Get it? Youth-Led Interventions in Dominant Crisis Narratives in Austria. Strengthening Democracy as a Contribution to the Prevention of Extremism

This project addresses several issues currently faced by young people in Austria. First, trust in various institutions of representative democracy is declining among young Austrians. This applies not only to the democratic political system as a whole, but also to the education system and the media. Second, there has been an increase in support for ideologies of inequality, such as misogyny, antifeminism, racism, and antisemitism, among young people. This situation creates a dangerous breeding ground for extremist narratives, ideologies, and interpretations. This project addresses this complex situation and the challenges it presents.

Strengthening democracy is considered a fundamental form of extremism prevention. This project is based on a "broad" understanding of extremism. In other words, it does not pursue a single prevention strategy limited to one area of extremist activity. There are several reasons for this approach. First, many ideologies of inequality cut across various phenomena and can be found in all forms of extremism. For example, misogyny, antifeminism, and rigid gender hierarchies can be found in all forms of extremism. These ideologies address unmet needs and longings in similar ways, making them appealing to young people, more or less independently of specific forms of extremism. Second, radicalization pathways and processes have changed in recent years, not least due to social media. Analyses of radicalization pathways increasingly reveal hybrid forms of various extremist movements that overlap in the ideologization of individuals. Therefore, it makes limited sense to focus extremism prevention on just one area of the phenomenon.

Against this backdrop, the project comprises two equally weighted project levels:

• Workshops with students in Austria, in which young people critically engage with current crisis narratives in a participatory manner, grounded in their everyday lives, and intervene in these narratives through artistic actions in public spaces, creation of social media content, and podcasts. These workshops strengthen young people’s democratic skills and foster resilience against extremist narratives and ideologies.

• Based on the workshops conducted and the accompanying formative project reflections, teachers and youth workers are trained to implement the project themselves in line with a "train-the-trainer" approach. This ensures the initial dissemination of the project throughout Austria in various types of schools, as well as in other educational contexts, such as open youth work.