How Two Women Are Giving Austria's Youth a Voice in Politics
Young people in Austria are losing faith in politics. A recent Democracy Monitor report found only 41 percent of 16- to 26-year-olds trust parliament. To tackle this, Rebekka Dober and Linda Simon founded YEP (Youth Empowerment Participation) in 2018—a social enterprise working to make democratic participation easier for the younger generation. Dober and Simon first met at an assessment centre looking for social enterprise founders. Years later, they launched YEP to give young voices a real say in decision-making. The organisation now recruits participants through schools, youth groups, and individual advocates, with over 45,000 young people taking part in their studies so far.
One of YEP's biggest projects involved Austria's Ministry of Education. They worked with teenagers to refine key questions for the country's curriculum reform. Over 22,000 young people joined the 'Democracy Makes School' initiative, and their feedback directly shaped the first draft of the new legal text. Their demands included a stronger focus on life skills, such as financial literacy and mental health. To ensure lasting impact, YEP signed an agreement with the ministry. This guarantees that young people's input will measurably influence the final curriculum. Looking ahead, the team is also developing a 'democracy training' programme, modelled after a self-defence course, set to launch in 2027.
YEP's work has already led to concrete changes in education policy. The curriculum reform now includes priorities set by young people themselves. With ongoing projects and new training programmes in development, the organisation continues to push for greater youth involvement in shaping Austria's future.
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