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Why We Exist
The world isn't built on intentions, it's built on values.
Why It Matters
Strengthen Values
We develop and support learning initiatives, reflective methods, and conversation-based programmes that strengthen digital citizenship, empathetic communities, and democratic engagement. Through education, research, documentary storytelling, and public knowledge-sharing, we help schools, families, educators, and civil society organisations put Danish values into practice, in Denmark and internationally
Why It Matters
Contribution to Our Society
In a globalised and digital world, the social fabric that holds communities together is under pressure. We believe that the Danish approach to child-rearing, education, and civil society offers something genuinely valuable; as a contribution to a broader global conversation about how we want to live together.
Who We Are
Value-based NGO
The Danish Way Association is a non-profit organisation rooted in the belief that the values Denmark is known for —trust, equality, empathy, and community— are worth protecting, sharing, and putting into practice. We bring together educators, families, institutions, and international partners around a common question: how do we keep these values alive and meaningful in a rapidly changing world?
Who We Are
Value-based NGO
The Danish Way Association is a non-profit organisation rooted in the belief that the values Denmark is known for —trust, equality, empathy, and community— are worth protecting, sharing, and putting into practice. We bring together educators, families, institutions, and international partners around a common question: how do we keep these values alive and meaningful in a rapidly changing world?
Why It Matters
Contribution to Our Society
In a globalised and digital world, the social fabric that holds communities together is under pressure. We believe that the Danish approach to child-rearing, education, and civil society offers something genuinely valuable; as a contribution to a broader global conversation about how we want to live together.
What We Stand For
Shared Responsibility
At the heart of everything we do is samfundssind; a uniquely Danish sense of shared responsibility for one another and for society as a whole. We work to make values like democratic participation, social cohesion, and mutual care visible and actionable, not just as ideals, but as everyday practices in homes, classrooms, and communities.
Why It Matters
Strengthen Values
We develop and support learning initiatives, reflective methods, and conversation-based programmes that strengthen digital citizenship, empathetic communities, and democratic engagement. Through education, research, documentary storytelling, and public knowledge-sharing, we help schools, families, educators, and civil society organisations put Danish values into practice, in Denmark and internationally
Why It Matters
Strengthen Values
We develop and support learning initiatives, reflective methods, and conversation-based programmes that strengthen digital citizenship, empathetic communities, and democratic engagement. Through education, research, documentary storytelling, and public knowledge-sharing, we help schools, families, educators, and civil society organisations put Danish values into practice, in Denmark and internationally
Why It Matters
Strengthen Values
We develop and support learning initiatives, reflective methods, and conversation-based programmes that strengthen digital citizenship, empathetic communities, and democratic engagement. Through education, research, documentary storytelling, and public knowledge-sharing, we help schools, families, educators, and civil society organisations put Danish values into practice, in Denmark and internationally
Why It Matters
Contribution to Our Society
In a globalised and digital world, the social fabric that holds communities together is under pressure. We believe that the Danish approach to child-rearing, education, and civil society offers something genuinely valuable; as a contribution to a broader global conversation about how we want to live together.
Why It Matters
Contribution to Our Society
In a globalised and digital world, the social fabric that holds communities together is under pressure. We believe that the Danish approach to child-rearing, education, and civil society offers something genuinely valuable; as a contribution to a broader global conversation about how we want to live together.
What We Stand For
Shared Responsibility
At the heart of everything we do is samfundssind; a uniquely Danish sense of shared responsibility for one another and for society as a whole. We work to make values like democratic participation, social cohesion, and mutual care visible and actionable, not just as ideals, but as everyday practices in homes, classrooms, and communities.
What We Stand For
Shared Responsibility
At the heart of everything we do is samfundssind; a uniquely Danish sense of shared responsibility for one another and for society as a whole. We work to make values like democratic participation, social cohesion, and mutual care visible and actionable, not just as ideals, but as everyday practices in homes, classrooms, and communities.
What We Stand For
Shared Responsibility
At the heart of everything we do is samfundssind; a uniquely Danish sense of shared responsibility for one another and for society as a whole. We work to make values like democratic participation, social cohesion, and mutual care visible and actionable, not just as ideals, but as everyday practices in homes, classrooms, and communities.
Team
Board Members
Jessica Joelle Alexander
Jessica Joelle Alexander is an author, cultural researcher, and international speaker specializing in Danish parenting philosophy, empathy, and wellbeing. Her books include The Danish Way of Parenting, The Danish Way of Education, and The Danish Way Everyday — published in over 35 countries and translated into more than 20 languages — and have become some of the most widely read works on Danish values and child-rearing worldwide.
Her research thesis — that Denmark's decades-long happiness rankings reflect measurable levels of empathy at a societal level — underpins her speaking, writing, and advocacy work. She is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen and UC Berkeley's Towards Belonging Center, and has been featured in the New York Times, BBC World News, CBS News, Time and The Guardian, among others.
As a speaker and research contributor, Jessica has addressed some of the world's largest parenting, education, and leadership forums, and has collaborated on research projects with organizations including LEGO and UC Berkeley, while also presenting for Google, Morgan Stanley, the World Bank, and Nobel Fest, bringing Danish values to audiences across the corporate, education, and policy sectors. She is dedicated to making the values that have made Denmark one of the happiest countries in the world visible, actionable, and accessible — wherever you are in the world.
Stine Liv Johansen
Stine Liv Johansen holds a PhD in media studies and is Associate Professor at the Centre for Children's Literature and Media, Aarhus University, where her primary research focus is children's digital lives, media use, and digital citizenship. She takes a practice-oriented approach to understanding how digital and mobile technologies shape children's everyday communication, learning, and play.
She served as Chair of the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People (Medierådet for Børn og Unge, 2019–2022) and in 2021 received the Døssingprisen — a national award recognising her contribution to strengthening the public debate on children's digital rights and digital citizenship in Denmark. She currently serves as board chair of Odder Gymnasium and as a board member of the Centre for Digital Pedagogy.
She teaches on the Master's programme in Children's Literature and Media at Aarhus University and supervises master's theses and PhD students within the field. Her publications include 10 tanker om digital dannelse (2022) — a widely read exploration of what digital literacy means in contemporary society — Social Media Across Everyday Contexts: Digital Childhood and Youth in the Nordics (co-authored with Malene Charlotte Larsen, 2024), Everyday Media Play: Children's Playful Media Practices (2018), and numerous peer-reviewed articles on children's digital everyday life and media education.
Helle Jensen
Helle Jensen holds a degree in psychology (cand.psych.) with relational competence as her primary area of focus. She is a co-founder of the association Børns Livskundskab (Children's Life Skills), of which she also served as chairwoman, and now works primarily in Germany and the EU more broadly.
She has served as educational director of the Danish Kempler Institute and collaborated closely with Jesper Juul, together with whom she has taught relational competence and family therapy across numerous European countries. Together they authored the book Pedagogical Relational Competence – From Obedience to Responsibility (2002), among other works.
She initiated and served as lead responsible and teacher on the former two-year international program Training Empathy, and continues in the same role on its successor program, Empathie macht Schule or "Empathy Transforms Schools”, based in Berlin. She is the author of Presence and Empathy in Schools (2014) and co-author of Empathy – What Holds the World Together (2012, co-authored with Jes Bertelsen, Jesper Juul, Michael Stubberup, Peter Høeg, and Steen Hildebrandt).
Soren Poulsen
As CEO of Raising Digital Citizens, Soren brings over two decades of global leadership and marketing experience. Having successfully steered major brands and teams across multiple countries, he decided to channel his passion for family-focused solutions into Raising Digital Citizens after witnessing the transformative power of open conversations with his own children, Sophia and Sebastian. His strategic vision and hands-on leadership style ensure that everything we create is designed to help families thrive in today’s digital landscape.
Søren Poulsen
As CEO of Raising Digital Citizens, Soren brings over two decades of global leadership and marketing experience. Having successfully steered major brands and teams across multiple countries, he decided to channel his passion for family-focused solutions into Raising Digital Citizens after witnessing the transformative power of open conversations with his own children, Sophia and Sebastian. His strategic vision and hands-on leadership style ensure that everything we create is designed to help families thrive in today’s digital landscape.
Søren Poulsen
As CEO of Raising Digital Citizens, Soren brings over two decades of global leadership and marketing experience. Having successfully steered major brands and teams across multiple countries, he decided to channel his passion for family-focused solutions into Raising Digital Citizens after witnessing the transformative power of open conversations with his own children, Sophia and Sebastian. His strategic vision and hands-on leadership style ensure that everything we create is designed to help families thrive in today’s digital landscape.
Jessica Joelle Alexander
An internationally acclaimed Danish Parenting Expert, Cultural Researcher, Speaker, and Columnist, Jessica’s work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, BBC World News, TIME, Vanity Fair, NPR, and more. She authored the global bestseller, The Danish Way of Parenting, recognized as one of the most-sold parenting books of all time and published in over 32 countries.
A frequent spokesperson for LEGO and a researcher at UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute, Jessica regularly speaks on parenting, education, and well-being around the world. She continues to bridge groundbreaking research with real-life parenting challenges, and her fourth book, The Danish Way of Education was released in March 2026.
Jessica Joelle Alexander
Jessica Joelle Alexander is an author, cultural researcher, and international speaker specializing in Danish parenting philosophy, empathy, and wellbeing. Her books include The Danish Way of Parenting, The Danish Way of Education, and The Danish Way Everyday — published in over 35 countries and translated into more than 20 languages — and have become some of the most widely read works on Danish values and child-rearing worldwide.
Her research thesis — that Denmark's decades-long happiness rankings reflect measurable levels of empathy at a societal level — underpins her speaking, writing, and advocacy work. She is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen and UC Berkeley's Towards Belonging Center, and has been featured in the New York Times, BBC World News, CBS News, Time and The Guardian, among others.
As a speaker and research contributor, Jessica has addressed some of the world's largest parenting, education, and leadership forums, and has collaborated on research projects with organizations including LEGO and UC Berkeley, while also presenting for Google, Morgan Stanley, the World Bank, and Nobel Fest, bringing Danish values to audiences across the corporate, education, and policy sectors. She is dedicated to making the values that have made Denmark one of the happiest countries in the world visible, actionable, and accessible — wherever you are in the world.
Stine Liv Johansen
Stine Johansen is Associate Professor, PhD, at the Department of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University. She is a firm believer that research is most meaningful when applied in real-world contexts. Over the years she has collaborated with a wide range of organizations, companies, and institutions, both public and private. She has held several positions of trust, including as chairwoman of the Media Council for Children and Young People, and currently serves as chair of the board of Odder Gymnasium and as a board member of WeDoBooks, the Center for Digital Pedagogy, and Hou Maritime Sports Boarding School.
Her teaching centers on children's and young people's lives with media, with a particular emphasis on qualitative methods for studying media use. She teaches on the Master's programme in Children's Literature and Media, the course Media Use and Experience within Media Studies, and the International Master in Children's Literature, Media, Culture and Entrepreneurship (CLMCE). She also supervises master's theses and PhD students within the field.
Stine Liv Johansen
Stine Liv Johansen holds a PhD in media studies and is Associate Professor at the Centre for Children's Literature and Media, Aarhus University, where her primary research focus is children's digital lives, media use, and digital citizenship. She takes a practice-oriented approach to understanding how digital and mobile technologies shape children's everyday communication, learning, and play.
She served as Chair of the Danish Media Council for Children and Young People (Medierådet for Børn og Unge, 2019–2022) and in 2021 received the Døssingprisen — a national award recognising her contribution to strengthening the public debate on children's digital rights and digital citizenship in Denmark. She currently serves as board chair of Odder Gymnasium and as a board member of the Centre for Digital Pedagogy.
She teaches on the Master's programme in Children's Literature and Media at Aarhus University and supervises master's theses and PhD students within the field. Her publications include 10 tanker om digital dannelse (2022) — a widely read exploration of what digital literacy means in contemporary society — Social Media Across Everyday Contexts: Digital Childhood and Youth in the Nordics (co-authored with Malene Charlotte Larsen, 2024), Everyday Media Play: Children's Playful Media Practices (2018), and numerous peer-reviewed articles on children's digital everyday life and media education.
Helle Jensen
Helle Jensen holds a degree in psychology (cand.psych.) with relational competence as her primary area of focus. She is a co-founder of the association Børns Livskundskab (Children's Life Skills), of which she also served as chairwoman, and now works primarily in Germany and the EU more broadly.
She has served as educational director of the Danish Kempler Institute and collaborated closely with Jesper Juul, together with whom she has taught relational competence and family therapy across numerous European countries. Together they authored the book Pedagogical Relational Competence – From Obedience to Responsibility (2002), among other works. She is the lead responsible for and a teacher on the two-year international program Training Empathy. She is the author of Presence and Empathy in Schools (2014) and co-author of Empathy – What Holds the World Together (2012, co-authored with Jes Bertelsen, Jesper Juul, Michael Stubberup, Peter Høeg, and Steen Hildebrandt).
Helle Jensen
Helle Jensen holds a degree in psychology (cand.psych.) with relational competence as her primary area of focus. She is a co-founder of the association Børns Livskundskab (Children's Life Skills), of which she also served as chairwoman, and now works primarily in Germany and the EU more broadly.
She has served as educational director of the Danish Kempler Institute and collaborated closely with Jesper Juul, together with whom she has taught relational competence and family therapy across numerous European countries. Together they authored the book Pedagogical Relational Competence – From Obedience to Responsibility (2002), among other works.
She initiated and served as lead responsible and teacher on the former two-year international program Training Empathy, and continues in the same role on its successor program, Empathie macht Schule or "Empathy Transforms Schools”, based in Berlin. She is the author of Presence and Empathy in Schools (2014) and co-author of Empathy – What Holds the World Together (2012, co-authored with Jes Bertelsen, Jesper Juul, Michael Stubberup, Peter Høeg, and Steen Hildebrandt).
Questions
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is The Danish Way Association for?
We work with a wide range of people and organisations — schools, educators, families, civil society organisations, public institutions, and international partners. Whether you are looking for a talk, a research collaboration, or simply want to learn more about Danish values and what they mean in practice, there is a place for you here.
Is this only relevant for Denmark?
How can we book a talk or bring you to our organisation?
Is The Danish Way Association a commercial organisation?
How can I support or get involved with the association?
Who is The Danish Way Association for?
We work with a wide range of people and organisations — schools, educators, families, civil society organisations, public institutions, and international partners. Whether you are looking for a talk, a research collaboration, or simply want to learn more about Danish values and what they mean in practice, there is a place for you here.
Is this only relevant for Denmark?
How can we book a talk or bring you to our organisation?
Is The Danish Way Association a commercial organisation?
How can I support or get involved with the association?
contact
Ready to Build a More
Valuable Future?
Take the first step towards your own global, digital world.
contact
Ready to Build a More
Valuable Future?
Take the first step towards your own global, digital world.
contact