Teach for Austria
Teach For Austria works towards a vision where all children in Austria have access to quality education, regardless of the education and/or income of their parents. They facilitate educational opportunities for disadvantaged students by building a movement of top graduates, who become inspiring teachers and leading actors for social change. In turn, these Fellows have direct impact on their students, low-income schools and kindergartens to increase educational opportunities for socio-economically disadvantaged children.
In Austria, a child’s chances in life are too often determined by their parents’ socioeconomic status and educational background, with students from low-income households, families with limited formal education, or a non-German first language facing structural disadvantages throughout their educational journeys.
Sourced by Austrian National Education Report, 2024
Through inclusive and engaging learning environments, Teach for Austria Fellows inspire children and students, strengthen confidence and critical skills, and act as catalysts for long-term social change.
Over the years, the Swarovski Foundation’s collaboration has evolved into a multi-layered partnership that extends beyond the classroom. In 2019, the Swarovski Foundation supported the ‘Shine Brighter Challenge’, a design competition that fostered children’s creativity by inviting them to develop environmental projects around the topic ‘Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ using upcycled Swarovski crystals. Since 2020, Fellows have also integrated the Swarovski Foundation Waterschool programme in their teaching, promoting water education and empowering children with the knowledge and skills needed to improve their local environments. In 2022, the partnership expanded further with the distribution of 1,000 reusable water bottles in schools, reinforcing sustainable habits and encouraging e children to choose water while learning about environmental responsibility.
Images courtesy of Teach for Austria
At the Swarovski Foundation, we take pride in supporting long-lasting partnerships like Teach for Austria.
With the Swarovski Foundation's support, Teach For Austria has recruited and trained forty university graduates, reaching over
4000
children and young people between 2014 and 2024.
This includes
75
percent of the school principals report that our Fellows are bringing new, innovative impulses to school.
It also includes
85
percent of students from Teach For Austria Fellow classrooms transitioned into further education, apprenticeships, or vocational training since 2020.
Teach For Austria is committed to providing quality education to all children in Austria, bridging the achievement gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more privileged peers.
The Fellows Teach For Austria Fellows empower children and young people with the skills needed for future employment, with additional initiatives such as the Waterschool enhancing students' learnings through a focus on sustainability, leadership, and problem-solving.
Finally, Teach For Austria works in collaboration with various stakeholders, including schools, teachers, parents, local communities, funders and international agencies, and aims to build partnerships and networks that can help create sustainable change in the education system.
