Information providers / counselling structures

The Federal Ministry of Education is responsible for citizenship education in school. The Department for Families and Youth at the Federal Chancellery holds responsibility to raise young people’s political awareness due to its competence for youth, as do the Federal provinces.

Young people can inform themselves on a broad variety of information websites, such as the Youth Portal (Jugendportal) and the Federal Parliament’s Online Democracy workspace (DemokratieWEBstatt).

A network of nine regional Youth Information Centres spans across Austria and is brought together under the umbrella organization ‘National Network of Youth Information Centres in Austria’ (Austrian Youth Information Centres). The Centres provide information and counselling both in person and on their websites. Overall, 28 offices in all federal provinces offer nationwide services for young people between the age of 12 and 26. They annually answer approximately 160,000 enquiries on all youth-relevant topics, including work and training, living and mobility and compulsory military/community service. Additionally, every year, approximately one million visitors use the online services of the youth information centres. Youth information promotes the social and political participation of young people and the knowledge of their own rights and obligations, which is one of the basic requirements for active participation in society. The majority of Youth Information Centres are organised as associations and are largely financed by the respective provincial government. The Federal Network is a member of the International Federation of Youth Information Centres (ERYICA) and is the national coordinating body for the EU programme EURODESK.

Youth-targeted information campaigns about democratic rights and democratic values

Citizenship Days

The Austrian Citizenship Days (Aktionstage Politische Bildung) provide a forum for all topics related to Citizenship Education, provide an opportunity to discuss, and offer manifold approaches, including outreach programs, discussions, and methods. They take place annually between 23 April (World Book Day) and 9 May (EUrope Day). New materials are presented throughout the event, e.g. on women’s rights, public health, young people’s participation, language rights, and freedom rights. Further materials include studies, videos, podcasts, workshops, and games. The Citizenship Days are an annual nationwide campaign, initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and coordinated by polis.

Online election information point for young people (Province of Styria)

The online platform altgenug.st (‘old enough’) provides information on participation and elections. This platform is particularly addressing first-time voters. It is an initiative of the province Styria but available to young people all over Austria.

PoliPedia: multimedial information platform

PoliPedia serves as a multimedia information platform focused on democracy, politics and participation. Tailored for young people and educators, it explores diverse topics through interactive content and promotes hands-on participation projects. Key areas include: 

• Human rights (Menschenrechte)
• Poverty (Armut)
• Democracy and internet (Demokratie und Internet)
• School democracy (Schuldemokratie)
• Democracy and laws in the working environment (Demokratie und Rechte in der Arbeitswelt)
• The Austrian constitution (Die österreichische Verfassung)

Austrian Youth Portal (Österreichisches Jugendportal)

The Austrian Youth Portal (Österreichisches Jugendportal) acts as a central hub and signpost for young people, directing them to various institutions, websites and services in Austria and Europe. It is the national equivalent of the European Commission's European Youth Portal. It is commissioned and funded by the Department for Families and Youth at the Federal Chancellery and maintained by the National Network of Austrian Youth Information Centres (Bundesnetzwerk Österreichische Jugendinfos). The portal keeps young people informed on key issues such as current regulations while promoting youth campaigns, participation projects, and active involvement (Mitbestimmen). 

Promoting the intercultural dialogue among young people

Talk Together (ZusammenReden)

The initiative 'Talk Together' (ZusammenReden), launched in 2009 by Caritas with public authority support, promotes intercultural dialogue in Austria. It provides teaching materials, brochures, school workshops, municipal discussion evenings, and intercultural training to encourage mutual understanding. 

Promoting transparent and youth-tailored public communication

There are no guidelines on transparent public communication targeting young people, and no national or large-scale programmes or initiatives on providing training for policy-makers at various levels of suitable and youth-tailored communication.