School class once criticised now cherished visitors at care home for the blind

A class of 13- to 15-year-olds from Novaskolen in Vejle, often facing public scrutiny, has become a beloved fixture at Solgaven care home for the blind and visually impaired, where residents say the students’ visits bring them joy, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

For seven years, pupils from the school—located near a former “ghetto-listed” neighbourhood—have visited Solgaven twice annually, interviewing residents about topics ranging from favourite meals to first loves. This week, they joined the home’s 50th-anniversary celebration, where conversations turned to childhood mishaps, smoking, and mobile phones.

“They might not get much out of it, but we do,” said 96-year-old resident Birgit Kosack, one of three elderly participants in the latest gathering. The others, Bente Seehusen Nørgaard, 88, and Mogens Steenkjær Mortensen, 79, engaged with four students—Madina Sadat, Mathilde-Agnete Sejrup Fredin, Jahir Haxholli, and Radwan Mushkali—who listened as the seniors shared stories of youthful rebellion.

Mortensen recounted stealing his father’s lighter at age seven, dousing it in petrol, and accidentally setting fire to a workbench. “I put it out with paintbrushes, but he noticed,” he admitted. The incident later surfaced in his confirmation song. The students reacted with surprise: “That’s wild—way worse than stealing from your parents,” said Haxholli.

Smoking also sparked discussion. Mortensen revealed he began at seven and smoked for 72 years, while Kosack described her half-hearted habit: “I just exhaled. It was fashionable, but pointless.” The teens, none of whom smoke, responded in unison: “Never in my life.”

Technology gaps emerged when Kosack described writing letters that took weeks to arrive. “Are you from the Stone Age?” her grandchildren ask. “They sleep with their phones,” she noted. “So do I,” added Sejrup Fredin, who admitted struggling when messages go unanswered.

The visit ended with students serving ice cream in the garden, guiding their visually impaired hosts. As Solgaven prepares for a royal visit by Princess Benedikte on Monday, Mortensen declared he’d “rather have the young people,” though Kosack diplomatically called both visits equally welcome.

Novaskolen’s partnership with Solgaven began in 2019 as part of Relationsnetværket, a national programme pairing 1,500 school classes with 90 businesses to expose students to workplace culture, career paths, and real-world applications of their studies. The first such “adoption” dates to 2003, also involving Novaskolen.