Given the fact that ÖJAB has been represented on the board of the YES Forum since 2021 by Sebastian Frank, we were very pleased to receive the request to host the Annual Event of the YES Forum 2023 in Vienna, but also to act as co-organiser.
The event took place in Vienna from 14 - 16 June 2023. In total, 39 people from 20 organisations from 12 countries took part in this truly great networking event. ÖJAB had the opportunity to welcome the participants in our newly renovated venue in Niederösterreich 1.
On the first two days, we were able to focus on the contents of the Annual Event as well as on the General Assembly of the YES Forum. On the second day, we as ÖJAB had the opportunity to show the participants of the event the beautiful city of Vienna during a 2-hour city tour. Of course, we saw the highlights of Vienna such as St. Stephen's Cathedral - but who has ever looked at street art in Vienna and knew that there are hundreds of meters of street art to admire along the Danube Canal? The second day came to a wonderful end with traditional Viennese cuisine - Wiener Schnitzel was, of course, a must!
On the last day, the Annual Event was closed with study visits to the ÖJAB’s work in the city of Vienna: its Vocational Training Institute and the AusbildungsFit programme. Participants learnt about the work done in the metal, glass and electronic training programmes and their approach to ensure the best outcomes for students, such as offering parallel language courses. They also took a glimpse into the personalised approach of the AusbildungsFit programme to close the gap young people from disadvantaged backgrounds face when entering the labour market.
In summary, from ÖJAB's point of view, it was a truly great experience to co-host the Annual Event of the YES Forum. Not only did we have the opportunity to present ourselves as an organisation, but also we were able to expand our large European network and meet many new exciting people.
Thank you very much, dear YES Forum team, for the great cooperation!
As one of Austria's largest residence operators and as a youth organisation, ÖJAB supports 1,600 young people and adults (for the most part from socially underprivileged backgrounds) in acquiring education as well as training that qualifies them for the job market.
