A four-year teacher training programme that uses the world as a classroom — from a bus trip through West Africa to communal life in Graz to a hundred-person community in Denmark. The Core Principles DNS (Necessary Teacher Training College) combines experience-based learning, communal living, and student-driven education. The programme grants an academically accredited diploma from a university in Mozambique — a deliberate choice that reflects its decolonial approach to knowledge and education. Year One: A 12-Metre Bus to Guinea-Bissau The first year begins with an extraordinary project: 13 students buy a public transit bus, convert it into a travelling home, and drive it through West Africa for four months. "You just start, without any specific knowledge," says Asia from Italy. "And then you learn how to cut wood, how to cut iron — things you'd never normally do." The route runs from Denmark through Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, and into Guinea-Bissau — with the intention of meeting people and understanding first-hand why the world looks the way it does. Year Two: European Reality in Graz In the second year, students experience Europe from a new angle — twelve people in a shared apartment, a shared economy, and jobs at McDonald's or Foodora. The programme is entirely student-funded: everyone earns, everything is pooled, and all decisions are made together. "I only worked at McDonald's for one month, but I saw things I didn't expect to go through. It shows me on a very different level how inhumane the capitalist system lets us treat each other." — Sarah Communal Life and Mutual Support Students share not just housing and income, but their daily lives. "I had a terrible day at work at McDonald's and I messaged the group — guys, can you please stay up until midnight because I'm coming home and I need support," Sarah recalls. "And people got up to support me afterwards." Eric from Catalonia also notices who actually works these jobs — people for whom McDonald's in Graz is a dream, a destination he first encountered in Africa. "That's a reality you can only fully grasp when you've actually been there." The Tvind Controversy DNS grew out of the Danish teacher movement Tvind, founded in 1972. In the 1980s, the community lost its government funding, followed by years of lawsuits and media reports of embezzlement and cult accusations. Sarah investigated before applying — going "undercover" for a volunteer week: "I arrived and found a very wholesome, green community with happy young people. And I started asking different students — have you heard about this? Can you leave? Do they have your money? And everyone was a bit disappointed." Damir explains the political context: the community's shared economy created a legal grey zone that was used as a pressure point — not because any lawsuit succeeded, but because constant litigation wore the founders down until they left the country. The DNS Campus in Denmark The programme's home is a self-governed community of around 100 people in the countryside, fifteen minutes by bicycle from the nearest town. Decisions are made by consensus democracy — 100% agreement, not a simple majority. Students take on responsibility for the garden, the windmill, bookkeeping, or event organisation, driven by their own interests. Teaching as Political Action "I think many of us believe that being a teacher is not an apolitical position," says Sarah. "If you're a teacher, you will be shaping the next generation." This runs through the whole programme: the McDonald's shifts, the communal life, the West Africa journey — all designed to prepare future teachers to navigate systems they can't change, and make a difference anyway. As Sarah puts it: "I am at McDonald's and McDonald's really want me to behave like all the other minimum wage workers who will just follow what is told and put up with bad treatment. And I am here trying out — how can I stand up against this system that is obviously not made for me? And I think that is a struggle many teachers also face." Five-Year Visions Asked what they hope for in five years, the students answer in similar terms: to be surrounded by people they love and who empower them; to do work that doesn't feel like work; to be proud of their students. "Everything is going great because I finally became the person I was wishing to become some years ago." — Asia DNS Teacher Training College: www.dns-tvind.dk Participants: Eric (Catalonia), Sarah (Netherlands), Asia (Italy), Damir (trainer) Programme duration: 4 years Academic diploma: University of Beira, Mozambique