In the fall of 2021, I collaborated with the board members of Gellerup Højskole on a project titled The Animated Board . The objective was to create eleven video portraits to be showcased on Gellerup Højskole’s website. Through these portraits it was my intention to investigate and shed light on the diverse perspectives and reasons, as explained by the board members themselves, contributing to the ambition and underlying motivations driving the establishment of a folk high school in this particular area.
    Across the portraits, the board members expressed in several ways that the reason for developing a folk high school in Gellerup, was to provide the city of Aarhus with a unique opportunity to bridge gaps between different ethnicities, minorities, and other differences [Rani Hørlyck: 01:15 – 01:59]. The philosophy behind the folk high school project is one that seeks to build a tolerant, respectful, and caring Denmark, by exploring the shared aspects of our humanity beyond cultural boundaries [Naveed Baig: 02:47 – 03:45]. Thus, laying the foundation for a folk high school in Gellerup is an attempt to uplift the community by contributing to its growth and development [Michael Svarer: 02:10 – 02:30]. It also aims to challenge the prevailing negative perceptions of Gellerup and showcase the many things that work well and the particular sense of community in this area of Aarhus [Mahmoud Dirawi: 01:02 – 01:41 and 02:16 – 03:04]. By providing a platform for dialogue, understanding, and cooperation [Henrik Wigh-Poulsen: 3:57 – 04:14], the ambition of a folk high school thereby represents a wish to create a unique form of community where people with diverse perspectives and identities can come together, learn from one another, and appreciate both commonalities and differences [Anne Marie Pahuus: 03:22 – 03:41]. The personal motives as stated by several board members were characterized as a sense of familiarity with Gellerup and thus a desire to contribute to the development of the area [Jens Joel: 01:02 – 01:20]. Lastly, the board emphasized that the folk high schools in Denmark recognize the importance of democracy and the necessity of teaching young people democratic awareness and fostering in them a sense of their role in shaping society [Hans Skou: 00:47 – 01:36]. At the time of recording these portraits, none of the board members, except for attending occasional meetings, lived or worked in Gellerup. In principle, the ambition to establish a folk high school in Gellerup was primarily led by individuals who were not residents of the area.