Knowledge First
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
YEARS OF KNOWLEDGE FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 2011 THE ROCKWOOL FOUNDATION 2 TaBLE OF CONTENTS THE ANNUAL REPORT 2011 4 2011 in brief 32 Denmark’s balance of qualifications A message from the Board and Management New research provides for the first time an accounting balance for the exchange of labour with foreign countries 6 The members of the Board, the Research Programme Committee and the Management 36 A stronger lifeline An initiative to reach the most vulnerable families in 8 Knowledge first Zambia The principles behind the activities of the Rockwool Foundation 40 A new perspective for Danish schools Høje Taastrup Municipality has joined the Rockwool 10 Integration in Denmark – Success or failure? Foundation in an effort to develop a new tool to improve New research results provide an updated picture of immi- the performance of state schools gration to Denmark and of the integration of immigrants 44 Transatlantic inspiration on health care 14 Knowledge and hard work Comparing the Danish health system to the American Promoting improved farming in Tanzania and govern- Health Maintenance Organisation Kaiser Permanente ment involvement in project continuation 46 Young minds are especially vulnerable 18 We who live in Denmark – Thirty years of research in The Psychiatric Summit 2011 focused on the young one book A presentation of the everyday life of Danes 50 What are Danes’ attitudes to the law? The Danes still have a high level of respect for the law 20 Can microfinance help the poor? Learning more about a controversial development ap- 52 A new family for orphans proach Support for the most vulnerable children 24 Can policy-makers in Norway learn from Denmark’s 54 A story of unity experience with integration policy? A TV soap opera for young people and children in A review of Danish immigration policies for Norwegian Lebanon spreads a message of peace and tolerance decision-makers 57 Creating a cross-cultural team spirit 26 The Healthy Schools Network puts health on the agenda Football for children in Lebanon to promote peaceful co- The stronger focus on students' health among participat- existence and tolerance ing schools in the Healthy Schools Network has paved the way for improved levels of fitness. 60 Crime rates have halved among second-generation immigrants 29 A health initiative on many fronts Patterns of criminality have become closer to those of How do we help the children with the largest health- native Danes related problems? ANNUAL report 2011 THE ROCKWOOL foUndation 3 ANNIVERSARY SECTION 1981-2011 63 Nepal: Creative conflict transformation 71 Looking back – 1981-2011 Responding to conflict in Nepal through work with young The work of the Rockwool Foundation over its first thirty people years 64 Uganda: Development requires peace 72 30 years of seeking knowledge Establishing peace clubs and restoring platforms for The values behind the Rockwool Foundation communication 76 The Rockwool Foundation 1981-1990: 66 Burundi: The worst wounds are those that do not bleed The first decade Young people are contributing to reconciliation and peace in society 80 The Rockwool Foundation 1991-1995: Analyses of the functioning of the labour market and of 68 Does climate change lead to more migration? political trust Collecting the evidence available 84 The Rockwool Foundation 1996-2000: Research into immigration, health, and Danes’ attitudes to the law 88 The Rockwool Foundation 2001-2006: International research projects and practical aid projects in developing countries 92 The Rockwool Foundation 2007-2011: Two new research areas, and an increasing emphasis on practical interventions 96 A selection of publications by the Rockwool Foundation 103 Information about the Rockwool Foundation 4 2011 in brief 2011 was a special year for the Rockwool Foundation, in that Within the research area ‘Black Activities and the Law of the it celebrated its 30th anniversary. It was also a very busy Land’, the Research Unit carried out an analysis in 2011 on the year, during which the Rockwool Foundation Research Unit topic of ‘Danes’ attitudes regarding respect for the law and carried out work on 36 projects, 8 of which were completed social morality’. The aim of the analysis was to examine the during 2011. In the area of practical interventions, there were extent to which any deterioration in the general attitude to a total of 15 new and continuing projects being managed by the law could develop into a problem for the Danish welfare the Foundation. state. In numerical terms the Rockwool Foundation made dona- In Denmark, as in other Western countries, there is a recurring tions totalling DKK 49.9 million in 2011, compared to DKK debate on how globalisation affects the economy. The book 32.1 million and 14.5 million in the previous two years respec- Danmarks Kvalifikationsbalance (Denmark’s balance of quali- tively. fications) published for the first time an accounting balance for the exchange of labour with foreign countries. Issues ad- Income before donations was DKK 51.9 million. Net financial dressed include, for example, the question of whether a larger assets at the end of 2011 totalled DKK 2.4 billion. amount of qualified labour goes out of Denmark through exports and emigration than enters from abroad. The Research Unit The Rockwool Foundation Research Unit continued in 2011 to Research outside the Research Unit provide input to the public debate through a large number External research in 2011 produced findings which resulted in of publications, including four books, seven working papers the publication of the book Hvad kan det danske sundheds- and ten issues of the Newsletter. Three well-attended press væsen lære af Kaiser Permanente? (What can the Danish conferences were held, at which publications were launched. health care system learn from Kaiser Permanente?). The book reports on a comprehensive study of the California- Within the well-established research area ‘Immigration and based Kaiser Permanente Health Maintenance Organisation Integration’, results from two research projects were pub- (HMO). lished. An analysis published in early 2011 revealed that levels of criminality among non-Western immigrants and second- Practical intervention projects generation immigrants are clearly declining, even though The Rockwool Foundation seeks to generate knowledge they remain above those among comparable groups of through practical interventions. The Rockwool Founda- Danes. There followed publication in June of the results from tion works through four strategic programme areas: ‘Food a large project that updated our knowledge of immigration Security and Poverty Alleviation’, ‘Social Capacity Building’, to Denmark and the integration of immigrants. ‘International Peace Building’ and ‘Health Interventions’. ANNUAL report 2011 THE ROCKWOOL foUndation 5 Projects within all four programme areas aim at building a Network, which comprises 180 schools and more than knowledge base for practical solutions that could help meet 80,000 students, promotes health and fitness among Danish some of the societal challenges in Denmark and abroad, as children. In addition, the Foundation has started funding a well as contributing data for new research initiatives. new project, Fit for Kids, which is testing a new approach to reaching the most overweight children. Under ‘Food Security and Poverty Alleviation’, the Rockwool Foundation is supporting the development of sustainable Donations for smaller projects small-scale farming in Tanzania as well as the establishment The Rockwool Foundation also supports initiatives and and evaluation of Savings and Loans groups in Malawi. Both smaller projects which have the potential to lead to new so- projects are aimed at promoting household self-sufficiency lutions to the challenges faced by societies. During the year, and creating the basis for long-term economic growth. the Foundation received and processed around 1,300 appli- cations within the category ‘Donations for Smaller Individual Under the programme area ‘Social Capacity Building’, the Projects’. Of these applications, the Foundation approved a Foundation is engaged both in providing help to self-help total of seven. Two examples of such initiatives are highlight- for HIV/AIDS-affected families in Zambia and in developing ed in this report. and testing a cognitive teaching model to develop social and personal skills among the youngest pupils in state schools in Thanks from the Board and the Management Denmark. The Board and the Management wish to express their grati- tude to all the external researchers and organisations with Within 'International Peace Building', the efforts of the whom the Foundation has cooperated, to the members of Rockwool Foundation continue to focus on promoting peace the Programme Committee, and to the very committed staff through young people. In Lebanon the Foundation seeks for their fine work performed during the past year. to build peace through football activities that cross the many divisions in that society, and through the production of television soap operas conveying messages of peace to children and young people. The Foundation is also engaged in peace-building projects in Burundi, Uganda and Nepal which aim at creating platforms for young people to engage in positive dialogue. The ‘Health Interventions’ activities of the Rockwool Foun- dation are the most comprehensive. The Healthy Schools 6 The members of the Board ... with their extensive knowledge and experience within international business and politics are crucial for the