We call them “passionate volunteers”, but I understand why they burn out

“We call them ‘passionate volunteers’, but I understand why they burn out,” Birgitte Borup writes in the Berlingske newsletter “For Tiden.” Her opening comes from a recent visit to the public meeting on Møn, where she took part in several debates.

Borup describes traveling around the country as a source of joy. Crossing Queen Alexandrine’s Bridge, she says she was once again filled with enthusiasm about living in Denmark, which she warmly calls “this little paradise.”

But the newsletter quickly turns to the tension between Denmark’s rural and urban areas. Borup argues that this conflict is too narrowly presented as a dispute over nitrogen and wolves. In her view, something broader is at stake, beyond those two subjects.

Her framing combines affection for the country with sympathy for the people who keep local civic life moving. They may be celebrated as passionate volunteers, she suggests, but the demands placed on them can also make burnout understandable.