The Danish Minister for Education, Bertel Haarder (liberal), wants to encourage Danish high school students to do voluntary work, reports Information. On 13 July, he announced the creation of a diploma for those who have completed more than 20 hours of voluntary work, which can be included on CVs. "Time spent as a coach for a sports team, or the leader of a scout troop, or as a mentor that enables another young person to complete a project, or visiting elderly or lonely people should be recognised as valuable experience that ought to be acknowledged alongside time spent in class," explains the Minister, whose initiative has inspired similar schemes in the US. Bertel Haarder was at pains to insist that work done by young volunteers would not be used to offset any cutbacks in services provided by the welfare state.
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