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Roskilde Festival

DanChurchAid volunteers at Roskilde Festival

14/07/2008: Roskilde Festival could not exist without the help of its many volunteers. Around 23.000 out of Roskildes maximum of 105.000 guests are volunteering as security, chefs, parking guards, sanitation workers and last but not least; refund collectors. While the volunteer refund collectors of DanChurchAid are an equal part of this essential festival element, the work they do and the information they share will travel far beyond the borders of Denmark – and Europe.

DanChurchAid's volunteers in the blue vests collecting refund bottles and glass to benefit mine clearance programs in Congo.

Photo: Justin Bromberg

This year, 700 young people wore their blue “Refund” vests and walked through the festival’s many campsites, introducing themselves and the campaign to the thousands of festivalgoers. Their goal was to collect as many refundable bottles and cans as possible, to raise the refund money for landmine-removal programs and awareness campaigns in the DR Congo.

The focus of DanChurchAid’s humantohuman information campaign this year was fair trade and the production of mobile phones. In DR Congo, particularly, the extraction of metals is related to many internal problems and poor working conditions. humantohuman believes that mobile phone companies, the end user of such metals as cobalt, should be aware of these connections.

“ Roskilde Festival is a great platform for us to get the message out to the rest of Denmark, as well as connect with young people,” says Henrik Stubkjær, general secretary of DanChurchAid.

Between their shifts, volunteers were welcome to come have a coffee or just chill out at the humantohuman Social Tent. Some of the lucky ones were treated to an afternoon massage and footbath.

DanChurchAid also ran a fair trade boutique at the Odeon music pavilion. The boutique sold a number of clothing items, including a line of products that were presented by the group clothing’s ambassador, Karen Mukupa, on Saturday afternoon, July 5.

“For us, this cooperation with Roskilde Festival is very, very important,” continues Henrik Stubkjær. “These information campaigns move the public opinion in Denmark. So many people are based here, and the platform for sharing information is incredible.”

By Justin Bromberg, bromberg.justin@gmail.com



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