Back in 1975, late at night at the DNS-Teacher Training College at Tvind, having played music with our little band, standing there in the kitchen with friends, having fun; suddenly all attention concentrates around two persons; the chat has ended. Amdi Petersen´s second-in-charge, Ruth Olsen, makes sure everybody listens. And sternly she says to us: - You will have to understand that your exam at this college does not belong to you; it belongs to us. Do you really think we would arrange this college for you if you are only going to use it for you own, private, lousy, little lives? Remember, we are TOGETHER.! It sent a shiver down my spine; somebody else considered us as tool for own and bigger purpose. But I did not listen to my inner voice; the powers of a cult had seized my soul. This report was sent to the Danish Ministry of Education 3.12.98. //..// = Added or left out in this translation. Annex 3 has been abbreviated in this translation. Concerning Tvind. I have worked together with Tvind since 1972 and been a member of Tvind´s Teachers´ Group from 1977 to January 1998. For many years I've supported Tvind´s activities with all my heart, because I thought their activities would be gainful for the weakest in the society, as well in Denmark as abroad. I renounced my salary, my inheritance, my private life, and my right to speak and think freely. But my support has been less and less genuine and has taken place under the feeling of a constantly increasing pressure. The fact that it has taken me so long time to leave Tvind´s "Teachers Group" can shortly be explained: What I for so many years regarded as a peacemaking organisation, working for the oppressed and poor, has turned out to be a cult with all its most important characteristics, - except for the evident religious aspect. The fact that it is difficult to leave a cult is generally known. These criteria generally describe "a cult", and counts for the Teachers Group at the Tvind-schools: 1. A powerful leader role, usually with a paranoid, psychopathic and megalomaniac personality. 2. Isolation from the surrounding society. 3. An authoritarian system without democratic ruling forms. 4. The ability and will of the leaders to control the members' private life - also their sexual life. 5. Control the information to the members. 6. Very little or no personal freedom at all. 7. No private economy. 8. The cult claims itself surrounded by huge external enemies. 9. The members are cut out from normal contact with family and old friends. 10. Group pressure. 11. The activity of inside informers and mutual suspiciousness. 12. Weakening of the cult members, for example caused by lack of sleep or proper food. 13. Weakening of the cult members, in the way that they are convinced that they are only something worth with the cult's support. 14. Psychological terror, for example by exposing certain persons in front of other cult members, and by the provoking of testimony, forcing individuals to say things that they do not mean. Much critical or negative has been written in the media about Tvind through all the years that I've been a member of the Teachers´ Group. It's terrible to have to admit that most of what has been written is true. "Sect" or "cult" are words that get most people to the verge of vomiting. People, who haven't been involved in the Moon-cult, Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Tvind-schools or similar, will have difficulties to understand what it means to be a member of a cult. As late as a year ago, I would happily have defended for the general public that Tvind could be called a cult, but somehow, I knew this in the inner of my mind, and I had in reality known this for many years. I've now decided that I want do expose as many of Tvind´s lies as possible - lies that have been freely expressed by Tvind for many years. Especially, it's important for me to make others understand that if one has chosen to work together with Tvind, one doesn't decide for oneself anymore, neither as a manager of a project, company or school, nor in other areas. All the 'managers' or other Teachers Group members that are stating that their school or institution is self-determining are lying. I choose to use the designations ”Tvind-schools” or ”Tvind" for simplicity's sake. Formally the school co-operation is abolished, but actually it's not at all abolished. In current note I earlier mentioned Teachers´Group members with a pseudonym. If it's about present members of the Teachers Group, their names are written of consideration to the understanding of the text, but in case my information about them could be seen as compromising or private, also these persons are mentioned with a pseudonym. The aim of this report is to share as much as possible of my knowledge about the Tvindschools, with other people who - for this or that reason - are engaged in the phenomenon. To me, “the matter Tvind" is first of all about ethics, not about law or economy. Usually, but only usually, the country's legislation is adhered to by the Tvind schools, and you could run into a blind alley by simply and solely examining the Tvind Schools out of a perception that they are simple law breakers. In most cases they are much more sophisticated. It worries me that a number of county councils send their youth to Tvind´s schools, obviously without really knowing what kind of pedagogy they're carrying out. Certainly without knowing what implications follow from the fact that the board of directors of all these schools are members of one of the strongest cults in the world. (According to the American Cult Watch and completely on line with the opinion the majority of us, who have escaped from Tvind, have). The Tvind-schools do not correspond with the Danish conception of liberty and freedom, and do not correspond at all with the aims of the law about the Danish free schools. I can just perceive Tvind as a shameless abuser of the exceptional Danish free school tradition. I write this report in the hope that counties and states draw the consequence of following statement: People who are stuck in a totalitarian system can not teach young people democracy. This year in January 1998, I've abandoned a system, the aim of which is to subdue and organise every single student, employee etc. in the "association", named the “Teachers´ Group” (TG). Here I sit as a 50-years old, as one out of around 700, that up till today have escaped the grip of the Teachers´ Group, and I look back on all these years that have passed. I think that I’ve learned a lot within the Tvind system, but amazingly many of life’s pleasures - among other things a youth and a family life-, I have been able to enjoy only very little. And like the absolute majority of the other TG members, I do not know what the true goal of the Teachers´ Group really is. They enlist members. If people in Denmark knew which sacrifices have been and still are made by the Teachers' Group members, just to make the Tvind-schools look relatively reasonable, nobody would send their children there, or join him or herself. Furthermore, people generally do not know that recruitment to the Teachers´ Group among the students, volunteers and other employees always has been one of the most essential goals of the schoolwork and other parts of Tvind´s activities. Without new members for the Teachers´ Group, Tvind's power will have difficulties expanding. Thus, many of us who have been or still are managers, frequently have (had) to stand to answer questions from Mr. Amdi Petersen and Miss Bodil Ross Soerensen for not having got hold of enough of new members for the Teachers´ Group from our respective schools. Amdi Petersen sacked Ebbe Larsen, Tvind headmaster in Juelsminde, from his job especially for this reason – in person. (I wonder what the Board of Juelsminde Efterskole got to know about this case?) Headmaster of Nebbegaard/Copenhagen's Fri, Efter- og Hoejskole, Boerge Mors, is praised by Amdi Petersen for doing well in respect of getting hold of new members for the TG. AA, who is now 20 years old, has stayed for three years as a student at the International Efterskole (DIE) in Juelsminde. He has told about the pressure he was exposed to from teachers who wanted to maintain their promised figures re recruitment of new members. These people were BB, Ebbe Larsen, and Ellen Holberg. He has also experienced their co-operation with the so-called agitators, (public relation people). He was specifically pressurised by Lisbeth Aarup in co-operation with Steen Conradsen, who’s trying to get the Noedvendige Seminarium (The Necessary Teachers Training College, DNS) filled up with students. During the last of the three years AA was a student in Juelsminde, he was time after another called for discussions or meetings. People who wanted him to continue within the Tvind system headed these meetings. The aim was to make him a new TG member. This happened in spite of his parents' explicit request to the school to let AA decide about his future himself. At one point of time, AA was just about giving in for the constant pressure. At least, he says, simply to get rid of the people who constantly pressurised him, and in this way at least get some peace. AA managed on his own to avoid getting trapped. He could now start up a life of his own, but a number of his earlier friends and peers are still within the Tvind-system, acting as so-called “teachers”. This pressure, put on a young person to get him to join a school under Tvind or to the Teachers´ Group, is well known and quite typical. I've participated in such pressurising sessions myself. For instance, frequently I was forced to try to get former students at my school in Frederikshavn enrolled at one of Tvind's DIE-schools. This even took place in many cases when I well knew, that the student without question would be far better off, attending a school outside the Tvindmovement. Young people from DIE-schools were promised education in return for continuing as so-called instructors. The education could typically be the examinations they not yet had taken at DIE, because the education had been far below standard. But none of these young people who have been promised the education, has received possibility to take exam. Instead they work for nothing or a quite small salary, and their future in normal jobs is quite doubtful. (In other respects a statistic of how many school-leavers that in reality have passed an exam at the DIE--schools would show a shockingly bad result. At the H.F.exam-preparing school in Juelsminde (A-level) where AA was enrolled, he passed as the only one from the entire place an H.F.-exam in 1997). The Teachers' Group. "The Teachers´ Group" is the assembly of people who, under Amdi Petersen´s leadership, since the late 1960's, have lived together under so called common conditions. The handful of “nucleus” people are still the same today as in the early days. The Teachers' Group has over the years been growing to around 300-500 Danes and an unknown number of foreigners, especially from the South African countries. I believe that all of us, who have been members of the Teachers Group, were so, because we would really like to take part in making the world a better place. We wished to participate in a fair distribution of goods, the abolishing of racism, abolishing of nuclear power, establishing of good schools, etc. To become a TG member was close to a revolutionary act. For some years, one has been able to “sign” an unwritten "2-years contract" with the Teachers´ Group. Otherwise, the contracts are for lifetime. One doesn't really sign a real contract, but as a member on lifetime, one has for many years had to hand in one's signature to the "Authorisation Society", which on behalf of the individual TG member takes care of their private economy. The Authorisation Society is possibly now replaced by a similar institution. However, the principle that other, higher ranking TG members take care of the Teachers Group members' private economy, remains. Following main principles are in effect for the Teachers Group: 1. Common economy. 2. Common time. 3. Common distribution. 4. (These three principles are publicly known – at least by the part of the public, who have dealt with the Tvind phenomena. Furthermore, a fourth rule remains (Not generally known by the public): No single TG member is allowed to set up any conditions / claims of personal rights, in any case. Explanations to the above 4 concepts: 1. Common economy: One invests everything, what one has of inheritance, and what one earns. In case you have some debt, agreements are made of how to get rid of it. Following approval, one receives the pocket money, one is supposed to need, typically 600 crowns (GBP 50) per month. Furthermore, to some extent one's dentist bills are paid by the TG bank account. Clothes, in general, comes from Tvind´s clothing factory in Casablanca, Morocco. Accommodation and food one generally receives in connection with an advantageous agreement with the institution, where one works. It has always been cleverly arranged that the school's economy will pay as much as possible of the Teachers´ Group members' private expenses. At last, one receives "gift money" once a year; namely an amount of 2500 crowns (GBP 210) that one can use for whatever one would like. In some cases one gets what can be called "crumbs from the riches table". Thus the most faithful people in service receive expensive clothing and outfit like watches etc. For example, people like Steen Conradsen, Bo Oestergaard, Lotte Soerensen, Lene Jensen among others wear quite expensive watches, often at prices from 10.000 - 30.000 crowns. The watches are handed out from Amdi Petersen or Kirsten Larsen as to their wish, and in some cases they are handed out to old and totally loyal teacher group members as birthday presents. Even I have once received tie needle from Amdi Petersen. As a special curiosity, last Christmas Kirsten Larsen gave away different expensive things from her wardrobe, that she said did not really fit her. It could be about leather dress and other precious things, everything the most expensive top brands goods. I assume this temporary sharing out of luxury things is arranged for two reasons. The first reason is that this is a part of Amdi Petersen´s divide-and-conquer-policy. The second reason is, that you are reminded about Management (Amdi Petersen), every time you look at your nice watch, and then you remember you are something special, quite good and able, and one of the chosen. A TG member works hard and most of the 24 hours. Mostly one is seriously understaffed, and one conducts a poor lifestyle. But the Tvind management Tvind have got the most expensive. In the Teachers' Group they say that the Management are worth it, because they work so hard. Especially Amdi Petersen deserves the best of the best, and most TG members are well aware that at the Administration in Grindsted //and at other head offices// they have got everything. The handful of people who live close to Amdi Petersen, have at their disposal all the money they could desire. A couple of years ago, each of these humble servants never had less than 10.000 crowns in cash in their pocket. But if one’s selected by Amdi Petersen to work for the administration in Grindsted (by some considered as a unique favour), the consequence is that one, for good and totally, gives up any kind of an independent life with personal freedom. To take my own example: Over the years, I have paid about 3.5 million DKK net cash to Tvind's Teachers' Group, inclusive a farm, I had inherited. Only twice, last time was 18 years ago, have I seen kind of an account of the tremendous amounts of money raised by us. Calculate, say, 500 full salaries over a period of 25 years; - it makes a big amount of money. There is not and has never been a "Common economy". For so-called political reasons, we’ve been satisfied with Amdi Petersen´s explanation: It will be much too risky for Tvind, if the media and others got to know, how big economy it in reality was about. Thus, I have no exact knowledge about how the money’s used, but I know it is financing the life style of the Tvind elite who obviously have never been idle, but who steadily have access to all funds. Amdi Petersen can do what ever he wants with this money. The fact that so many people for so many years have submitted themselves to an order like this, I shall to explain later in the paragraph "Tvind is a cult". 2. Common Time. This means, that one doesn’t decide about one's own time. One hasn’t got the right to decide how one wants to use this or that weekend, Christmas vacation or other occasions. This has to be a common decision. No matter where one’s placed, it be at a school in Denmark, in a rain forest in Brazil, or as a project leader in Peking, one makes an agreement with the Management as to one's plans. Week- and month schedules have to be frequently updated and will, if alterations have happened, immediately have to be made correspond with the plans, received by the Management. The Management makes weekly check-ups as to aims, set for the year, and people at all, even low, administrative levels are strictly kept on line with their aims for the year, as decided in meetings with Amdi Petersen and his nearest. One superior item is that the finances of any company or school will have to show a surplus by end of year. One part of this control work is done by Ruth Olsen, who has a lot to do with the so-called Trade Office* (Handelskontoret), furnished with offices and head departments in, among others, Miami and Holland, and some activities are placed, spread in many of the East countries, China and South America. The group of people who are placed under Amdi Petersen includes among others also Anne Hansen, Kirsten Fuglsbjerg, Marlene Gunst and Bolette Gunst. Bodil Ross Soerensen heads the school branch. She operates closely with Amdi Petersen in ruling the entire school development in Denmark and abroad. (*The Trade Office = Name of branch, covering all direct-profit-making activities). Like this, these leaders have a direct impact on even "simple" TG members' time disposals, and what they "propose" has to be adhered to. If you do not, you will very soon be called for a meeting in Grindsted or at one of the head quarters in another country, and fast convictions are made re. your use of time - your use of your entire life. The TG, i.e. the last end Amdi Petersen, is meddling in or becomes concerned in almost every matter, also concerning essential private and personal matters, for instance about love life, disease and relatives. These conditions also apply to all the TG-people, still working at claimed independent earlier and recent "Tvind-schools". Hence, "Common Time" is not common, understood as something, one as a TG member decides a lot about. If you try, you will be hit by social reprisals, and your entire life is at stake. 3. Common distribution. This means, that one as a TG member in fellowship other TG members, decides where one is willing to work (within the TGs work). One is called for a meeting with the "Distribution Group", when one's going to change work/job. This group consists of two persons, Amdi Petersen and one of his ”lovers”, Kirsten Larsen. Before the meeting, following could have happened: - Existing conditions re. ( for example) the school operation have altered. - Management (Amdi Petersen with Bodil Ross and the few others) have got wind of, that you consider other TG's work. - You pull yourself together to inform the Management that you consider changing job situation. It demands courage and a lot of will to avoid that you, in a conversation with these two people, become manipulated to accept exactly the job, Amdi Petersen has decided. Hence, "common" distribution is not "common", understood as a democratically taken decision as to your place of work. But why can't you just contradict, discuss, dispute, and say what you want to say, for example: -Now I want to leave the TG, get own and private economy, become married, and get children? (This I want to illustrate in the chapter "Tvind is a cult"). 4. No single TG member is allowed to set up any conditions/ claims or personal rights, in any case: This means that you. as a TG member shall never be able to come and say for example: "If I should stay in the TG, I want to live like this and that, give my inheritance to my child, promise just this and not that". The rules mean, that one abandons oneself completely to the management (Amdi Petersen and his nearest), yes, one can say, that one devotes oneself: One does what is the TG's will and desire and policy. And since there has never been a real discussion in the TG about which way one should go, this passage actually means, that Amdi Petersen rules one's life. After the review of the four fundamental principles of the TG, I hope the reader will still be with me, when I, in the next paragraph, will establish, that Tvind is a cult. Inside Tvind's TG one has a life, which in many ways is secret. One knows that if one should come in trouble, there would be support to get, concerning jurisprudence, health, the activities-operation and so on. There is a distinct difference between inside and outside, to be understood in the way that ”we, who are inside as TG members, we know best. We are on the right track in this life, we work for THE GOOD, - whilst them, the ones who are outside, i.e. the rest of the Danes and people of all other societies of the world, are lagging behind in any respect.” One believes that one knows what one’s involved with. If you one late evening should dare call in question any part of the Tvind system to your nearest friends from the TG, as I did myself to two “friends" in England the last autumn, you will get the answer "Yes, well, but you KNOW so well what we’re promised..." And here you answer, "Yes, of course!", in a consented way that in return will satisfy the other person. Inside the TG, a fully accepted lie is that you, as a TG member, carry out a political job, working for the oppressed here on Earth; but the high level the TG is operating on should not be disclosed to any outsiders like the media, as, in such case, the information will be misused. Outsiders simply cannot grasp the fantastic level the TG operates upon. Consequently, the best for common members is not to talk about any doubts at all. The walls could be listening, and it might only spoil your feeling of happiness. Indisputable truths inside the Teachers Group: - As a TG member you are a politically persecuted person. - Journalists are undermining vultures. - The society outside the TG is in decay. - The TG always behaves in a correct manner. - No other organisation can measure itself with Tvind. - No one else can be compared to Amdi Petersen. Members of the TG shall not mention Amdi Petersens name. In stead he has decided that he wants to be named "Kirsten Larsen", or, together with Kirsten Larsen, "The Other". He’s also called “The Distribution Group". Earlier he was called "Koordineringsgruppen". One is persecuted. In the TG they say Amdi Petersen has been and is persecuted. He shall be protected. Once, in the early eighties, he said himself, he had been shot at in his car, on a road near Viborg in Denmark. This is one of the reasons why he’s hidden from the public, they say in the TG. Common knowledge in the TG is also that if the name "Amdi Petersen" is articulated, this could be noticed by the Secret Service, that naturally, it is thought, watches TG meetings whenever possible, according to what Amdi Petersen has described to the "older" TG members. The name "Amdi" could be able to activate a combination of a microphone/tape recorder/computer, and the tape would register what ever was said. Some years ago, TG member Joop Nagel made a purchase on Amdi Petersen's behalf of electronic equipment for the revealing of letter bombs and microphone watching of rooms (bugging). So each time we in the TG had a meeting with Amdi Petersen, the room had first been scanned for electronic equipment planted by others. The equipment for doing this was purchased in Belgium. As a TG member, you are something special. Although not to the same degree as Amdi Petersen, you are also the target of various secret services and the police. Around 1978-1980, all of us "older" TG members looked for car bombs, every time a car or old bus was started up, and during many years, all the letters were opened in a special way to avoid letter bombs. During a couple of years we didn’t open any letters at any of the Tvind-schools before they had been sent to Tvind, where they were scanned for bombs and sent back to the school by the internal Tvind mail service. Late in the 70's all of us TG members went home, to relatives and friends, where our old documents, private letters, and family pictures were stored, to burn it all. According to Amdi Petersen, this had to be done for us to avoid that the Secret Services should get away with tracing any of us in a politically tense situation. Then I went to my parents' home in West Jutland (Vestjylland) together with my former girlfriend, Gerda Tranberg (Nordjyllands Husholdningsskole). In my parents' afternoon nap we burned everything we could find hidden in the loft, and today, therefore, I have nothing left from my old family album, personal letters, diaries etc. As it pertains to hundreds of other earlier and current TG members, a part of my past in a way has been deleted, and I see things like this as a proof that Amdi Petersen will use all means to ensure his followers say farewell to their history, enabling them to stand naked in front of Him, their big Leader. Newspapers. In 1978 Amdi Petersen decided, that we in the TG weren’t allowed to buy any newspapers. Neither should the schools subscribe to newspapers, because, as he said "Papers and journalists do not have any decent aim. They produce papers to earn money, and all the shit they write shall not get the chance to clutch in to our lives. We don’t want to be hampered by those beasts. What it’s all about, is that we do our work. We shall not at all be concerned about what the media write. It is waste of time and destroys our good temper". (Quoted according to my memory). The day today, papers are a definite rarity at the Tvind-schools. (NB: But I guess some TG members, like I did, have used some late night hours to sit in solitude and look at Internet information about Tvind?) Threats. In 1978, some of us "older" TG members and those of us who were somewhat trusted by Amdi Petersen, were called for a meeting in a secured room, without windows, at the Orchard near Daugaard (A Tvind place). Now Amdi Petersen asked those present to determine whether they in case some person should leave the Teachers´Group, would consider to get rid of that person. Only one person - her pet name is "Poet" - , refused. She said she was a nurse by profession and that she felt herself committed to protect life in any case. Amdi Petersen asked her to leave the room, and the assembly now took the decision that murder could be the consequence in case a person would leave the Teachers´Group. (CC was present at that meeting). On another occasion, at a meeting in Vamdrup, a TG member raised the question as to how to consider the almost unthinkable situation that a TG member would decide to leave the Teachers´Group. Initially, Amdi Petersen refused the legitimacy of the question at all, but as the query was raised again, he answered: "We cannot guarantee that person's survival". Personally, I have heard these threats as well, and my perception is that the threats to me as well to many other TG members, have had the effect of creating even greater fear of ever thinking about leaving the Teachers´Group. At meetings, documents are only distributed in paginated order. After the meetings, as a special ceremony, the documents are then collected, and it is assured that nobody leaves the room until this has taken place, successfully. The ceremony then is finished with the burning of the documents in the fireplace, or their maculation. Us earlier or present TG members have attended Amdi Petersen´s sinister examinations of and prosecutions against our comrades. They took place at mass meetings, frequently held here and there, typically in Grindsted with the presence of 100 or more persons. All communication as during the latter years almost solely taken place via mobile telephones, as the GSM system cannot (could not) be bugged at source. Every single school, every single person with just the tiniest administrative function in the TG, is equipped with a portable PC with modem for the Internet, of the newest edition. These communication tools are used for ALL communication, ALL of it encrypted. Just about every single TG member carries one mobile telephone that HAS TO be connected all 24 hours. The reason being that you, at any time , will have to be able to answer in case you have had a call from the Management. It might even happen, especially as to principals and the like, that it is Amdi Petersen who is calling. In such case, you immediately move to a place or room where nobody can listen to what you say. As a TG member you will have to be at disposal AT ALL TIMES. At every single school, for example in Gram or in Roskilde etc., there will be one person, typically the Principal, who has in their possession a very special mobile telephone that is especially secured against bugging. (I guess encryption or scrambling happens all the distance from mouth to ear). Also this telephone has to be connected at all times. It is hotline from Amdi Petersen. Anti Dust. Two years ago, Amdi Petersen introduced what he named the "Anti Dust Campaign". The reason being he had been informed that some TG members had said they found they were growing dumber and dumber as time passed by, as they never had any time for reading a book or the like. Now a number of meetings were arranged, and most participants will remember those meetings as being dreadful. Now principals, teachers and other TG members were intensively exercised as to what opinion they should have about everything. Part of the campaign was also a number of so called QuestionReply-Days. There sat Amdi Petersen, now ready for answering ANY question posed by the TG participants, in order to implant his answers and his opinion into us. Now we would know how to answer any important question! - And up came questions about the Danish state finances, educational policy, third world policy, the conditions in Southern Africa, space research, the conditions of Danish youth, etc., etc.. Amdi Petersen answered all questions, and happy and gay we could now return to our schools and other Tvind establishments, for now we felt sure what opinion to take regarding the biggest political questions of today. - But still, we had no time for reading books. Control via the education system. Over the latest three years, Tvind has attempted to establish an educational system, making pupils and students sit half their day in front of a PC. Amdi Petersen let us know that he was the inventor of the main principles and even many details of that system.. The plans were then to be carried out by the TG members. But the system builds upon ancient computerised education systems, not at all invented by him. This system has been a nightmare for teachers and students during these three years, and it has never functioned properly. All the schools were forced to invest in mainly useless and ancient PC's in big numbers. School books that should have been purchased and handed out to each student, have been scanned (illegally?) page by page, enabling the student to sit and read it from the PC monitor, and not as a proper book. Most important is the control system, enabling the teachers and principals to check out all students' and teachers' production and results. Centrally operated via the Internet, Amdi Petersen can sit wherever he wants and check out all principals' and other people's efforts. Like other principals, I had sent 4 CD-ROMS (containing guidelines that had to be adhered to be every school/*)from the Tvind HQ, represented by Bodil Ross. Now they could check out (350 questions/*) the state of each school and institution at any time and share out praise or reprimand. Those CD-ROMS were also sent to the schools in England, but when the investigations by the authorities really began, I was by Lene Jensen, The Small School at Lakolk in Denmark, ordered to destroy this piece of evidence of Amdi Petersen´s influence. I burned the discs in the school's boiler. -I mention this education system also because Amdi Petersen uses it as a means of controlling the schools. Amdi Petersen´s infallibility. "Amdi is too able. It would never work out if he should ever protrude in public. That would call forth adverse reactions". We have said this inside the Teachers´Group for many years. "Amdi operates at a level far higher than any leader in the world of today". - This is generally acknowledged inside the TG. Personally, I am of the opinion that Amdi Petersen possesses the ability of extremely rapidly analysing the socio-psychological context wherever he is. This is part of his set of tools enabling him to penetrate other individuals' normal personal borderlines, and, on meeting him, creating amongst his supporters the feeling of total feebleness, this feeling later being replaced by an entire and a deeply felt devotion and a feeling of communion and strength. He can operate in numerous fields of human life: The financial, the musical, etc., etc. Never have I heard him excuse any of the mistakes he has made. And never have I heard anybody contradict him and challenge him after he has grounded a TG member so much that he or she has barely been able to crawl from the meeting where it took place.. Nobody made any objection when, some years ago, he commanded Torben Soe to, for two years, stand upright on his feet at every single one of the, frequently, very long lasting TG meetings. This punishment Torben gained because of falling asleep during one of Amdi Petersen´s hour-long speeches. Nobody made any objection when he made EE the scapegoat of the failure of a common task, prepared by him, and of which he lost control. It was about fitting the PC´s, mentioned above : Suddenly his voice was heard all over the room, and he made everyone concentrate on EE instead of on his own failed planning, by shouting at her, telling her off, scorning her for a minor detail (she had asked for a piece of advice!) - so far, that EE , an otherwise dignified and hard working woman in her forties, broke totally down and stood there, defenceless, surrounded by her silent comrades. None of us made any attempt of relieving her. - This example is typical and representative for thousands of similar incidents. Neither can I forget an incident at Bogense Efterskole, at one of our so-called building weekends, when Lars Peter Pendrup and I came walking along, cosily chatting as old friends do, after a break. When Amdi Petersen noticed us, he shouted : "Now, can you speed up! Just for once, Lars Peter, could you move! Now show us whether you are capable of doing anything at all! Can you run there! (He pointed at a distant target in the park, and Lars Peter ran there at full speed). And there! (He pointed out a new target, and Lars Peter ran. And there!!" - Like this, he made the then about 40 year old principal of Starreklinte Efterskole, Lars Peter Pendrup, run the gauntlet for the public, consisting of Teachers´Group comrades. None of us reacted, made any attempt of relieving Lars Peter. I recall that I straightened my back and walked faster than before the incident. I can recall a big number of occasions, on which he threatened us physically. I remember how he ridiculed FF because of his baldness and his squeaky voice. I remember how he shouted and threatened GG to leave the building in Grindsted when she timidly had asked for permission for her to keep some of the money she had inherited from her deceased parents, for the benefit of her two children. Suddenly a hushed murmuring wanders through the assembly. Amdi has made his entrance, wonder by what door, and we are now entirely furled in his charm. Laughter resounds. All hundred listen eagerly to what HE says when he raises his voice just a little bit. Everyone knows the incorrectness of continued conversation if HE suddenly lets his voice hear, telling one of his witty stories, or if he should suddenly make one of his frequent verbal attacks against a person. And then you sit there, listening to all his fantastic plans. Everything he has invented. In the early days, it was the big windmill, the car called "The Drop", the vacuum toilet system, new types of schools, and later on it was the computer systems, container collection of clothes, villages in Africa, etc., etc. He is to be honoured for everything, and every single person of us understands fully, that one has to do with a completely unique person with the means of not only attracting by charm everyone near him, but also with the powers of constraining. He is the one who has in his possession all social contacts, also to former comrades who had grown into ones personal friends but who have now been "redistributed" to Russia, Romania, China, Africa. He has in his hands the total power of ones social life, and one understands fully that one is only the tiniest little piece in his game, and that what one personally thinks is quite subordinate. Ones social life is subordinate and has to be subordinated the needs of the Teachers´Group. He explains the necessity of the work of the Teachers´Group. He reports about the superiority of the Teachers´Group on all occasions and everywhere. He informs that now 250.000 people are in direct dependency of the Teachers´Group´s disposals in their daily life. He informs about the 25.000 people who are now attending Tvind schools in Denmark and abroad. One understands that HE is the one who is the exponent of and who has in fact won all the victories (but who never reports his defeats). He informs, or he makes Ruth S. Olsen report, about the latest meetings with Robert Mugabe or another Southern African president who really understands that Tvind is in the lead, leaving any lousy state funded project far behind. - In reality, it was, we understand, Tvind that was the aim of Mugabe during his visit to Denmark - the Danish state was second….. He reports about the oil companies who are now flocking to hand over their billions to Tvind projects in Africa. Etc., etc. Victory, victory, victory. All over. He knows everything. He is in charge of all the finances. He does exactly what he wants to. He is charming. He is gruesome. - And there we sit, us little Teachers´Group members, ourselves hangmen and the victims of hangmen., - for how often haven't we, ourselves, actively participated in, "on behalf of the correct politics", grounding and humiliating a friend! How often haven't we watched Amdi Petersen degrading another person, and haven't we, ourselves, participated, backed up, shouted and told off and screamed, followed up? Yes, that is what we have done. We sit there, lonesome, and maybe we let our thoughts wander; to a sister, a mother, a brother, whom it could make us good to pay a visit.. Or that family one had hoped to create. And one looks at ones grey hair and wrinkles in the mirror, having the break that has at length been allowed (Amdi does NOT tolerate anybody going to the toilet or coughing when he is giving his speeches). One gets back, watches ones old "comrades", with whom one under perhaps the most terrible, fearful, and poorest conditions has sailed or travelled, undermanned, lonesome, with students one did not have the time to care for or could not control. One has conducted bus repairs with wire in a desert, or drifted about on board a sailing vessel, terrorised by teenagers in despair, seizing power in desperation. Here one sits and sees that also their hair is growing grey. We do not know the destination and the aim. HE does. Very few friends we have anymore, out there, in the society surrounding us. Many of us are getting too old for having children of our own, and many of us have had no proper education. Our thoughts wander to our forthcoming trip "home" in the Land Rover. Back to the school or the place where one without pay or holiday works 18 hours a day for the purpose of something one does not know the aim of, - but for something one feebleminded attempts to make the public understand is the best in the whole world. Yes, we live the "teachersgrouplife", the best of all ways of life. My thoughts had drifted astray; suddenly I wake up. Cheering is heard from around me when Amdi presents the highlight of the day : Dogs for everyone. Expensive dogs, full breed dogs, big dogs, little dogs. Magnificent! Amusing. Clapping is heard. I and anyone else knows that for the future, dogs will be seen at all institutions. Once again, Amdi has helped us out - by satisfying our need of a normal life with children or family; - our call for love. Yes, why couldn't a pet be sufficient? In a similar way as when, some years ago, he said about a woman in the Teachers´Group, LL, who had dared to say that she considered having a child: "Give her a cat". And that was what she got. Many women got cats in the 80´es. Now one gets dogs. Love life and raising of family. Love life, Amdi Petersen has solved, for himself. One set of rules counts for him, another for TG members in common. For many years, Amdi Petersen has been surrounded by his closest, mainly women. Four women who have escaped from this situation have told about their personal experiences. They tell that for a number of years, Amdi has in the evening given a sign to the one he preferred for the night. These women have obeyed to his demands with an adverse feeling of awe and disgust. The same relationship he has had and has today to a number of female TG members . The fact that a relatively high proportion of high ranking female TG members are now lesbians can perhaps be linked to the impossibility of normal heterosexual relationships. I mention this without expressing any prejudice and negative connotations as to homosexuality, but solely to illustrate a likely consequence of the isolation, most TG members find themselves in. NB: Where Amdi Petersen is, Kirsten Larsen is as well. Where Kirsten Larsen is, Amdi Petersen is also. Is Amdi Petersen giving a speech, Kirsten Larsen is assessing. Also in personal and private meetings with people. Kirsten Larsen is one out of the flock of women who Amdi Petersen has made his closest, but who functions as kind of an adviser and security guard for him. Well, yes, you CAN find a few almost "normal" families in the TG. But this is not welcome and laudable. As Bodil Ross expressed about a year ago: "---So all those who want to have them there children, they can get the job of running the schools in Denmark, enabling all us others to look properly after our work abroad". A woman who left the TG last year, YY, fought for her right of having her own children. At length, Amdi Petersen gave his support, probably because if he did not, the TG would have lost two of their members. But again, the politics of the TG management is still the same. Bodil Ross said to YY, after she had given birth: "The worst thing in the world is when TG people have children. I hate children. It is a grave mistake by the TG, allowing members to have children". A couple of years later, YY had managed to get the right of TG parents to have one SaturdaySunday a month, reserved for the little family. This was considered as progress! Yes, certainly, some families manage to have a little bit of family life. Tactics are changed, I guess, according to Amdi Petersen´s understanding that the TG in Denmark is growing smaller and smaller. (Or perhaps his tactics are changing?). Recently, in 1998, a celebration was held. Amdi Petersen had arranged a so-called divorce celebration for one of his principals, ZZ and his wife, FF. Both had had to give a speech, expressing their happiness, finally having understood that the best would be that they discontinued their marriage. Also for the sake of their child. There was good food and more speeches. Yes, the separation of couples, indeed, is still praised inside the Teachers´Group. Like back in 1982 when EE, "supported" by Amdi Petersen, with crying heart had to give a speech in Grindsted to her comrades, expressing her happiness that the TG life enabled her to now terminate her relationship to her love one. Henning Moerch, her fiancée, was forced to move from Frederikshavn in Denmark to Humana, Munich. Life in the TG is a pseudo life of false friendships, loneliness and isolation, segregated from society. Children, hospital, sterilisation, and means of control. You do not take your own decision about having children or not. It is a duty to get the permission from the Management, i.e. Amdi Petersen, in case you think of raising a family. When GG wanted to have a child, she had to bring this up at a mass meeting with about 300 participants from the TG, in Vamdrup, Denmark. Willingness to have this matter brought forth at the meeting was one of Amdi Petersen´s conditions, as it is a so-called common matter for the Teachers´Group if a member wants to have a child. The assembly now resolved that GG could have a child, and Amdi Petersen said that now she would have to find a male who would like to be a father. About a year later, she gave birth to a child. The father and the child do not know each other. As a two-year-old, the child was sent to the "Children Course", where he, together with about 20 other children, was looked after by unskilled staff. We TG members only watched in silence when the mother sent her child from Tvind to Roskilde or opposite; we knew it was good for the crying little child not to be forced to live with parents all the time. This case was violation of a mother´s instincts and a child's feelings and most important needs. For political reasons. For the sake of Amdi Petersen who certainly knew what to do when the child turned out to be out of hand as a 5year-old: Amdi Petersen now spent about a month on a Pacific island. Here he would guide and "correct" the child. Well, the child was a "Teachersgroupchild" whom he, in this case, gave a special treat. (Perhaps Amdi Petersen´s prestige as The Great Teacher was at stake?) Like many other so-called teachersgroupchildren, this child has faced serious difficulties later in life. This example just as one out of numerous examples. It tells about the background of the Tvind pedagogical system, indeed a very harsh system. Mass pedagogic, not considering the individual child as the most important but only seeing the child or young person as a brick, and part of a crowd or group. Makarenko´s ideas are the ideas that of everything are closest to what could be called the Tvind Pedagogical System. Still, raising a family is not welcome. A family is a unity that can disturb the divide-and-rule policy that Amdi Petersen is conducting, and members of a family are not as mobile as other people who are singles. When HT and SO should have a baby, HT was (as punishment - or as a terrifying example?) moved to Hornsjoe in Norway. Here he stayed for about 6 years and he should, by bearing this, have given a proof of his loyalty, but later on, he was sent to North Borneo where he may by now have stayed for about 3 - 4 years. Recently I have heard that the couple have now been able to move and live together. The child must now be about 10 or 12. Now, in 1998, one of Tvind´s ambassadors in China, AE, has been in Denmark and had a meeting with Amdi Petersen. AE had found a Chinese girlfriend and asked for Amdi´s permission for this. This was refused. (You could, however, just hope that AE in the distant China can avoid too much Tvind control, enabling him to carry on his relationship in spite of Amdi Petersen´s refusal). The very few families that exist inside the TG have had to fight a very hard battle in order to keep their family together. At the moment I guess there are about 5 - 6 families amongst the Scandinavian TG members. The rest, I would estimate about 300 Scandinavians, consequently live as singles or in more or less stable, childless partnerships. For a number of years there have been one or two doctors in the Teachers´Group. For some time they had a clinic in Juelsminde, Denmark, called Kysthospitalet. For about 12 years they have carried out health checks of I think all TG members. They have equipment in the multi-millionkroner-class for scanning of your body, for blood tests etc. All health data about each single individual are stored on their computer, and the Tvind leaders have free access to these data. On this matter it has not been possible for the doctors to stick to the code of secrecy if they did not want open conflict with Amdi Petersen. If the doctors should refuse to inform the leaders they would be judged disloyal towards the TG. Thus, YY reports how she during a consultation at one of the two doctors had told that her personal problems might be caused by a too psychologically unbearable lifestyle in the TG. The day after that consultation she was cross-examined about that statement by Amdi Petersen, in person. This drumhead was extremely unpleasant, and YY states that it further harmed her. We cannot prove it, but many of us dissidents from the TG are of the conception that the Kysthospitalet first and foremost was started up in order for it to look after the health of the Tvind leaders. Amdi Petersen cannot for self-caused reasons, consult the public health care, as he already 1979 chose to go underground and hide away from the public. When the Kysthospitalet was started the rumour was whispered from TG member to TG member that Amdi Petersen had a bad heart and a bad back. The doctor who is now left at Tvind is Marianne Thomsen. Where she lives is only known by a few TG members, but presumably she lives close to Amdi Petersen. Tvind's doctors have over the years encouraged the female TG members to let them sterilise. AF told me how she felt herself under pressure from the doctors and Mikala Gottlob. I do not know how high percentage of the women who have let this happen, but I estimate the percentage to be high. Tvind is poor. Since the beginning, Tvind members, the students, etc., etc., have been given the impression that it is always crucial to save and not to consume as the school or company did not have a lot of money. /Also to show solidarity with the Third World/. This self inducted impression and feeling of poverty was knocked into the minds of all us old TG members when we, back in 1977-1980 virtually found our food in containers, and we have done our best to make newcomers be of the same idea. In 1977 - 78 I worked as a mainstream schoolteacher in Odense, Denmark, together with 3 other TG members. We tried, as far as possible, to make the school, Humlehaveskolen, an appendix of Tvind. We arranged flea markets, neighbourhood groups etc., until the day Amdi Petersen asked us to do other work that "was more efficient" than just working in the state school system. The wages we earned went directly into the common TG bank account, and we lived now for two years for DKr. 1,10 a day (Approx.10 Pence). We did so, because Amdi Petersen had let the TG know that a simple life style is necessary, as well for our souls as for the common economy. He forwarded his plans as to how we, TG members, should find our food in the rich people's waste , in the containers of bakeries and supermarkets. Well, then just about every evening between 11.30 p.m. and 2 a.m. we went on our bikes to the supermarkets in Odense, with big boxes fixed on the back of our bicycles. We digged out many a loaf and many a ham, sausage, roast beef, cheese, fish, banana, and orange, labelled out-of-date, showing that those things could not be consumed, - but we lived from them. Many amusing incidents happened on these container trips, but I know that most of us felt ourselves deeply humiliated at the same time. We did so in the name of politics, in solidarity with all people in need over the whole wide world, and in secrecy. - This we did, in spite of the fact that Amdi Petersen had personal access to huge amounts of private and non-private finances. I think, by doing this, we were getting even more convinced that we were something unique, politically correct, poor -- all of it adding to the commonly felt paranoia that exists in the TG the day of today. Nobody can leave the Teachers´Group. But IF you do? No procedures or guidelines exist as to what to do if a TG member wants to leave. You simply do not leave the Teachers´Group, so why should any kind of procedure be necessary? Definitely, this had not happened by July 1998, and I certainly have my doubts it will ever happen. The fact is that dissidents do not receive any kind of support /It has happened, though, but only as kind of mercy, only as dictated by the Tvind Leaders and in every single case with Amdi Petersen as the decision maker. Only in case of persons who do not mention any kind of dissatisfaction with Tvind but who make their decision of leaving a personal, domestic matter, blaming themselves for their decision. I know of a young man who received a few thousand kroner as a deposit for a flat/. July 1998, AM left Nordjyllands Husholdningsskole, Denmark, and AN left the school in Boserup, Denmark. It is horrifying, once again, to listen to their reports about the way they had to leave /a work they had been supporting with their whole lives for twenty-odd years/. This is exactly how it also happened in the eighties, but the persons mentioned here will have to tell their stories to a bigger public the day they, maybe, will be ready for this. The reader must understand that the matter of people leaving the Teachers´Group is a taboo, partially caused by the threats as formerly mentioned in this report, partially caused by your feeling of guilt, feebleness and an enormous psychological pressure, because you, as a dissident, maybe stand there, lonely, having to defend yourself against an overwhelming power, - a power that you have experienced as being a total power, winning in all kinds of situation, for all the years, you have been a member of the TG. It took me a long time - six months - finally to have confirmed by Poul Joergensen that from now on, I owed no duties to Tvind anymore. Three times I had to send a request in writing, twice as an "R" letter, before I got the final answer from Ellen Moeller and Poul Joergensen. /However, later on it turned out that it was not true that my involvement had finished. I was still involved in a house, used by Tvind people, and written for some house loans of approx. 20.000 GB Pounds. Still now, May 2000, I have not got rid of this, and I have had to pay, till date, a solicitor thousands of Kroner to do the job of making Tvind finish off this involvement that has caused me lots of sleepless nights as I do not know how my financial situation is./ Luckily, when I left, I was able to live with an old friend from before my Tvind time. Now I live together with her, and this has helped me immensely. However, most others are not that lucky as I. I have talked to a big number of former TG members. Some of them have been at psychiatric hospitals in order to get over the trauma that it was, suddenly to realise how the TG is, others have fled the country, far away from anybody from the TG who was perhaps able to convince them to return.. I hope, LL and HH, MM and NN, KK, EE, OO, etc. one day will tell each their personal story. I have had many nightmares. A typical dream is the one, in which Amdi Petersen together with his closest and most trusted people, sits in the dining room at my parents' farm; - that dream I cannot get rid of. And my co-habitant, Astrid, has experienced how she, not until two months after I had left, did not at all use the name "Amdi", and how it took me a very long time before I wanted to report about just a fraction of the psychological pressure, any TG member is subordinated. I had phone calls from Bodil Ross who wanted me to come for a meeting in Grindsted, and I had a letter offering me a job at the Tvind school for sailors, in Nyborg. I tried to get thrown out from my old school in Frederikshavn, the school that I, if any, have personally contributed to for many years, and that I would like to see, once I was on a trip to Frederikshavn. I have sat in the sitting room behind drawn curtain and locked door, the telephone unplugged. For what I think is: Am I a bad person because I left my comrades? Will they turn up and try and get me back? How will they try to get me back? Will I find myself lured and go to a meeting where also Amdi is present? Where can I live? I my life at danger? How can I get myself a house or flat? How to get a job? Where can I hide? Will I dare express myself in case they turn up to have a talk with me? Do I dare to stick to my decision about leaving? How will my father and sisters react when I tell them truth about Tvind and about Tvind as a cult, after I have lied to them for so many years? Will they believe me? Will I get into troubles with the tax authorities, having to pay taxes that Tvind will not pay? (I know nothing about my taxes as Tvind has carried out all my private, financial matters, on my behalf). What signatures /and how many, on a blank paper/ have I let for Tvind to abuse now? Which of my signatures on what documents will Tvind use against me? Will I be able to find a job when employers realise I used to be a Tvind member? Who can I call on? Can I still find friends? How can I do to my feeling of shame, because, in the name of the Tvind community, I have let down and ridiculed my comrades and lied to them about happy I was about Tvind? Where I my friends from my younger days? Am I too old for bringing up my own children? What are the rules regarding pensions, unions, social security? Can I be charged for not having informed about what I knew, for instance about the exploitation of the English "Small Schools", old stories about insurance fraud, or the like? Am I a trustworthy person? Will I be worth anything in the normal labour market? How can I become a "normal" citizen with a "normal" knowledge about, faith in and scepticism towards society? In some cases/as mentioned above,/ a TG member has left the TG in a kind of amicably. In this way, Tvind attempts to build up a group of inactive, but loyal people, meant for being used as members in boards of governors for Tvind schools and other institutions. Thus, they can still be considered as puppets on a string for Amdi Petersen. Those people are typically those who think: "I made a good job at Tvind, but for me, it came to an end. I will not oppose Tvind as I find I have mainly myself to blame for not staying on anymore. Now I will try and get the best out of the rest of my life". Tvind and the organisations. Lobbying. Membership of trade unions has never been allowed TG members, and trade unions have, in their modern form, at all times been ridiculed. They are used only in case they are useful in a game of lobbying and about finances. //. Membership of unions and insurance in case of unemployment, thus, is not permitted TG members, unless they work in a job with the injunction of such membership/insurance. As a matter of fact, to the TG member this means a strengthened dependency on the TG. Other exceptions, where a TG member has a union membership and insurance, are cases where the Tvind management has appointed a specific TG member, for tactical reasons regarding Tvind´s relationship to the unions. Politicians are used, exploited and abused whenever and wherever possible. In earlier days, Amdi Petersen was in close and very personal contact with the Danish MP, minister, etc., the social democrat Ritt Bjerregaard, whilst Poul Joergensen for many years has been a well known face, doing his lobbying at Christiansborg, the Danish Parliament. Also some teachers and principals have for a number of years been organised by Tvind for carrying out their lobbying jobs in each their local areas, also with regards to local departments of trade unions. Divide and rule. Freedom of speech is non-existing, as anyone who is in even the faintest way attempting to put a question to what Amdi Petersen has said or to any of Tvind´s principles, immediately will be regarded as being disloyal or a traitor. The highest ranking and the most loyal people will, like party cadres and as hard cores, ensure no TG member deviates and gets on the wrong track. Such people are for instance Lene Jensen from Lakolk, Lotte Soerensen from Vamdrup, Bodil Ross, Mikala Gottlob, and Elsebeth Jensen. Individuals from each teachers' council or Tvind company are played out against each other. For instance, a number of times I have experienced how one of my best TG friends at the school in England has been called for a meeting with Mikala Gottlob. Afterwards I realise they have been discussing me, and I realise they have taken contact to Bodil Ross or to Amdi Petersen for further discussion of my person. I am just not informed. I feel the coldness, the degrading, contempt, and humiliation. I am an outsider, a persona-non-grata in my own school or "home". Rejected from the only social web I have. Some or the other question that should have been discussed in openness has grown into being an existential matter. An essential part of Amdi Petersen´s way of ruling is "Divide and rule", eagerly copied by his closest. A system of informers, headed by those closest to Amdi Petersen; these people are, like Mikala Gottlob in England, placed at any Tvind project or school all over the world, with the purpose of reporting back to Amdi Petersen. Contact between no longer cohabiting TG members is very difficult and has in many cases to happen via the Tvind head quarters in Grindsted and Vejle in Denmark. You do not really know anymore what your old friends do.//It is a system of cells, very much like the communist cell system, with easy access for manipulation by the management//. To illustrate this: After the closure of my school in England, one of my best friends at the school, TG member Jochen Schaffer, was sent to another country. I learned he was now in Brazil. Few TG members know his address, and even his old mother does not know the address. //All contacts to Jochen, for instance letters, have to go via the remaining TG member Karen Barsoe at Winestead Hall, his mother says//.Thus, the secrecy about the whereabouts of TG members goes all way into friendships and families. It is only known that Jochen works with "forestry" in Brazil. Amdi Petersen is in total power. Unluckily, it is a fact that whatever the kind of institution or organisation, created by or in conjunction with people from the Teachers´Group, all major decisions are taken or finally approved by Amdi Petersen. Via his TG network, he is in full control of the entire decision making network. I hope the reader will understand this. Do not believe TG members, leaving you with rumours that Amdi Petersen is a shy person that weak and frail has had to retire. Amdi Petersen is, from his domiciles in Grindsted and other places, in Denmark or in other countries, in charge of the whole scale of Tvind activities, globally. With a snap with a finger, he is capable of directing and ordering his troops of TG members to carry out a job for this or that, as long - and wherever in the world he wants - as he wishes. If this is not understood by the authorities, Tvind will, rapidly and plentifully, regain their losses, for instance as caused by the Danish authorities when they recently interfered and deprived Tvind of state subsidies for their schools in Denmark. Already, four new Tvind schools have become approved in Denmark. Tvind goes on and on, and something about the postulated inter-independence between the schools. Today, Tvind starts up one new "small school" for deprived youngsters after the other. Counties and municipalities pay the fees for seriously damaged kids, abusing the payment for them as means of supporting other Tvind schools that have been refused state subsidies. These "small schools" are dangerous for the young people. Usually, they are seriously understaffed, and as a whole, nonqualified people look after them. In Faaborg, Denmark, a prestigious project is being prepared: Tvind plans to gather 60 - 100 seriously damaged young people at the same place, in the same buildings. To me, as being a somewhat experienced person in the area of education and care, I find this a totally deranged plan. My experience tells me that a maximum of 7 or 8 such young people should be allowed being placed on the same premises or at the same institution. But steadily and quietly, Tvind schools are opened or re-opened. With or without subsidies from the state. To defend those schools as being schools, Tvind has been able to gather 5 Danish notabilities, forming a so-called supervision council. These people are meant by Tvind to be acting as a kind of "eye of the public", as the Danish state has now refused to inspect those schools. I have my doubt as to whether this "council" has the faintest idea about the real plot they act within. However, I believe those people only want to help from their hearts and that they do that job only because they cannot accept the doubtful "Tvind law". //The law was later on, 1999, turned down by the Danish High Court, caused by its character of being a "special law", mentioning named schools. But the law of free schools also contains paragraphs, underlining that the Danish system of private and free state subsided schools does not permit schools to work under the same leadership and as a group// I wonder whether this "council" really believe the Tvind schools are free and independent? In order to throw some light on that question, I shall mention a few incidents from spring, 1998: 1. Boserup Efterskole, Denmark. The story is that all students and teachers in the traditional Tvind style had used some days and nights, emptying a hotel of its used furniture. Boserup Efterskole delivered the costs and the labour force. The intention was that the furniture should be utilised by a new Tvind school in Sjaelland, Denmark. However, Tvind did not succeed in this case, and the school was not started. Now the teachers at Boserup found it reasonable that the furniture should be used at their own school, Boserup, as they really needed new furniture. But a certain Ms.Ruth Sejeroe-Olsen //Tvind management group// put a quick end to those dreams. She said NO. Now, the furniture stood there, stored at Boserup, for some time, but suddenly one night, a number of people from the Tvind "Small school" at Christianshede, Denmark, arrived. Without asking further, they removed, on the order of Ruth Olsen, all the furniture. They were going to have an inspection the next day. New furniture would do them good in such situation, and the intention was also, that the additional furniture would help the school in Christianshede to gain an approval for admitting a higher number of young people. The furniture was now moved //200 miles// and installed the same night. I wonder what board of governors that has approved this action? It might be prudent if the decision-making process were scrutinised? 2. Roskilde Friskole, Denmark. Once in the spring of 1998, Principal and TG member, Else Soerensen, made the decision together with her board, that with the purpose of disguising the connection between her school and the TG, she should officially hand over her job to her secretary. Now, the secretary had worked for eight years at the school, but probably this did not happen on her own initiative, probably she did neither possess the right qualifications. But now it could be pretended that the school did no more have the direct link via Else Soerensen to the TG, but with the secretary acting as a puppet on a string, Else Soerensen would still be able to run the policies as dictated from the TG. The decision was made. After the meeting, Else Soerensen informed Bodil Ross about the meeting and the decision. Amdi Petersen came up to the telephone and shouted furiously what the hell was going on? Should the TG hand over leadership of one of their schools to outsiders? And did they in Roskilde really think they could just do as they pleased, not involving The Common (=Amdi Petersen). Straight after - which I guess you should be able to convince yourself about by examining the protocol of the board - Else Soerensen arranged a new meeting with the Board, and it was now agreed that the decision was to be cancelled: Else Soerensen was again the principal. I doubt the Board never realised what had happened. 3. Boserup Efterskole, Denmark. The Board of Governors at Boserup Efterskole ought to know what Principal, Karen Hesselberg, is doing during her frequent toilet- and coffee breaks. Or what she is doing when - like, incidentally, a TG member of staff calls her outside the meeting room because there is a sudden problem that cannot be solved without her presence? - Well, she finds an isolated room, sits down with her mobile phone and decides the further battle at the meeting with Bodil Ross or Amdi Petersen. Similar incidents also happen at any meeting with the boards of any of the other, so called free schools. //At Winestead Hall at such meetings, I had my instructions via Mikala Gottlob from the Danish Tvind management. After the new, English board had sacked Mikala Gottlob in 1996, I still had my (secret) contact with Mikala Gottlob via mobile telephone, and received her instructions//. The schools: General characteristics. For pure tactical reasons, forced by the authorities, the number of employees at the Tvind schools may now be growing. Non-TG-members are only accepted when there is nothing else to do but employing such staff. Now it is important for the TG to keep the central positions, in particular the post as the principal, and it is important to maintain a TG majority in the board of governors; a board of a school is, in general, expected to listen to the opinions of leading teachers and the principal. But of course, the board will never receive any piece of information as to what items on the agenda of the meeting that have been "prepared" by the principal in collaboration with the TG/Amdi Petersen. To the Tvind Schools, and especially to Amdi Petersen, the schools are set up with the purpose of making money for the TG. As mentioned elsewhere in this report, the Tvind Schools have all the years been seriously understaffed. The reason being the attempt of always bringing the school's money to the TG. Furthermore, another reason is that things have happened at the school that the public did not need to know of. But our instructions have always been to inform the public that it is very unhealthy to a young person, always to be "over serviced" by care staff etc.; it is much more important the young people learn how work and that they feel themselves needed. But although the number of staff may be slowly rising it will still be beneficent to cast a glance at the history: In hundreds of cases, we have driven a bus for many more hours than permitted by law and common sense. Undermanned, we have travelled abroad with pupils, even the young one of 10 - 14 years of age. In some cases, groups of 12 - 15 so young pupils have been sent from Denmark to India with only one adult accompanying them. Personally, I have sailed or travelled over land as the only adult or with only one more adult assisting. Tom, who used to be a teacher at the "small school" in Vamdrup, Denmark, explained a couple of years ago that he felt sure that when a new group of youngsters //very difficult pupils aged 14 - 18 in groups of 12// arrived at his school, the best for them was that he was the only adult to be in charge and look after them. 24 hours a day, for at least six months. Then the pupils knew whom to count on. No adverse messages, clear structure of command. Such standpoint sounds great, and it is tempting to admire Tom because he is able to manage all that. But most likely, all costs have not been mentioned. What about all the hours when Tom cannot avoid doing something else than looking after his pupils; sleep, for instance? What socially unhealthy power structure will the pupils develop amongst themselves, and with the advantage of whom? And could it be possible that Tom, personally, would need sometimes to conduct another kind of life than what is possible when all time surrounded by pupils, in order for him to gain new impulses enabling him to be a good role model for his pupils? And how will Tom - or any other care worker - react in incidents of turmoil, when students night after night have kept him awake because they smoked hash, sniffed gas, or went on raids to the neighbouring village? And what about the incidents of students going totally berserk, smashing windows and other objects? So, was is healthy for the young people to realise this was possible at their school? I have, like many of my colleagues, for periods of time, day after day and for years been so exhausted that we did not function as we ought, and in our feebleness we have often lost our temper. Bo Ostergaard and a number of the teachers at Lakolk, Denmark, will remember quite a number of times they have had to fight their students or use physical force. He will also remember once he one night was called by one of the other Tvind Schools and how he and other staff and students went to the school that had cried for help, armoured with torches and sticks, chased one of the young people to the railway station and beat him up because he had been out of order.. Personally, I have, in desperate need of other and qualified staff, used physical power because I could see no other way. We had to keep our students at any price, endangering the safety of ourselves as well as our students. From my time in England I remember how we, the staff, for instance after a typical day that had begun at 6 a.m., desperately tried to defend the premises against violent students at 2 at night. At Red House School, all windows were smashed one night the 75 small school students went totally mad, and when all staff were unable to anything but try and defend their own lives. There have been many similar incidents. I also recall how my predecessor, Steen Conradsen, on my arrival shocked me because of his behaviour, at all times trying to express physical supremacy towards his students. I remember him putting those 14 - 16 year old youngsters on the floor, trip their legs "for fun", tease them, etc. This undignified and suppressive behaviour, of course, in reality demonstrated feebleness, pedagogically and in any other way, presumably caused by constant need of more colleagues, deficit of sleep and of contents of private life - symptoms that most Tvind teachers have suffered or still suffer from. It is my assertion that at a number of Tvind´s so called small schools, there is a power balance based upon the use of or threat of use of physical power, and then, consequently, the pupils are trained as followers rather than as reflecting individuals and personalities. Social services inspectors should stay at each Tvind school in groups of three for at least three full days in order to detect whether my assertion is true. If they do not, I know what games they will be part of, professionally organised by the TG members prior to their arrival. It is also my assertion that the students/pupils are too much involved in the adult's social life, as the adults do not have a proper social life themselves, for instance with friends outside the school, in the local area. You could say that the pupils are used for fulfilment of the adults' need of a kind of emotional and social life. You could say the students act as a kind of substitutes. I am aware that the inspectors, who inspected Winestead Hall, were on the right track when hinting this in a report, but of course, I then had to deny their findings. The question is now to the Tvind Schools, whether they are able to stay in power of the schools and at the same time employ more and more staff from outside the TG. If they succeed, their next aim will be to make their new staff so loyal to Tvind that they do not question anything. It goes on and on: Who to take the responsibility? Municipalities and counties must be able to find other people and other institutions for looking after their difficult youth, even though Tvind is sometimes the cheapest option. Basically, Tvind staff are amateurs in the field of education and care, most frequently without proper exams. Amdi Petersen has proclaimed, and inoculated his TG members that by pursuing "the correct political line", they will all be able to educate and care for just about any person, young or adult, exposing just about any of all the psycho-social and other problems created by modern society or innate.... It be DAMP-children, people with special learning disabilities, violent youth, psychotic adults whoever. Tvind find themselves ready for taking on all sorts of problems. They consider themselves experts in any case. There is a lot of money in this. Roskilde Friskole, Denmark, announces for DAMP children for their school. Do the staff have the correct qualifications and training? Psychologists, psychiatrists etc. are by Tvind considered merely as "necessary evils", and they are considered worth nothing with regards to education and care. Neither has Tvind ever used people from those trades as consultants or supervisors. However, in spite of lack of relevant and appropriate education and professionalism, there is no lack of titles for Tvind members. But this should not call forth any kind of admiration from outsiders; the reason being: The higher titles, the higher wages, the more money for the TG bank account. This counts all over: Humana, //Planet Aid// schools, etc.etc. What is the aim? That is a question, even asked by those who have been closer to Amdi Petersen than I. Surely, once it was a Chinese inspired revolution when it all took its beginning in the late sixties and early seventies. Amdi Petersen was for most of us a revolutionary hero on level with Chairman Mao, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and others. It is possible that Amdi Petersen still eyes the possibility of drastically changing society. Everybody knows that at least on the surface, his sympathies are so absolutely socialist, and many of us recall when one of his closest, Bodil Ross, returned from Kampuchea and enthusiastically reported about the fantastic Red Khmers. Some of us will also recall the magnificent birthday Amdi Petersen assisted by Michael Norling celebrated for Kim il Sung in the sports hall at Tvind. And we know about Amdi Petersen´s contacts in the Southern Africa. But his plans? Is he in reality a modern type capitalist that at last sits with his closest reigning all the billions? We do not know. My presumption - as shared with many of the other, former members of the TG - is that Amdi Petersen wants POWER and more POWER. During recent years Tvind has suffered a severe setback in Denmark. But, as Amdi Petersen declared after the so-called Tvind Law was implemented in 1996, that law would turn out being only a note of history, and he said: "Now the State will realise it has thrown a boomerang that will return, setting up double the number of Tvind schools as hitherto". This is what is happening now, unfortunately with the assistance of many unsuspecting people. They believe they help some young people get an education and good guidelines in life. They do not have the tools of realising they of all help Amdi Petersen manifest and develop his despotic power. They do not know that every single school or institution that is set up will be yet another victory for Amdi Petersen. It will strengthen his power, making the hesitating person understand that, okay, this has something to do with "the old Tvind", but just wait and se, those people are all right, and so is Amdi Petersen! At sea. After I had left the TG and moved to Denmark this Spring of 1998, I went out fishing on the North Sea with a fishing vessel to earn some money. We went to sea in the evening, one night in the month of March, and after we had passed the outer pier I climbed on the bridge and into the wheelhouse to have a chat with Jorgen, the skipper. I asked Jorgen, to whom I had not yet told anything about my past as a member of Tvind, what was our destination? "Well, I think we shall go down south to the Tvind Ship". "The Tvind Ship!", I responded - "do you intend to go to the Activ?" Yes, it really was the Activ. Jorgen told me that on his computer system he had, like other fishermen, plotted this wreck, and he further told me that it is usually good to drop the net all way down into the single wreck, - here the cod go. Then he said, answering my questions about the vessel Activ and the eight of my friends who sank and drowned with the vessel on the first of February, 1983: "Well, yes, ---they were ordered out into the gale". Jorgen then told me that all fishermen knew that this was what happened: They were threatened to go to sea. Once again, my suspicion was reinforced, namely that suspicion I knew I shared with others of my old friends since 1983 that the crew, all of them TG members, had been ordered back home to Denmark, out into the February hurricane, from England and across The Channel, by Amdi Petersen. Heading through the March night the vessel now carried us in the direction of Dutch waters for carrying out the fishing in and near the wreck, and now I combined the information I had had from an English first mate who once was employed at my school in England, Winestead Hall. This man, Francis Noel-Hudson, had told me that once, back in 1983, he had assisted the crew aboard a Danish sailing vessel "Activ". He described the good way he had been welcomed on board, and that the crew used to expect visitors to put 50 Pence under their mug prior to leaving the ship, as the vessel was without money. He named some of my late friends from then: Helle Bay, Henrik Ronne, and Jorgen Brundse. And he said they were fine people, and very friendly.It was generally well known that Jorgen Brundse, the captain, would never take a chance. He was well experienced as a seaman. One stormy morning, Francis walked down to the harbour to go on board the vessel again //to carry on assisting//, but the had vessel gone to sea. Francis was taken by surprise and wondered why the crew had left, without saying good-bye, and in that weather; - any person knows The Channel is extremely dangerous in February, even to vessels of much bigger size than the Activ. And the weather forecast was very bad. My very clear opinion is that the power Amdi Petersen has over any TG member was causing loss of eight lives that night. I should so much like if this could be proven via taped VHF or other radio communication. But telephone conversations via shore based telephones between the crew and Amdi Petersen I guess have not been taped. Nevertheless, I am sure it happened as I have described. They were forced into death. Surely, in the TG there are still persons, apart from Amdi Petersen himself, who know the true details, but no person can make them speak until the day (and only maybe) when they leave the TG. Hans Jorgen Lausten, formerly head of the Tvind seaman school in Nyborg who is now a tradesman for Tvind in Russia, presumably knows something, and surely Kirsten Larsen does. Self established statesman. Amdi Petersen is his own and self established statesman, carrying out his own foreign politics, and via his diplomacy in self made and frequently rather big organisations, he fortifies his power, all way up to the high levels of a true statesman, in just about all of the Southern African states. He carries out his politics at high level. Not just with a few millions of dollars, pounds, or kroner, collected via clothing containers, but today also via for instance oil companies that, eager to win concessions in these poor countries, in return have the obligation of supporting some development aid project in the country. ( Tvind has via the Danish oil company Metax to an Angolan branch of the oil company CONOCO//as to my memory, this was the company name//. Tvind´s development aid organisations, Humana, ADDP, DAPP, etc. are always ready to receive the money. In Latin America, Tvind own land the size of the big island of Fyn, and perhaps //much more than that//. In charge are a few TG members that via each Amdi Petersen controls their "Country managers". The communication between management and country managers is carried out via frequent flight travels and the Internet, of course with all communication well scrambled or encrypted with the PGP-software (Pretty Good Privacy).Those projects may look okay on the surface, but the Tvind ideology is spread, and particularly the local Southern African project managers are targeted as TG members as this is important for Tvind to keep in control of all their projects. As a matter of course, Amdi Petersen is in charge of all this part of the development. Two years ago, Amdi Petersen presented to us his plans of the construction of a huge building in Zimbabwe. He informed us that the building should be "so big that it can be seen from the Moon by a human being". The building should tower "as the evidence of the marvellous job, carried out in Africa by the TG". (Citation to my memory"). Recently I learned that the building complex was just about raised, inaugurated by Mr. Robert Mugabe. It is impossible to me to understand a megalomania as this building as being in harmony with a wish of a world of equality and righteousness. A so-called charter regarding the TG work in the Southern Africa has been written by Amdi Petersen. The initiative of creating the enormous building complex was Amdi Petersen´s. The building complex is NOT development aid but a new weapon in Amdi Petersen´s arsenal, supporting his strives for power and dominion. For the support of Tvind´s glory, the Danish architect, Jan Utzon, has been hired for making drawings for Tvind´s new projects, among others also this. In a similar way the enormous Tvind projects in South America, the trade in China, Russia, etc., is managed. However, the difference is that from these areas, the profits are channelled directly into Tvind´s bank accounts. As to some of the projects, the talk is not about development aid at all; as far as I know, initially the projects in these countries have been financed by the savings done by the accumulation of finances from the TG members //but how state subsidised foundations have been used still stands as a matter for further investigation//. Other income may come for instance via TG member H.J.Lausten, definitely once the Moscow based Tulip Meat Factory salesman. Equally, earnings made by K.S. and Simon Lichtenberg in Beijing, acting as tradesmen running hotels, sales of Danish furniture and other trade. For a couple of years the rumour has circulated inside the TG that K.S. also ran a brothel in Beijing, but I have my doubts as to whether this is merely a joke. But of course, still it is a possibility that money for overseas purposes is generated via collections in Europe and the USA. For instance, a dubious traffic does take place as to clothing collected by UFF/Humana in Europe: A proportion of these clothes is sold in the Humana shops, and some of the money is used for the financing of projects in the 3. World countries, as informed by Humana. However, the by far major part of the clothes that have been collected cannot be sold in the fancy Humana shops, placed in Copenhagen, Hamburg, etc. Only an extremely small proportion of the collected clothing is sold in those shops. Another part of the clothing is packed in containers and sold in 3.World countries". The final, biggest and vast amount of clothing is never sent to any country in the 3.World at all. Instead, it is sold gross to private companies at a symbolic price and then resold to other companies or the public. Typically, these private companies are owned by Tvind organisations //with Eastern European trade marks//. Profits, accumulated by those companies, are used as to Amdi Petersen´s decisions, beyond any kind of public control. Thousands of tonnes of clothing, collected by UFF/Humana, are sold in Eastern Europe every year. The major salesman in Eastern Europe is sold by the son of former Danish Minister of Finance, Isi Foighel, Alan Foighel, driving on the Eastern European roads in his Gibraltar registered Jaguar. Alan Foighel is in charge of a number of so-called country leaders, for instance in Romania and in Poland. These leaders in some case live a kind of jet-set life that increasingly can look like the life of diplomats. In their big Mercedeses they go to the sports club or the airport, and the locals treat them with respect; - it is generally known that here they deal with people with money. In their lonesome majesties, these TG people obviously act as a new kind of upper class inside the oh so poor Teachers´Group. NGO. In poems and so-called charters, Amdi Petersen pays his homage to NGO, Non Governmental Organisations. He praises the NGO, the private person contributing personally in the aid of his neighbour in need, as a contrast to the state-run and non-personal aid work. He pretends to collaborate with the suppressed here on Earth, to be a NGO who brings relief to people in need at an inter-personal level and not as a state apparatus, mechanistically bringing help via tax money. All this talking and writing about NGO is a very consciously performed distortion of the NGO concept, by Amdi Petersen.. In real life, he builds up his own state apparatus with big cars, luxury villas, ostentatious buildings, vast numbers of flight tickets to country leaders, directors, himself, etc. Amdi Petersen is himself creating exactly the society and state apparatus that he wants to support. And for sure, the Humana development projects are not led by or handed over to local people and the societies they should allegedly support. No! In stead, statutes, mortgage deeds, etc. will show that every single one of those projects is subjected to the Teachers´Group, precisely like the schools in Denmark, England, Norway, etc. They are all run in the same Tvind spirit that we are many who have suffered for almost 30 years. In charge of it all is Amdi Petersen. It makes me feel ashamed, having to admit that once I felt proud about this. But today I think in kind of fear about what implications can follow from the fact that Tvind, via UFF, DAPP, ADDP, Humana and other organisations, today educate more than 20.000 people, especially in the southern Africa, and that the TG boast of being in charge of 75% of the education system in Mozambique. For some years, in Malaysia (Borneo), Tvind has been felling rain forest. As far as I know, today this takes place in North Borneo and in South America, probably in Brazil. I do not know the precise addresses, caused by the cell structure of the TG. This means that, say, a TG member is moved to for instance China or Russia, the other TG members do not know where they are, even in case of old friendships. (Today, TG members cannot apply for any posts at the projects in South America. They will all have to be appointed by Amdi Petersen). AH, who for a number of years has been one of a couple, was for instance appointed for a job in S.America; his partner, AG, had to stay in Denmark. I doubt they will ever meet as a couple again. Amdi Petersen - again again. As a long-standing member of the Teachers´Group, my insight into the finances, the so-called "common" economy, is very limited. Just like what applies for most other TG members, for 18 years I have not seen any kind of accounts for the money we have personally added to the cash balance: Wages, legacies, etc., etc., - in the faith that the money would apply to a good purpose. The only person with access to all the savings is Amdi Petersen. Hence, the relationship of trust is pointing only in one direction; obviously, Amdi Petersen does not have so much faith in the Teachers´Group members that he finds it prudent, informing or consulting them regarding the employment of all the money they, at the risk of their lives, have scraped together; but in return, the TG members are expected to have boundless faith in their Leader. Amdi Petersen is the person of all in the Teachers´Group, bearing the least responsibilities. He never signs any kind of document, has not any mortgage debts, and he cannot in any matter be held officially responsible by public authorities or TG members. Instead, common TG members who have been screened and found trustworthy over a number of years, are those who are made financially responsible of buildings etc. They are the ones who in person can be crushed by tax authorities and banks in case they leave the Teachers´ Group, and they have put their signature on documents, declaring their renunciation of any claim in any building or bank account. This is what they have to do, despite the fact that many TG leavers have had to fight with a starvation-limit private economy as they, on taking flight from the TG, have lost all personal possession, leaving out of account a bike, a transistor radio and personal clothing. Instead, one can get stringed up regarding the payment of mortgages, for instance related to one of the domiciles, inhabited by Amdi Petersen or those nearest to him. HE cannot be made responsible of any debt or mortgage. A former TG member who has toiled and moiled, raising the Juelsminde Efterskole (DK), has, as the best dream of all dreams, that Amdi Petersen from now on and into all eternity should be made taking on her old job: Night after night after night doing the dishes in the big kitchen at Juelsminde Efterskole. Presumably, this modest dream will never come true, but the resentment amongst former TG members is intense. Now and then one wonders why certain TG members carry on doing their jobs for the TG, bearing in mind the life in lack of freedom they are offered by the Leader. But I think it will then be worth, recalling that many of "the old ones" in the TG have personally signed for the most incredible things/buildings and assets. Thus, if the TG would make demands according to signed documents, this would, for the person in question, mean the total loss of all hope of a tolerable private economy for all future lifetime. I wonder what claims could be put on for instance Poul Joergensen? Bodil Ross? Does the possibility exist that, as the number of TG members declines and the finances grow, that Amdi Petersen at last with a handful of selected and endlessly loyal people would have the billions at his disposal, and that, in reality, it would be in his interest that the number of older TG members of some stamina is in decline? Tactics and Strategy - and Miami. Most of the information I have about Tvind and their plans for the future are now more than six months old. (autumn 1998). Amdi Petersen is very skilled in intercepting when it is necessary to alter course, and parts of my knowledge could be antiquated already. The Teachers´ Group has the ability of manoeuvring extremely fast, faster than most other organisations because the power structure is dictatorial and because there are so many devoted members. It is my assertion that no matter what plans are changed by Amdi Petersen, no matter how many staff are now employed at the Tvind schools, and no matter to what extend leases to Faelleseje //Argyll Smith etc.// of properties are cut down, - still Amdi Petersen will not give up one inch of conquered land. New or old schools may on the surface seem functioning relatively well, but this will never do as the Tvind ideology and the cult culture is lurking under the surface. It is lurking behind it all, also behind the intentions by any "reliably" chatting TG member, and because all employees and all students and pupils at a Tvind school are considered legal prey, = potential future member of the TG. It may well be "Tvind" superficially changes, like a chameleon, but I am convinced that the power structure will remain exactly the same whatever happens. Insight into part of a (paranoid) decision making procedure. Miami: (The information, as mentioned below, about a meeting in Miami I have had from a former TG member, EB, who has received the information from one of the (still) Tvind principals, AL, also mentioned below): Christmas 1997, some TG members had been invited for a "holiday" in Miami. In Miami, Tvind is the owner of some buildings, and as a guest one is allowed to see only parts of the buildings, all according to one's status internally in the Teachers´Group. (Being participants with travel fares etc. paid beforehand by the TG, one is considered as "safe", by Amdi Petersen). Among other trusted members, Boerge Mors (DIE Nebbegaard), Anni Lundgaard (Roskilde Efterskole), Gerda Tranberg (Nordjyllands Husholdningsskole), Karen Hesselberg (Boserup Efterskole, Else Soerensen (Roskilde Friskole), and Rene Schultz (Juelsminde Efterskole), had been invited for the meeting by Amdi Petersen. The meeting took place in the three stores building with base like a sports ground, with a tennis court on the rooftop, and with furniture consisting of silk upholstered chairs all over. Here Anne Hansen presided with her little dog in the imposing premises. A part of the buildings as the main office, controlling income for instance via the company at Jersey*. The building is also used for offices, controlling the companies in South America. And, as understood, for the purpose of housing Amdi Pegtersen's special meeting-activities. (*Argyll Smith at Jersey, the owners of the English schools and ships. Jersey is only used as a cover address, controlled by Amdi Petersen via the high-ranking TG members Anne Hansen and Kirsten Fuglsbjerg. In connection with Tvind´s activities in England, Kirsten Fuglsbjerg operates under the cover name Christine Pipps, disguising the relationship between Argyll Smith and Tvind//and acting as a tax cover//). In Miami, Amdi Petersen now published to the persons mentioned above, how the next 25 years should be organised - in some respect. He had divided up the world in regions in each of which the education systems on the longer view should become ruled by one of those persons. To facilitate this, they would have to bind themselves to, over the next coming few years, prepare their departure. The implications would be that each of them would have to find a successor who would be able to take over, and also that they were prepared, not to see a lot of Denmark anymore. Boerge Mors raised the objection that it would not be possible for him to do the job as he was (is) the father of some young children. However, after a round of the usual TG pressure and with the good aid of Amdi Petersen, the meeting succeeded in convincing Boerge Mors that he was also going to do the job as he was asked to do. S/S "Butterfly mcQueen". In the late 1980´ies, many TG members were busy, devoting their weekends to finish the production of a magnificent sailing vessel that the TG had taken over on purchasing the Faenoe Shipyard near Kolding (DK). After the production of the hull had been finished, it was towed to Lubeck (D), where the TG "in peace" could carry on, making the accommodation and rigging of the three masted vessel. This vessel is (was at that time) the biggest fibre glass vessel in the world, and according to Amdi Petersen, the vessel should be advertised for sale, after the job of fitting it had been finished. In this way, the money could go back and also bring profit to the TG. The vessel was then fitted with all sorts of fancy equipment for manoeuvring and handling of sails. The equipment should enable the crew to command the ship, using a computer and some hydraulic machinery to set, adjust and hand the sails automatically according to the course set and related to speed and direction of the wind. The woodwork was made from the most expensive types of wood, and everything was the maddest luxury. Fittings for galley, bathrooms, etc., were made in plated gold. The vessel had, when finished, cost 50 mill.. Danish Kroner (approx. GBP 5 mill..) and sweat and tears shed by overworked TG members. We worked there instead of, for instance, staying at our schools instead or being off. But curiously enough, the vessel has not yet been sold, more than 10 years after it was finished. Instead, Amdi Petersen utilises the vessel for impressing special guests and for his own pleasure; - yes, certainly, the sailor's life has always had Amdi Petersen´s special attention. The ship is still looked after by "Johannes from the Mill". Rounding Off. My aim of writing this minute I guess I have already explained: Effecting the piece of information to the public that Tvind / The Teachers´ Group ought to be considered a cult. I hope my words have illustrated this assertion. Furthermore, it is my hope that authorities and politicians will dare consider my view and start investigating further the Tvind activities from this (new) angle as well. A number of escaped TG members, to whose pseudonyms I have referred, are prepared to confirm my words and also to expand, using their personal experiences, if necessary for the credibility of this minute. Personally, I will naturally be prepared to elaborate my description in a further conversation. Steen Thomsen. Annex 1 : Personal background. Short resume of the English schools' history I have a history with Tvind, which goes from 1972 to 1998, of which - from 1977 to January 1998 - I was a member of the Teacher's Group. I was a student at Det Noedvendige Seminarium (The Necessary Training College) from 1972 to 1976, was a national schoolteacher from 1976 to 1979, a teacher at Firemoeller Efterskole (For youth aged 1418) in Frederikshavn 1979-1980, and the headmaster of that school from 1980 to 1991, the principal of The Small School at Winestead in England 1991-1998. This school had between 20 and 40 pupils and the number of employees ran to between 18 and 50. The authorities closed this school, like its sister school in England Jan. 8, 1998, because it had been clear to the authorities for some time that Tvind moved funds out of the charitable organisation that ran the school. The two schools in England paid overprices for ship and building rents to a Tvind-owned company called Argyll Smith in Jersey. Since Tvind was not willing to admit the connection, nor change its method, the result at the end of the day was that the school was closed. The same happened to The Small School at Red House in Norwich. In all, some 100 employees and their families were without work, and 80 children were without a school or home. If Amdi Petersen (AP) instead had chosen to transfer the ownership of schools and ships to the schools themselves, they would have existed today. Since 1984, Tvind has earned at least 100 million Danish Kroner (Approx. 9 mio. GBP) from the charitable institution in England called The Small School at Red House Ltd. These funds have been put into Tvind's accounts instead of being used correctly in England for educational purposes; - for educational material, heating, employment of personnel - that sort of thing. Once Bodil Ross Sørensen said at a meeting in Grindsted with pride that "The schools in England are pure money machines". Bodil Ross and Mikala Gottlob took me to task last year when I questioned the vast rent payments for ships, because it was difficult for me to explain the costs to my new Board, which had taken over after all of the Tvind people had been removed. Mikala Gottlob was from 1990 and until she was sacked in 1996 by the Charity Commission/Coopers & Lybrand, the so-called school advisor, which covered her function as a go-between between AP and the English schools. In all its simplicity, the fact of the matter is that AP would rather have the schools in England closed than transfer power to the schools themselves so they could survive. The human sacrifices in that connection were unimportant to him. AP's continued power was the most important. With regards to the term 'Money machine': The Teacher's Group, based in Denmark, received from the English Teacher's Group salaries - from 1984 to 1998 around 26 million kroner. In Annex 2, I will explain why these schools could be called money machines. The figures in Annex 2 are based on my memory. They are not precise - but irrespective of a couple of million this way or that they will show a clear picture of how Tvind exploited the schools in England. Apart from these amounts, the schools have supported part of the costs of the Hornsjoe Høifjellshotel in Norway with many hundreds of thousands of kroner., as well as Tvind's Christmas concert and artistic activities - for example the Art Centre in Dronninglund (Denmark). The amounts paid to these places were much, much more than what the schools got back. The ship "The Spirit of Winestead" is currently rented by a new "small school" - Soegaardhus - which recently was approved and is placed near Aabenraa (DK) - and with regards to "return of Marco Polo" the idea is that this vessel is to be part of Tvind's new prestige project in Faaborg (DK). (I have heard that Tvind has become aware of all the public attention to the ship rents - so I presume that the ships are being rented out at more reasonable prices than they were in England.) Annex 2 - The English Money Machine. Income to Tvind from ships and buildings rented by the two English small schools.(The ships were refurbished during the period and costs for this were carried by other school accounts - not by Tvind). (In DKK: Danish Kroner. 1 GBP = 11 DKK.approx.). Return of Marco Polo - a 3-masted schooner bought by Tvind in 1984 for some DKK 4 million. Trade Value 1998 12 million Rented by schools in England 1994-1998 Annual rent income for Tvind 2.5 million Income for Tvind throughout period 10 million Spirit of Winestead - brigantine bought by Tvind in 1981 for DKK 1 million. Trade value 1998 5 million Rented by schools in England 1989-1998 Annual rent income for Tvind 2.5 million Income for Tvind throughout period 20 million Red House Lugger -37 ft motor/sail launch. Bought by Tvind in 1986 for DKK 1 Million. Trade value 1998 0.4 million Rented by schools in England 1988-1998 Annual rent income for Tvind 1.5 million Income for Tvind throughout period 13 million Winestead Viking - 47 ft motor/sail launch bought by Tvind in 1984 for 1.4 million Trade value 1998 0.6 million Rented by schools in England 1991-1998 Annual rent income for Tvind 2.2 million Income for Tvind throughout period 12 million Buildings The Small School at Red House, Norfolk Rented by schools in England 1984-1998 Purchase price 1984 1.5 million I don't remember the exact rent paid to Tvind but it was in the region of 4 million per year. The buildings have been improved throughout the period from the school's own funds. A low estimate of net income for Tvind from Red House 50 million The Small School at Winestead Hall, East Riding, Yorkshire Rented by schools in England 1989-1998 Purchase price 1989 12 million Rent was lower than Red House - some 3 million Net income for Tvind from Winestead 24 million. Income to Tvind from England 1984-1998: Overall profits for Tvind re. buildings and vessels Income from teachers' salaries in England - at least 129 million (GBP 11.7 mill.) 26 million.(GBP 2.3 mill.) Annex 3. Supplement. 1. Sailing with pupils. The loss of Activ is not the only the loss of a ship Tvind has suffered. In excess of Activ, another big sail training vessel has been lost, but I do not think this was ever reported by the press. The so-called small schools, schools for underprivileged young people, 1981 or 1982 took the brigantine Lillebjoern to the Central American waters. Lillebjoern previously had been a Danish light house-ship. It had then been rigged with three masts and sails by a Dane and bought by Tvind. Length overall: 155 feet. The vessel ran aground near Panama. It was totally wrecked, and by going ashore at an island, populated by Indians, pupils, staff and crew were saved. Amdi Petersen handily managed this situation by instantly purchasing a 117 feet brigantine, the Christian Bach. The price was 1 mill. DKK. Christian Bach was now named Lillebjoern. This means that pupils and crew departed Denmark on board Lillebjoern and returned to Denmark on board Lillebjoern, now transformed into a shorter vessel, and brigantine. (This Lillebjoern was 1990 given the name Spirit of Winestead). 2. Examples of psychological pressure: A) The Lillebjoern, the 117 feet brigantine as mentioned above, later on went on a voyage with pupils from Panama, destination the Galapagos Islands. One of the staff on board, Benny Joergensen, has told me how they for a fortnight drifted about in the Pacific with engine failure and with a group of violent pupils, unwilling to accept any authority from neither crew nor other staff. Among other frightening incidents, the pupils attempted felling the main mast with the fire axe, and still today, 1998, you can see the carving of the wooden fore deck, caused by a fire set by pupils on that voyage. For the period of fourteen days, the ship was without propulsion, had no engines standby. Not even auxiliary engines did work, so the vessel ran out of electric power supply, causing loss of radio contact with other vessels or shore. This incident is not known by but a few TG members. It has been kept secret, like so many other incidents on trips. Benny Joergensen, mentioned above, lost his fiancé, named Helle Bay, when she drowned from the Activ in 1983. He got this information when he was travelling with students in Algeria. He did not talk to anybody about the incident, apart from when he had a brief conversation with, as I remember it, Bodil Ross, who was the person to inform about the sunken vessel. Well, Benny was also busy, looking after all the difficult youngsters we had brought to Northern Africa… Examples of psychological pressure: B) During our travels to Morocco with the schools, teachers and students were subject to a vast number of very difficult incidents. The students/pupils smoked hash, and as understaffed as we were, we could not take charge at all. Once I was assaulted on a field near Tetouan. Here my schools met up with the other Tvind schools, and travel groups were formatted, consisting of students from different schools. Anni Lundgaard, Roskilde Efterskole, sparingly shared out travel money for each bus group. A big boy/young man placed a stick on my throat, and standing behind me he pulled me on the ground, at the same time as to other boys attacked me from the front. They kicked me in my face while I was on the ground, and attempted to rob my travel money. I rolled under my coach, and escaped. I got myself moved to the wheel, and now I drove towards South East Morocco, only adult with 25 pupils and my nose broken. I could get help from nobody. None of the staff from the other schools dared come for my assistance; they had themselves equally problems with their hash-smoking pupils. None of the three assailants were sent home to Denmark, or later on expelled. It was unthinkable that there could be students we were unable to handle. Each and every students counted financially, and in case I had ever expelled one of those students, I would later on face accusations of throwing out my students. The accusations would be made by Bodil Ross, or by Amdi Petersen, and my position would be at stake. This was the situation in general and for many years at the Tvind schools, but is it very different today? Or is it rather similar? - We had unbelievably little money when travelling with students. On the same trip as mentioned above, in the desert area near Er-Rachidia, Morocco, the students should eat. I had calculated that I could not afford taking them to a village cafe. Instead, I had bought a few pounds of meat at a marketplace, had filled some plastic cans with water, and together with some wood I placed it all in the luggage compartment of the coach. Then I drove the students further out, into the desert, and we managed to get some soup prepared and eaten. However, the best provisioning of our students was certainly given by the poor local peasants we blessed with our frequent visits to their homes - a very important part of our programme, bringing the peoples together... These examples and many other similar incidents I have been at the head of. Not because I found my actions correct, but because I thought I could not do anything else. It is very unpleasant thinking of. Examples of psychological pressure: C) Once, I think in 1982, on our way to Morocco, when driving the coach I was stopped by Bodil Ross. I got Amdi Petersen on her car phone. He said: "Steen Thomsen! It seems that you are well in charge of your students at your school! At the Small Schools everything is in a mess. Now, it would be good for 10 of their students if they could join your trip to Morocco. Is it OK to you to bring them with you?" I simply did not dare anything else but agree, and I must admit I felt a little honoured by being praised by Amdi Petersen himself. So I agreed, although I knew that my trip with own students would from now on be split in pieces. And in my coach they sat there, 35 fourteen-year-olds, who a couple of hours earlier had waved good-bye to parents and brothers and sisters. Surely, in their bags they carried Christmas presents from a grandmother, and with the feelings of excitement as well fear, they looked forward to riding down through Europe. Now, together with two of the other schools who were travelling the same travel, we got a mob of extremely violent 18 - 20 year olds on board the coach. Some of them were Swedish criminals. Later on, in Algeria, while Ebbe Larsen, then the headmaster of Juelsminde Efterskole, gave a speech to the lord mayor in a small town, one of these Swedish students thrusted a knife into Ebbe's thigh. The travel just continued. There was nothing we could do or dared do. No psychological aid of any kind was available for Ebbe. No one was available, substituting him. He just had to work on. Later on, I travelled through Algeria and into Morocco in company with the two teachers, Svend Soerensen and Joergen Moeller from Roskilde Efterskole. They had by then left their own coach in order to assist us. In the back of the bus, five of the violent students had made themselves comfortable, smoking all they managed of a big lump of hash. They were all armed with knives, and in the centre of the bus, our small pupils sat, trembling of fear. In fact. Our bus had been captured, and we, the staff, could do nothing but drive in the direction as ordered by the perpetrators. More typical examples: * Other equally serious episodes from our Morocco trips could be counted in hundreds. For instance, once on our way home, in the Spanish port of Algeciras, I suddenly spotted a 53seater-coach driving along with a young boy behind the wheel. This was the coach from Bogense Efterskole. I managed to jump on the bus when it had stopped at a cross-road. Inside the bus I noticed about 30 young people, screaming and shouting and cheering. Some of them held on to the only adult on board, a female teacher. She was Inga Soerensen, but she just advised me to leave the pupils alone and driving. I had to jump out in order not to be attacked, and the bus drove on. - I wonder how such episodes have psychologically affected Inga Soerensen? Me? • • • During a trip to the USA, high school teacher Klavs Lindquist was exposed to a hold-up. His scull fractured, he was thrown down a steep slope, sloping down to a river. Miraculously, he survived the attack. On a trip to Turkey, teacher Bolette Gunst of DNS was raped. Frequently buses have been involved in accidents because they, as instructed by Amdi Petersen, had to do a speed of max. 30 miles per hour, even on motorways. Only perhaps insurance companies have had reports about these accidents. Some years ago, a student of DNS named MG was raped. Later on, she was, as a passenger in a Tvind bus, disabled, as a truck had run up into the bus from behind. She will never be able to leave her wheelchair. Loads of such incidents have happened, but a very discomforting fact is as well that the incidents are never used for general information of, for instance, new students. The reason being that it has always been considered a threat against Tvind if too much attention should be drawn to the accidents. • One of the worst examples of the Tvind way of dealing with accidents, and respect for other human beings, possibly was the ship-loss, when the Activ sank with 8 young people on board. I have seen a copy of the letter, Tvind boss Poul Joergensen sent to the parents of the drowned young woman. In this letter, he refuses to let Tvind pay for transport home, of the body, to the parents in Norway. He gives the reason that the young women, at the time the ship sank, was not officially employed, but only worked for free on board the vessel. • - Incidents, psychologically and, to some extent, physiologically, harming students and teachers for life are never treated, and certainly not with the involvement of specialists. These incidents have been digged deep down, and first and foremost, they exist forever in the minds as damages, or as bodily damages, of the people involved. The incidents are never mentioned on homecomings, or in later conversations. Only on rare occasions they are mentioned. No debates, no discussions. Social - and other authorities are never involved or alerted, only so far this cannot at all be avoided. Only the very good experiences, all the happy memories, can be aired. Public nosiness should be avoided, and Amdi Petersen does not tolerate any atmosphere of defeat. Instead, we have clapped our hands and cheered at every one of all the travels, just like we have applauded everything else, created by the TG. For so-called political reasons we have kept our mouths shot about bad incidents. The admission of new students could be damaged… But isn't all this just old history? No. A couple of randomly selected examples will show that it is not just history: • The North Sea, 1994: When sailing from England to Denmark with my English "small school" on board the Spirit of Winestead, the vessel with its 12 pupils and 8 adults on board was exposed to a "knock down". Around midnight, we ran into a bad thunderstorm. Suddenly, the ship was turned by the wind. Now the vessel had the wind on the beam and swayed over on the side. This can be very dangerous as the yardarms could be caught by the waves, making the ship capsize. However, we managed to get the vessel righted up again. After our arrival in Denmark we met with the headmasters of the "small schools" at Lakolk and Vamdrup, but they did not welcome any discussion of the accident, although we had been close to a catastrophe. //We could just feel guilty ourselves, take the blame//. No discussion, no talk, no reasoning - in spite of the fact that these two headmasters were in charge of schools with a similar maritime programme like ours. No, such things are just not spoken about. Malaysia, 1997: The International Efterskole in Juelsminde, for A-level students, in January and February 1997 travelled to Malaysia. Ellen Holberg was the only staff, accompanying and in charge of the fifteen students, all of them about 18 years of age. As usual on these trips, it was planned that the students should stay in local people's homes. One of the students, AA, tells from the trip: As one out of a group of five, he was with his group left in a small village. Ellen Holberg left the group with a sum of money. Now the money was used for the purpose of hiring a powerful motocross-machine that was used for the next coming days for racing about, in the village and on the beach. When time was up, the students took some photos, exposing themselves together with the little shopkeeper, the fisherman, and the father of family with children, etc. One of the students now constructed a fictive and illustrated report telling the story about the good boys having lived and worked together with the locals for five days. The report was highly praised as being excellent, and people clapped. Thus, yet another example of the under staffing and the powerlessness we, the teachers, were exposed to. And yet another example of how Tvind pupils receive a negative tuition caused by the teachers´ insufficiency inside a system that lets down all parties involved. Tvind as the bearer of culture. Abuse of foundations has been characteristic of Tvind´s activities over the years. One of the foundations has as one of its activities the running of the Kunstforeningen (Art Association). I recall how Amdi Petersen proclaimed how the art foundation should be used for own purpose, i.e. for the financial support of Tvind. //Such foundation is used for channelling tax money from the TG members into own bank account and not to the tax authorities, as permitted by the state, as the money is used for a cultural purpose; - but at Tvind, the money is mainly used for building up own wealth//. He made us understand that Tvind would create itself a positive reputation if we for instance used the Art Association for real cultural purposes as well. This was the reason why Tvind every year arranges two big Christmas concerts with classical music from morning till night. //---//. The Education Shall be Good. For many years, this sentence can be found in just about all Tvind schools brochures: "The education has to be good". The clause is absurd as I guess it would be impossible to ever discuss the aim of not making education good. But Amdi Petersen created this interesting sentence as he might have sensed that the education in fact was not good. In that case, he was right: The education standard is usually far below acceptable. Today, like since 1984, the TG still make attempts of substituting good books and good teachers for computers for the students. They claim being part of the modern world, trying to run the hopeless so-called Modern Teaching Method via PC´s . Good, professional, and caring staff in the right numbers cannot be substituted for PC´s, indeed not regarding the big number of unfortunate youngsters who usually can be found at the Tvind schools. First of all, they are young people in need of a balanced interaction with balanced adults. At the Tvind schools we have always defended ourselves by stating that we took care of young people no one else would take care of. People have believed we did a laudable work, and sometimes we did: By abusing staff. But Tvind makes money, promoting they are able to receive just about all kinds of people. Sometimes, the more difficult the better. But please read: The more money. The more power. What effect on the single individual it has had, over the years collecting young people of all sorts and without proper advise and treatment, has never been and can hardly be investigated. But at the Tvind schools where I have functioned, and as to other Tvind schools, I have noticed many young people being affected in a very unfortunate way. This is very difficult to stand up for. (I will now finish this series of (unedited) examples - picked at random….)