Anne Dorte Riggelsen, the Danish consul general in New York, visited a public elementary school in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn in New York City last week as part of an after-school program where children learn about other cultures.

Riggelsen talked about life in Denmark with the school’s third, fourth, and fifth graders who have been working online with kids from 30 cities — including Copenhagen — on assignments about social issues such as gender equality and immigration.

Cultural differences
Riggelsen told the New Yorkers about a typical day in Copenhagen, where kids as young as five cycle to school.

“I think it was very empowering and real to them to meet a real-life diplomat from one of the countries that they’ve been working with,” said Travis Hardy from the New York Mayor’s Office of International Affairs

Riggelsen has a long history in Danish government. Before going to New York, she served as Denmark’s ambassador to France.