Børns Voksenvenner is appealing for volunteers in North Jutland, where 117 children are waiting to be matched with an adult friend. The region has the highest number of waiting children in Denmark.
DR reported on August 23, 2026 that 117 children in North Jutland are on the waiting list for a so-called voksenven, an adult friend. The association Børns Voksenvenner is now searching for volunteers so more of those children can be matched.
According to DR, the volunteer role involves ordinary time together, such as a trip to the playground, baking a cake, or watching a film at home. North Jutland is the part of the country where the most children are waiting for an extra adult in their lives.
One of the children on the list is the son of Christina Touborg Martensen. She is a single mother, and her relatives live spread across the world, so there is no alternative adult nearby, DR reports.
As reported by DR, she wants her son to have another adult he can confide in and share things with, and who can offer him other perspectives on the world. She hopes a future match will last long enough that the person attends his confirmation and becomes part of the family.
Anne Lippert, communications consultant at Børns Voksenvenner, told DR that the association has already received more volunteer applications in 2026 than it did in 2025. She described that as positive, but said the need for adult friends remains very large and that more volunteers are still required.
Tina Mogensen, friendship coordinator at Børns Voksenvenner Nordjylland, said in DR’s coverage that some friendships last three to five years. Others, she noted, become lifelong relationships, and the volunteers often find the connection rewarding as well.
National and local figures
The association’s national website, Børns Voksenvenner, states that almost 400 Danish children are waiting to be matched with an adult friend nationwide. The organization runs several programs, including voksenven, familieven and storebror or storesøster.
Local outlet MigogAalborg reported in August 2026 that nearly 80 children in Aalborg and surrounding areas are on the waiting list. Mogensen described very high demand for adult friends in that area.
MigogAalborg also outlined the recruitment process. Prospective volunteers submit an application, take part in a telephone interview, receive a home visit from a matchmaker, and complete a short preparatory course and background checks before being matched with a child.
Volunteer information published by De Frivilliges Hus in 2024 states that adult friends must be at least 20 years old. Applicants must also present a clean criminal record and a clean child protection record.
