Colleagues at Østifterne who participated in the course. Laura Thatt to the left and Cecilia Linn Hansen to the right.
But what exactly is Østifterne? Originally, Østifterne began as an insurance company. However, at the turn of the millennium, it sold the business and established a social foundation with shares in Nykredit. Its focus is on damage prevention and proactive social efforts. While the foundation distributes 100 million Danish kroner annually to preventive and social initiatives, Østifterne offers more than just money. They bring knowledge, experience and a deep commitment to establishing local, sustainable initiatives designed to last long after the project concludes.
The Greenland project started when Østifterne received an application written by a group of children in Sisimiut. The children wished for a safe place to go during periods when their own homes were not secure for them.
Trust and respect: Keys to driving change
Project manager Laura Thatt explains: “We chose the children’s application because we saw an opportunity to truly help them and create lasting change – both in the children’s lives and in Qeqqata Kommunia, the municipality where Sisimiut is located. Østifterne doesn’t just come in and develop new, innovative solutions to local problems. We support processes that contribute to positive change. And you can only do that if you build trust. So, I knew right away that I wanted to learn some Greenlandic to show respect for the project’s Greenlandic partners, which include Qeqqata Kommunia, the non-profit housing association INI, and, of course, the children themselves.”
Laura’s goal was not to become fluent in Greenlandic but rather to navigate linguistically and culturally at a basic, polite level. Her aim was for everyone involved to feel equally respected.
Tailored lessons designed to meet specific needs
The lessons at Studieskolen were tailored as bespoke training for a small group of two team members. One colleague, who works directly on the project in Greenland, receives online lessons with Studieskolen. During the lessons, Laura and her colleagues have learned to pronounce and use many words and polite phrases in the right context. They have also gained significant cultural insights.
How do you enter a room? How do you show respect?
“Our teacher Marie taught us how to demonstrate respect and humility. In Greenland, you don’t speak too loudly or come in with a big agenda in the classic Danish way. Without Marie’s guidance, we wouldn’t have been as aware of our own behaviour as we are now. For Østifterne, it’s essential that our partners trust us. The children, the municipality and the housing association have all told us they appreciate that we speak a bit of Greenlandic with them. They even find it amusing when I ask for help, for instance, with pronouncing or understanding specific Greenlandic words,” Laura explains.
A project with a future
Together with Qeqqata Kommunia, the housing association INI and the town’s children, Østifterne is creating a physical drop-in centre where children can always find a trustworthy adult, food and a place to sleep if they cannot stay at home. The project spans seven years, with the goal of providing fundamental, lasting well-being for Greenlandic children and young people, thereby creating a better foundation for their learning. Once the project concludes, the Greenlandic partners will take over the drop-in centre.