Core Values at IPC

At International People’s College we adhere to a set of core values. These core values play a huge part of the everyday life at IPC, but they also guide our way when we arrange terms, plan classes, hire staff, organise the daily life at campus etc. In other words, the core values at IPC are not just words which we try to live by at IPC, but also values which actively form the life at International People’s College. They are what guides IPC’s mission in education and have done so for many years – some of them since the very beginning of IPC more than one hundred years ago. As a student we expect you to care for and respect our core values. During the first weeks you will be introduced to the core values at International People’s College during Morning Fellowshi p, afternoon activities, and in some classes.

“I chose to study at IPC because of their Folk High School core values. I am really interested in all of them but especially in sustainability. And here you actually work with them in class. So that’s why I came to IPC”
(Olivia, Denmark, Autumn Term 2017).

The core values at International People’s College can be summed up in six words of equal importance: respect, equality, democracy, peace, empathy, and sustainability.

Respect

Respect for our differences is essential at International People’s College. In contemporary life we are exposed to many different viewpoints and beliefs, and International People’s College encourages curiosity and exploration of differing perspectives. This means we strive to understand and not to judge others. The aim is to create community despite differences and stimulate your own self-awareness thereby appreciating your own origin and history.

Democracy folk high school Core value at International People's Colleg in Denmark

Democratic Consultation

Danish Folk High Schools began with the intention of creating an educated public needed for a strong democracy. This tradition continues at International People’s College and also underscores the way the school conducts its affairs. International People’s College invites consultation, involvement and empowerment in decision making and everyday practices on different levels. This concerns classroom activities as well as the overall IPC management.

WorldPride 2021: LGBTQIA+ and Human Rights

Equality

All people regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, income, or social background etc. should be treated with dignity and have equal rights to be listened to and respected. Equality does not imply that we are all the same but that individually and collectively we enjoy the same conditions and rights. Your gender should not stand in the way – or benefit you – when it comes to playing a part in the society and culture around you and across the world.

Peace

Peace is something to be valued and appreciated as an attainable process and goal. Differences might be strong and powerful, yet they should be communicated, exchanged, confronted, and collaborated on with non-violent processes, having fundamental and mutual respect and dialogue for human life and dignity in mind. It is a state of mind, a way of interacting and of confronting the world’s challenges. International People’s College was founded as a ‘peace school’ in 1921 with a desire to enforce mutual global understanding and appreciation of cultural differences.

Empathy

Empathy is being sensitive to the needs of others. Learning at International People’s College involves both personal and collective efforts and empathizing with others is an important part of life at International People’s College. Understanding the needs of others and working towards solutions to common challenges together are important aspects of empathy at IPC.

IPC - Watch - International Mother language day at International People's College

Sustainability

Sustainability implies solutions to local and global problems with lasting value. We acknowledge that human and natural resources are limited and therefore require stewardship. Peaceful and durable answers to the world’s problems can safeguard the well-being of future generations. We offer many different classes with a focus on sustainability, and we often discuss issues in relation to a ‘greener world’ in Morning Fellowship and joint activities at campus. We try to live sustainably at IPC – both when it comes to ‘green actions’ like recycling, ecology, food waste etc., but also when it comes to long-lasting sustainable ways of living. We strive to create a tolerant, peaceful, and sustainable atmosphere at the school and beyond.

Active Global Citizenship

At International People’s College we hope to inspire students to act in the world – playing a part in making the world more sustainable, peaceful, and respectful with human rights at heart. The core values at International People’s College are present at campus and in classes and activities here in our small ‘bubble’ in Denmark, but we always hope that students leave IPC with a desire to make the world better – appreciating cultural differences, living more sustainable, fighting for human rights, being more in peace with themselves etc.

Our core values are something we actively work for – not just words we work by. Likewise, we strive to create ‘active global citizens’ at International People’s College who wants to go out in the world and change it for the better.

Global Studies

Global Studies are the main focus at International People’s College in Denmark. We focus on cultural education, cultural meetings and global development.