The story of DUTA

The full name of our organisation is "Landsforeningen Dansk Ungdom Til Amerika" (the national organisation Danish Youth To America). DUTA has since 1967 sent young Danes to USA to work with American kids in summercamps. When the first DUTA applicants went to the USA, they went by boat from Le Havre in France – sailing to New York.

Later on, people went by plane from Paris. Nowadays people can fly out from almost anywhere in the world to the USA, so the distances and the travel are not the same anymore.

We are proud that we as the only camp counselor recruiter in the world are fully based on voluntary work, and that the organisation is run by former camp counselors. We do not receive any funds from the Danish government or any county. Also we do not promote political or religious promotion, even though our interest in giving young Scandinavians an experience for their lives sometimes seem to be very fanatical.

Nowadays DUTA has app. 60 members spread out all around Denmark. Half of these are more or less active in the organisation. DUTA consists of a board, that decides the overall strategy for the organisation after the decisions made on the annual general meeting. The daily management is taken care of by the organisations secretary, Michelle Bruun Ludvigsen.