Vienna's young people show what really matters to them
Free of charge – for 14 to 20-year-olds, on 6–7 November 2026 at HTL Wien West & on 18 November 2026 at the EducationLab – application deadline: 15 October 2026
80% of Austrian young people often or sometimes feel helpless in their everyday lives and have the feeling that they cannot change anything (source: YEP Jugendbericht Mental Health). This leads to hopelessness, powerlessness, and fear of the future. Yet the voice of young people is more important than ever. “Jetzt reden wir” (“Now We Talk”) gives young people a stage where they can talk about their ideas, their topics, and their view of the world.
The central question is: what really occupies young people – and how can they make that visible in their own way?
In school workshops, young people develop topics that move them. Whether the environment, education, racism, barriers to participation, or something else entirely: everything that matters to them is welcome. They develop the topics and express in their own way how they would like to present them.
Those who are motivated afterwards get the chance, in the 2-day workshop (on 6 & 7 November 2026), to finalise their work and help plan the JugendTalk. The young people decide for themselves in which format they want to realise their topics. Whether as a discussion, video, podcast, art or something entirely different – everyone can decide for themselves how they want to express themselves! We at Stabil im Kopf support the young people with individual support, communication and presentation training and help them develop their ideas further.
The highlight of the project is the JugendTalk 2026 at the Education Lab on 18 November 2026: a public event created by the young people themselves. There they stand on stage, present their topics in front of an audience, and make visible what occupies them. This creates a space in which young people are not only heard, but can also shape things and have their say.
“Jetzt reden wir” was created as part of the “Democracy & Participation” funding scheme of the City of Vienna, Department of Energy Planning. Behind it is the idea of making participation simpler and more accessible – without high barriers to entry, without prior knowledge, and with real support. Exactly that is important, because many young people often miss out in participation processes. Young people from disadvantaged districts, with language barriers, without Austrian citizenship, or with other hurdles in everyday life in particular are often underrepresented in such offerings. The project is aimed particularly, but not exclusively, at these young people.
With “Jetzt reden wir”, we deliberately create an open and youth-led space. In this way, different life realities are included and young people are encouraged to contribute their voice, enter into conversation with each other, and experience democratic participation in a very practical way.
Do you know young people for whom this project could be exciting?
Then feel free to share the call: participation brings not only a space for their opinions, but also valuable communication and presentation training, a certificate for their CV, as well as snacks and lunch on all four workshop days.
We look forward to numerous applications and to being inspired by Vienna's young people and their topics. You can apply here! “Jetzt reden wir” is run by Stabil im Kopf, in cooperation with Innovationsmacherin, EducationLab, and HTL Wien West.