Though Denmark’s politicians are increasingly in the news for their hardline stance on refugees, some ordinary Danes are willing to go the extra mile to understand what life must be like for people without a home.

To mark Universal Children’s Day recently, grade 6 students at Hillerød Lille Skole went out into the cold and lived like refugees for 24 hours.

Exciting but hard
Nynne Vest Andersen, 12, told Metroxpress the experience was exciting but scary.

“It has been really exciting to find out how refugees live. But it was also hard, mainly because it was very cold and hard to keep warm,” she said.

“We wanted to let the children delve into what it feels like to experience life as a child on the move,” said Lars Anderson, a teacher at the school.

Gaining perspective
The children spent the day outside, away from such regular comforts as TV and social media.

“They were tasked with imagining what life must be like for a child on the move – a child who does not know where he will live in the future and doesn’t have the option of going back home. It has given them perspective,” Anderson told Metroxpress.

Nynne Vest Andersen agreed. “I’ve thought a lot about how they are in refugee camps for a long time,” she said.

“It must be very uncomfortable for them not to know what the future holds. Especially for the children – it must be very sad and boring.”