2024: Evaluation of the "We are all Vienna" project

From January through December 2023, the Extremism Information Centre carried out the “We are all Vienna” project, which focuses on the primary prevention of extremism. The project aimed to bolster the resilience of young people living in Vienna against extremist narratives by showcasing the life stories of authentic role models. During interactive school events, selected speakers shared their (success) stories. The project's sustainability was ensured through an accompanying online platform. The various formats and content are made available on the project’s social media channels in the form of web videos beyond the workshops.

The IKF conducted an evaluation of this project, comprised of two components: (1) an evaluation of the workshops held at the schools through participant observation and quantitative surveys, and (2) an evaluation of the videos created in collaboration with the students and testimonials via social media analysis. The evaluation shows that the school workshops achieved their key objectives. Across the three examined workshop formats (Cop&Che, Schwesta Ebra, and Noomi), the workshops largely succeeded in creating spaces where students from various school types could engage in open and interested exchanges that allowed room for differing opinions and reflection on their own prejudices. The evaluation of the questionnaires confirmed the testimonials' high level of authenticity, honesty, and relatability and showed that young people repeatedly highlighted these qualities positively across all formats. All testimonials, although to varying degrees, serve as role models for many students. The content analysis of the social media presence of the "We Are All Vienna" project yielded positive results as well. The follower analysis showed that just under half of the Instagram followers were between 25 and 34 years old, while roughly half of the TikTok followers were between 18 and 24 years old. On Instagram, multipliers were more easily reached, while on TikTok, the primary audience was teenagers and young adults. When broken down by gender, approximately three-quarters of the Instagram followers were women and three-quarters of the TikTok followers were men.

One of the project's key objectives was to transfer discussions about democratic values and coexistence from offline to online contexts on social media, which was successfully achieved. The noticeable presence of young people who created videos together with their respective testimonials impressively demonstrated this. A central aspect of the primary prevention concept was ensuring that young people interacted with individuals with whom they typically have little or no interaction. The goal was to provide a space where young people could have positive experiences with role models from different groups to help break down resentment and stereotypes. This objective was largely achieved because the testimonials shared the jointly created videos on their social media channels, fostering positive identification with the project, the testimonials, and the democratic values they represent.