Three-quarters of the volunteers at the camp are AU students
One of them is political science student Line Engbjerg. She came across the voluntary job in AU’s job bank and thought: That’s what I’m going to do!
"I always wanted to do voluntary work, but when you’re studying full-time, you don’t have much time. But during the spring my father was seriously ill with lymphoma, and in connection with this, I applied for exemption from some of my subjects. That’s given me some room for manoeuvre – and it really makes sense to me now, because I’ve experienced cancer close up and know what it does to a family. My father is a different father and I am a different daughter because of what we've been through," she says.
A little sun and joy
Martin Andersen is studying business administration and information systems and, like Line, he has personal motivation for volunteering at the camp. Last year his little sister contracted an infection in her central nervous system and was very ill for a longer period.
"In a way it’s sad that many of us volunteers have had these experiences. But we know there’s also a way of getting through this difficult period – and we’ve felt how important it is for ill children to have someone to bring some sunshine and joy into their life during a difficult time."
Rasmus Thøger Christensen stresses that there isn’t any requirement for volunteers to have had first-hand experience of serious illness.
"It has played a role, because they can identify with the situation the young people are in. But it has also been important for us that they have experience of working with children and young people – and that they also have a human x-factor."
Translated by Peter Lambourne