On this page

1. Information providers

2. Key initiatives

Information providers

The National Network of Youth Information Centres in Austria (Bundesnetzwerk Österreichische Jugendinfos) runs the Website “Youth Work in Austria” (Jugendarbeit in Österreich) on behalf of the Federal Chancellery. Additionally, the youth portal (Jugendportal) provides information on anything regarding youth, including youth work.

Key initiatives

Austrian Youth Award (Östererichischer Jugendpreis)

Outstanding initiatives and projects of extracurricular youth work in Austria are honoured with the Austrian Youth Award.

In Austria, more than 160,000 qualified volunteers, together with thousands of full-time and part-time professionals, make great and valuable contributions to extracurricular child and youth work. An important goal of Austrian youth policy is to make this achievement visible and to strengthen the charitable involvement of young people. In cooperation with the Federal Youth Council, the Centre of Competence for Open Youth Work, the National Network of Youth Information Centres and the IZ - Association for the Promotion of Diversity, Dialogue and Education - Austrian National Agency Erasmus + Youth in Action & European Solidarity Corps the best projects of the extracurricular youth work will be honoured for the fourth time in 2019. To promote understanding of the lifestyles of young people, a prize will be awarded for the first time in 2019 for "Journalistic Accomplishments in the Interest of Youth".

There will be recognition awards in 5 categories

Category "National Youth Work":

Projects of open and associative youth work as well as youth information are awarded, which are dedicated to one or more fields of action of the Austrian Youth Strategy: employment and education, participation and commitment, quality of life and togetherness.

Category "Digital Youth Work":

In the field of "Digital Youth Work" projects by institutions of extracurricular child and youth work, which contribute to the promotion and strengthening of media and information literacy, are awarded. For the purpose of the field of action "Media and Information", projects can be submitted that either use digital media and technology as a tool (for example online communication, online consulting) or perform an activity with it (for example a "digital scavenger hunt") or discuss digital media and technologies in youth work (including "Fake News").

Category "Journalistic Accomplishments in the Interest of Youth":

For the first time, authors will be honoured whose editorial contributions will address the lifeworld of young people and will present an understanding of the issues and concerns of young people in a respectful manner to the general public. In addition to the journalistic "quality of craftsmanship", an important criterion is above all the independent (youth) view. All young people and professional journalists aged 14 to 30 are admitted to the submission.

Category "Eure Projekte":

Projects of young people, which were realised within the framework of the initiative "Eure Projekte" (Your Projects) of the Federal Chancellery, are honoured. The initiative supports young people in implementing their own ideas and empowers them to become active themselves.

Category "European Initiatives":

The award recognizes cross-border youth work initiatives funded under the EU's Erasmus +: Youth in Action program and the European Solidarity Corps, which have stimulated coexistence in a united Europe and for the mobility of young people.

Award health-competent open youth work

bOJA awards youth centres and mobile youth work organisations for health-competent open youth work. In addition to the Fund of a Healthy Austria (Fonds Gesundes Österreich), the awards will be funded in the 2018-2020 period by the Federal Chancellery and the Federation of Austrian Social Security Institutions (Hauptverband der österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger).