podcast: *Den Anden Stol*?
Over the course of five episodes, people on opposite sides of the nature and environment debate will come together for a dialogue about their disagreements and differences. In one of the episodes, for example, you can find out what a politician thinks when they walk past young people on a hunger strike, or what a climate activist thinks of the Green Tripartite?
The concept behind the podcast is simple: Two people with vastly different views and values come together for a conversation, with Özlem serving as the moderator.
The goal is for them to try to see things from the other person’s perspective. In other words, they try to describe what the world looks like to the other person. This is a technique we use in the Bridge Builders’ training, but it is also used in talk therapy.
When it works, it can be reconciling to hear oneself accurately portrayed by someone with whom one disagrees. As a listener, it will be interesting and surprising to hear two parties whose views are far apart take the other’s perspective.
You can listen to *Den Anden Stol* wherever you usually listen to podcasts. You can also listen to it on our website via this link.
The podcast is part of Brobyggerne’s “Grøn Dialogkaffe” project. The project is supported by Forenet Kredit, the 15 June Foundation, and Østifterne.
Speech at Özlem’s 50th birthday reception on May 7, 2026
Dear Özlem – my love!
Thank you for letting me come and say a few words.
I got to know you when you had just been elected to the Folketing for the Socialist People’s Party.
In his speech earlier this evening, Mogens Lykketoft referred to the seriousness, honesty, and transparency you embodied when, in 2012, the SF had to support certain political decisions in which I myself did not actively participate.
I was just down in Brazil with my daughter, following everything from afar and making a few phone calls.
And one, two, four—before you knew it, the SRSF government had implemented significant tax cuts, which you took a bit of a swipe at. You said so out loud, very loudly in fact.
And of course, it’s a nightmare for a party leader to have people like that—people who stand up for what they believe in and stick to their guns. On the other hand, it’s also a testament to the incredible personal integrity you possess, and I’d like to commend you for that.
You’ve carried that integrity with you.
Even though you haven’t been in the Folketing quite as long as Mogens Lykketoft and I have, you’ve made a lasting impact.
For example, when you walk into the conference room and see this painting of notable women in Danish politics, in which you are, of course, portrayed.
That makes a lot of sense.
In many ways, I actually think it makes even more sense now that you’ve left Christiansborg. Because you’ve taken your integrity with you, and you’ve made it your life’s mission to build bridges where others dig trenches.
And if there’s one thing the world and Denmark needs, it’s bridge-builders—people who insist on dialogue and conversation. That’s what you’ve done, and you’ve been incredibly successful at it.
It may have started primarily with immigration policy, where I think you and I share the view that many nuances are being lost; it’s becoming too black-and-white.
We need to have a dialogue where we don’t judge people solely on the basis of their skin color or religion, but where we see the person behind it all.
You’ve done that, but you’ve also taken it a step further: My most recent experience with you was during the election campaign, when the focus was on the Danish Realm and Greenland.
You have brought the methods you have developed—and which I believe you sensed were also needed at Christiansborg—out into society. We really need that, and for that, we all owe you a huge thank you.
So I have the utmost respect for you, and I’m incredibly proud to have been invited and asked to say a few words. It makes me happy.
I'm older than you, and it probably took me a little longer than it did you to realize that black-and-white thinking doesn't work.
The world is full of color, and dialogue is needed.
I probably won't ever actually subscribe to that "dialogue coffee," because I prefer "dialogue wine," but that's just my personal opinion.
Have you been contacted regarding monthly financial assistance?
If so, it is because Brobyggerne – Center for Dialogkaffe is currently calling potential donors to ask if they would like to become regular monthly supporters.
If you are not already a supporter and we have called you, it may be because you indicated that you were interested in our cause and would like more information about becoming a contributor to Brobyggerne – Center for Dialogkaffe.
Brobyggerne – Center for Dialogkaffe is partnering with the fundraising agency Takk. Takk calls from the number +45 45 42 90 29.
We’re calling because it makes a difference. The work at Brobyggerne – Center for Dialogkaffe relies entirely on donations from individuals, and we strive to collect donations as cost-effectively as possible.
We do this so that as much money as possible can be used to support democratic efforts. Democracy cannot be taken for granted. We work to preserve and develop democracy through ongoing dialogue across divides. We believe that a diverse range of opinions strengthens our democratic community.
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To set up a donation via MobilePay or card, we need your phone number, and you must approve the donation yourself. To reassure the public about this method, our industry association, ISOBRO, has issued a press release in collaboration with PBS and the Danish Bankers Association.
See the press release from ISOBRO and the Danish Bankers Association on ISOBRO’s website.
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If you have any questions about MobilePay, security, or anything else related to the above, please feel free to email us at kontakt@brobyggerne.dk.
The Bridge Builders - Center for Dialogue Coffee was created to strengthen dialogue, tolerance and understanding between people with different opinions, values and ways of life.
We want to promote a society that resolves its conflicts and disagreements through words and reason—not through violence and threats.
Would you rather spend a semester working at an active NGO than sitting in a lecture hall? Are you interested in helping to prevent polarization and strengthen dialogue between different groups in society? If so, you’re the intern we’re looking for.
Brobyggerne was founded to strengthen dialogue and democratic discourse in Denmark. We launch projects and develop tools that foster dialogue and, in turn, democracy—among individuals, within organizations, and across institutions. You can learn more about us at www.brobyggerne.dk.
As an academic intern, you’ll gain experience working at a rapidly growing NGO. We currently have two major projects— Grøn Dialogkaffe and Fordomsbryderne—which you’ll become a part of and help run, both of which focus on young people. You’ll help plan activities and make your mark on our work. You will also be involved in launching new projects.
It’s important for our work that the outside world is aware of what we do. A significant part of your internship will therefore also involve communication and social media. You don’t need to have extensive experience in this area, but it’s definitely an advantage if you have an eye for aesthetics and storytelling.
Your responsibilities
Assist in planning and implementing project activities, e.g., courses and theme weeks
Contribute to project development and/or the launch of new projects
Participate in the planning of communication strategies for the association’s projects and
activities
Production of content for Brobyggerne's social media and website
Help maintain ongoing communication with members, residents, and the media
Ad hoc tasks within the association
About you
We are looking for someone who…
Currently enrolled in a higher education program
You have a way with words and, ideally, experience with social media and communication in general
Has experience with, and recognizes the importance of, good planning and coordination
Can work independently, is organized, and takes responsibility for your tasks
Terms and Conditions of the Internship
The internship is 30–37 hours per week, starting in September and lasting through the semester.
There may be activities held outside of normal office hours that we’d like you to join. We will, of course, take your needs into account, including your need to attend classes and do your writing.
The internship is unpaid and meets the requirements for ECTS credits
Brobyggerne is a visionary organization with over 10,000 members, where what each of us brings to the table makes a big difference to our working community. We love discussing current issues and laughing together, even when we’re busy. We’re based in central Copenhagen and share facilities with other cross-cultural organizations.
Application
Please send a brief cover letter along with your resume to sami@brobyggerne.dk. Write “Internship” in the subject line. The application deadline is June 12, 2026, at 12:00 PM. Interviews will be held on an ongoing basis.
If you have any questions, please contact Assistant Manager Sami Kleit at sami@brobyggerne.dk or by phone at 22 26 06 63.
On Thursday, April 23, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Brobyggerne will holdits general meeting at the Red Cross offices atBlegdamsvej 27, 2100 Copenhagen Ø. Please notethat this year’s general meeting will be held on the second floor in the “Dunant” room.
We therefore invite all members to attend the general meeting.
To make sure there’s enough coffee, please sign up for the general meeting by clicking here.
Agenda for the general meeting
Election of conductor
Selection of rapporteur
The board's report on the association's activities over the past year is presented.
Approval of accounts
Setting of quota
Proposals received
Election to the board and/or alternates
Choosing an auditor
Possibly
Proposals to be discussed under item 6 and nominations for a board position under item 7 must be received by the chair no later than 14 days before the general meeting, in accordance with Article 5.4 of the bylaws. Proposals may be sent tosami@brobyggerne.dk. You can readthe association’s bylaws here.
No later than seven days before the general meeting, we will send out all the material to be discussed at the general meeting via a newsletter. The material will also be available on our website.
Presentation by this year's award winner
As is tradition, we will conclude the general meeting with a presentation by last year’s recipient of the Bent Melchior Award.
This year, we look forward to hearing from Jacob Holdt, a photographer, passionate advocate, and long-time bridge-builder.
About half an hour has been set aside for the presentation, followed by time for questions and discussion.
Greenland dominates the headlines and kitchen table conversations. Many of us are not experts – not even Greenlanders, who find themselves caught up in global interests, security policy, and a president who crosses all boundaries with his allies. There is no doubt about the seriousness of the situation. The threat is real. And in the midst of all this, the country's prime minister repeats again and again that we must stand together in the Commonwealth.
But at Brobyggerne, we have asked ourselves a fundamental question: Do we really know each other well enough to be able to move forward together?
Behind the headlines are real people. People who are all too often reduced to symbols, problems, or political markers. There are many prejudices about Greenlanders in Denmark, and many Greenlanders have experienced racism, pain, inequality, and a lack of understanding.
But who are they as people? What drives them? What are they struggling with—and what are they fighting for?
At a time when Trump is once again threatening the Commonwealth from outside, it is more important than ever that we strengthen our community from within. Not to erase differences, but to understand them better. And to take each other seriously.
That is why Brobyggerne is inviting everyone to a large public event:
People behind the headlines – Greenlandic voices Wednesday, March 4, 7–9 p.m. KVUC, Vognmagergade 8, 1120 Copenhagen K
The event is free of charge. With support from the Jubilee Fund of 1963, we are able to open our doors to everyone, because we want as many people as possible to participate in the conversation.
So please bring your teenage children, grandchildren, a good neighbor, or a colleague along. The conversation is for all generations.
The evening is structured around Brobyggerne's dialogue method with communities of disagreement, where there is time and space for nuances, dilemmas, and different perspectives.
The event consists of three rounds:
• Round 1: Greenlandic votes Leise Johnsen (Director of the Greenlandic House Copenhagen) Lisa Bundgaard Jensen (activist) Aaja Chemnitz (Member of Parliament for IA)
• Round 3: The political level Özlem Cekic in conversation with Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
Although the event is free, registration is required so we know how much coffee to brew ☕
For us, the evening is not about agreeing on everything – but about listening, understanding, and building bridges. Between people, between cultures and experiences. And ultimately between the communities for which we share responsibility.
We really hope you want to join us – and bring others along with you.
The Workers' Museum (Rømersgade 22, 1362 Copenhagen K) 7–9 p.m. Ticket price: DKK 125.
What does it mean to be subjected to torture, and not least to survive torture?
We will try to learn more about this on Thursday, January 15, 2026. In collaboration with the IRCT (International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims), we are holding an event to shed light on the phenomenon of war at a deeper level than news headlines. Behind and in the midst of every war and conflict are people who make decisions and people who must live with the consequences of those decisions.
The event is our attempt to put a face to decision-makers and hand over – supplemented by experts in the field.
The hope is that we can become wiser about the political considerations surrounding war—but in particular, that we can become wiser about the reality in which so many of our fellow human beings live.
Because even though wars change form, the consequences remain the same; it is still real people who are left behind with the very real consequences of war on both body and soul.
In addition to presentations by torture survivors and experts, the evening will feature a conversation with former foreign ministers Mogens Lykketoft and Martin Lidegaard, Paula Larrins.
How can we talk constructively with each other about climate, the environment, and nature when we have different and sometimes conflicting attitudes and interests?
With the Green Dialogue Coffee project, we have in recent years created dialogue meetings on nature, climate, and environmental issues across the country. Now we are taking the next step and launching a new online learning universe that will make these experiences available to even more people.
The new online universe has been developed as an interactive learning space where users can explore some of the most controversial green disagreements in Denmark. The focus here is on nuances, dilemmas, and different perspectives rather than quick answers and sharp fronts.
A key element is an interactive map of Denmark featuring cases from almost every part of the country. The map is based on specific conflicts and disagreements about nature, climate, and the environment, such as wolves, bottom trawling, wild boar fencing, and CO2 storage, where each case provides insight into the values and interests that clash.
The universe also contains dialogue exercises, reflection questions, videos, and articles that can be used by educators, young people, organizations, and other curious minds. The content has been developed with a focus on learning, active participation, and democratic education, and can be used both individually and collectively.
The universe will be continuously expanded with new content so that the platform always reflects the needs, experiences, and dilemmas we encounter in our work with Green Dialogue Coffee around Denmark.
With the new online universe, we want to give more people access to the dialogue tools we have developed and tested through Green Dialogue Coffee, thereby contributing to a more nuanced and less polarized conversation about the green transition.
We invite you to explore the platform, try out the exercises, and share the universe with others who also want to strengthen the dialogue on the green agenda.
You can explore the universe and learn more about Green Dialogue Coffee at this link.
Yesterday, hundreds of people experienced the magic of Greenlandic mask dancing for the first time at the Bent Melchior Prize 2025. It was not a moment too soon, because these days we talk a lot about the Danish Realm. It is what binds Greenlanders, Danes, and Faroese together. It is always easy to see what separates us: culture, traditions, language, nature.
But we don't need to look only to the Danish Realm. In our own little pond, we also divide each other into "them" and "us." But "Danes come in many models," as a popular folk high school song says, which is about the wide variety of the Danish population and expresses that Danes have many different backgrounds, identities, and appearances.
This was the starting point for this year's Bent Melchior Award, which focused on art and culture. And it was the starting point for the selection of this year's passionate soul.
The award goes to…
The winner of the Bent Melchior Prize 2025 is photographer Jacob Holdt.
The award honors a passionate individual who, with perseverance and patience, makes an effort to step out onto the bridge and meet the other person – with openness, curiosity, and a critical stance.
This year's award winner is Jacob Holdt, the man behind American Pictures and a passionate soul who, more than anyone else, has dedicated his life to building bridges across cultures.
As former Bent Melchior Prize winner (2024) Sarah Smed said in her motivational speech:
“This year’s award winner is a person who, throughout a long life and with what appears to be an impressively calm pulse, a compassionate presence, exemplary drive, and tireless storytelling, has reminded us all that encounters between people based on trust and openness can bring about change. That conversations should not be a battle of opinions with winners and losers, but should be seen as a movement rich in words and images – a kind of ‘contact sport’ of attitudes that touches but does not hurt.”
“What can I say about building bridges between people who would rather hide in their bubbles? So, inspired by Jens Galschiøt’s beautiful water droplet, let me try the opposite of bubbles. From my work with the Ku Klux Klan, I can tell you how small drops can turn into waves that infect others – both in the US and here at home.”
This is how Jacob Holdt began his acceptance speech, and as you can see in the photo below, there was no doubt that we were dealing with a delighted recipient of this year's Bent Melchior Award. However, his speech, which you can read here, also offered what I think is a welcome reminder:
That is really what I want to say tonight:
That bridge-building is not just about talking to each other – but about liberating each other. And that this can sometimes be contagious and liberating from country to country. As we always said in my workshops between black and white people at US universities,
'If a pattern of suffering attacks you – and only a pattern of suffering would do that– help is always at hand. Namely, from the person who is trapped in the pattern of suffering and waiting to be freed."
Behind every shout, every accusation, every wall of hatred, there is almost always an old pain begging to be heard.
Special thanks to:
Aveny-T for hosting the event.
Frellsen for the cream puffs and coffee bags for our guests.
Our anonymous donors, who once again this year have been a great support to our work in planning and executing the awards ceremony.
The artists and panelists for enriching us all with important stories and reminding us of the importance of building bridges in culture.
Photographer Erling Brodersen for taking the beautiful pictures.
Bent Melchior always said: "If you feel that something needs to be done, don't say, 'Someone else will have to do it. ' You have to do it yourself! You have to make a difference." We couldn't have made that difference without your support. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
If you want to get a little closer to who Bent really was as a person, you should read his daughter-in-law Karen Melchior's beautiful speech! You can read my own welcome speech for the event right here.
In November, there will be municipal elections in Denmark. Far too few citizens with ethnic minority backgrounds vote in municipal elections. In fact, they are voting less and less. This includes those who grew up in Denmark. Something must be done about this. That is why we at Brobyggerne have created the project ‘Nydanske Stemmer’ (New Danish Voices).
Looking at voter turnout among immigrants and their descendants, it is worryingly low. In the last municipal and regional elections in 2021, turnout among these two groups was 37.3 and 35.5 percentage points lower than among ethnic Danes. These are numbers that we should take seriously, because, as stated in a report from the Center for Elections and Parties (KU): "It is particularly worrying that descendants who were born and raised in Denmark have a significantly lower voter turnout than ethnic Danes."
During November, will Brobyggerne, led by Özlem Cekic, travel around the parts of the country where the proportion of immigrants and descendants is high – and voter turnout therefore correspondingly low – with the aim of encouraging immigrants and descendants to use their vote, get involved in the debate, and choose democracy rather than reject it when it comes to voting in the municipal elections. In this way, they can help shape local democracy.
Özlem Cekic was one of the first women from a minority background to be elected for the Danish Parliament. This is not the first time Özlem Cekic has thrown herself into the fight to increase voter turnout. During the municipal elections in 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2021, she also visited disadvantaged neighborhoods across the country and spoke with local residents about the importance of voting.
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