Parents open alternative clubs for children refusing school across Denmark

Parents in multiple Danish cities have launched independent clubs for children who refuse to attend school, offering a non-academic space for socialising and support, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

At Klub Fristedet in Aalborg, children and parents gather twice weekly for activities like crafts and campfire snacks, free from the pressures of traditional schooling. Jeanette Wiinberg Torp, whose 10-year-old daughter Therese no longer attends school, described the club as a “breath of fresh air” and a fixed point in their week.

“When you’re just at home trying to get through the day, having a place to go and meet others in the same situation makes a huge difference,” Wiinberg Torp said. “You forget some of the struggles for a while.”

The clubs, run by volunteers under the Trivselsalliancen (Wellbeing Alliance) network, aim to provide a “safe space without demands,” according to Lotte Winther Kappel, a co-founder of the Aalborg branch. Her own children have not attended school for over three years. “Once you’ve seen a 13-year-old clinging to your leg, shaking and crying at the thought of school, you realise they simply can’t do it,” she said.

In Jammerbugt Municipality, 12-year-old Olav Kronborg Skjødt attends a local Klub Fristedet branch. “I’ve really struggled with school—I just didn’t want to go,” he said. “Here, there aren’t as many ‘must-do’ things. When I’m told I have to do something, I just can’t.”

His mother, Mette Marie Kronborg Skjødt, a co-founder of the Jammerbugt club, noted the transformation in her son: “When he’s in an environment where he can be himself, he’s full of energy and engages naturally with others.”

The Aalborg club, open since February, now has 40 regular families and over 400 members in its online group. Organisers emphasise that the clubs are not educational but focus on community and relief from school-related stress.