History of European Educational Work
Commitment to a United Europe since the 1950s
Since the 1950s, ÖJAB has been dedicated to European educational work, fostering international exchange and innovative projects that strengthen European networking and address contemporary social challenges.
Since the mid-1950s, ÖJAB (Austrian Young Workers’ Movement) has actively promoted a united Europe. The establishment of the "Österreichische Europhausgesellschaft m.b.H." in 1956 marked an important initial step in this endeavor. In 1962, ÖJAB initiated a seminar and conference program focused on European topics at the Europahaus Wien (now ÖJAB-Europahaus Dr. Bruno Buchwieser). This initiative was supported by establishing additional Europahaus locations in Eisenstadt, Graz, Salzburg, and Klagenfurt, where ÖJAB also served as a sponsor.
The Launch of Today’s European Educational Work
In 1993, ÖJAB became a founding member of the European Federation of Youth Service Organizations (EFYSO), a European umbrella organization for politically and denominationally independent youth organizations. Based in Vienna, EFYSO focused on European educational work for young people, with ÖJAB hosting numerous international youth conferences and training seminars with over a hundred participants from across Europe.
In 2009, EFYSO voluntarily dissolved to enable freer project collaboration within Europe. ÖJAB continued its commitment, organizing the 2011 youth conference “Our Fortress Europe?” with support from the European Union. This conference brought together international participants to discuss current European issues.
ÖJAB’s European Educational Work Today
Today, ÖJAB's European educational projects focus on youth, (vocational) education, and care work. Supported by European funding, ÖJAB implements successful innovative projects that provide sustainable impulses in European educational work. These projects reflect ÖJAB's aim to promote (young) people in a European context and to actively address current social challenges.