A Sport Community for Vulnerable Youth
Many young people in Denmark grow up without the community, structure, and self-belief that others take for granted. hummel Company Karma exists to back the people already doing something about that - using sport to build mental wellbeing and community where it's needed most.
Dusinet, in the Danish city of Aarhus, is one of those people-powered initiatives, and hummel is supporting it with training wear and merchandise.
How It All Started
Dusinet is a social initiative under Aarhus Municipality, running since 2013, for young people who are at risk of crime or have previously been involved in crime, and others who struggle with loneliness, social exclusion, and low self-esteem. That means the day starts with movement and continues with simple, practical teaching.
For the participants, the overall goal is to get a job, and most of the young people who come through Dusinet move into work, with others continuing into education. What they have in common is that they deserve to be seen, heard, and met with a new chance - and Dusinet is built around that idea.
why sport, specifically
Each week, a group of Dusinet's young participants meet for crossfit training at Aarhus CrossFit. Here, it's not about sweat and lifting - it's about showing up, becoming part of something bigger, and discovering that they're capable of more than they thought.
"It is the young people who can see themselves in this initiative who need somewhere to show up to. As long as I still get frustrated when they don't show up, I know we're the right place for them.
If we didn't care, we'd have to find something else to do."
Jeppe Frantzen, Dusinet Staff Memeber
WHAT PARTICIPANT SAYS
"I always been the type to fall away from things, but here there are people who catch you. Every time I've been here, my head isn't stuck on the same thoughts. Sport brings people together. It makes me feel less like we're somehow broken or different (...), and that makes it feel a bit more normal
- Anonymous participant, Dusinet
hummel has donated training wear and merchandise - including sets, jerseys, bags and socks - so Dusinet has the gear for weekly trainings.
BEING A DUSINET CROSSFIT TRAINER
"I work a lot with high-functioning people who want to perform and improve, but who are already relatively well-functioning. So getting to know the flip side - people who are struggling more with life and don't have as many resources - I think that's important, to stay curious and open, and see all sides of being human."
- Gry, CrossFit coach and Staff Member Dusinet
THE IMPACT
"After a few weeks, they start caring about how much protein they're getting, meaning that they start to be invested in our initiative and their self-esteem improves a little. That's when we can start having the harder conversations. And for me personally, it's pure therapy to be able to give back."
- Emil Astrup Eriksen,
Former participant and Staff Member Dusinet
THE DRIVING FORCE
Put it all together - the routine, the training, the driving forces - and what Dusinet actually delivers is the experience that someone is waiting for you, that you have a place in a community, and that you're capable of taking responsibility for your own life. A space where participants meet each other as equals and take small steps forward, together.
Through individual guidance and a close relationship with the professionals around them, the young participants get help to take responsibility for their own lives - but Dusinet also knows that change rarely comes from conversation alone. Movement, community and basic skills-building are the backbone of the Dusinet programme today.
FACTS ABOUT DUSINET
- Founded 2013 - a social initiative under Aarhus Municipality
- Target group: young people aged 18–30
- Weekly crossfit training at Aarhus CrossFit
- Offers individual guidance, case management, and physical training as a tool for change
- Staff includes former participants, such as Emil, now working inside the initiative
- Supported by hummel through Company Karma with training wear and merchandise