REBELS OF CHANGE: Now more courage for change is needed!

Vienna, 15 September 2022: The year 2022 is marked by the climate crisis: landslides and massive floods in South America, monsoon floods in Pakistan and more than 600,000 hectares burnt in Europe. In Austria, too, the drought was not without consequences: The groundwater level of Lake Neusiedl was close to its historic low in July. The lake has not had this little water in the last 60 years. Besides natural disasters, the Corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine make young people in particular look to the future with concern. "The crisis-like developments of the last few years have left their mark on many young people," says Günther Ogris, Managing Director of the SORA Institute, which together with Ö3 had around 25,000 respondents between the ages of 16 and 25 draw a picture of their generation in the study "Generation...Krise!?" in March and April of this year. "Despite all the frustration, the idea of solidarity is astonishing: over 90 percent of those surveyed are convinced that we depend on each other and can only move things forward together."

This is exactly where REBELS OF CHANGE comes in, an initiative of eight children's, youth and development policy organisations, which above all shows youth and young adults possibilities to become active together for a better world.

Shaping the future now

The United Nations' 2030 Agenda includes 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - such as eradicating poverty, advancing gender equality, improving health care, making consumption and production sustainable and countering the climate crisis. "With the 2030 Agenda, there is a contract for the future and thus a commitment by the global community. We see it as our task to give young people this compass out of the crisis and thus show them concrete possibilities for action," says Konrad Rehling, Executive Director of the human rights organisation Südwind and project coordinator of REBELS OF CHANGE. The offers range from a variety of creative participatory actions to workshops and formats for youth participation to social media actions.

The initiative is funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation. "With "REBELS OF CHANGE", we want to strengthen the debate on the SDGs in Austria and invite young people to participate. Because everyone can make the world a bit fairer," says Dr Friedrich Stift, Managing Director of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) at today's press briefing. "And there's a bit of rebel in all of us - let's be inspired by young people and help them not to feel powerless."

#TeamUpForChange: a strong digital approach

The campaign under the hashtag #TeamUpForChange has a strong digital focus. It was conceived in collaboration with young people and puts youth engagement for a better world at the forefront. "I expect the REBELS OF CHANGE to be detached from the outdated image that only decision-makers can implement the SDGs. Because young people can also shape things. This is shown not least by the climate movement. There is also a lot to do in economic and social policy. For a future worth living, young people in particular must demand exactly that," says 17-year-old student Paulina Exner, representing the committed young people behind the initiative.

The Austrian singer SISKA supports the new initiative together with Starmania finalist Fred Owusu. "Out of the 17 goals, gender equality is especially important to me. Because until today, many women all over the world are deprived of their freedom of choice. Be it through forced marriage or, as we are currently witnessing in America, the ban on abortion. It seems as if we are moving backwards and we have to stop this as soon as possible," says SISKA.

A first opportunity to get to know the REBELS OF CHANGE is the SDG Family Day on Sunday, 25 September from 10 am in Vienna's Donaupark. The day offers numerous opportunities to get into conversation and find out about participatory activities.

The new website offers an overview of events, background information and opportunities to participate: www.rebels-of-change.org.  

About the REBELS OF CHANGE initiative

The initiative "REBELS OF CHANGE" puts the global sustainability goals of the United Nations - the 2030 Agenda with the SDGs - more in the spotlight and makes them tangible in diverse events and digitally. The initiative is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and coordinated by Südwind - Association for Development Policy and Global Justice. Other partners are the Epiphany Action of the Catholic Children's Movement, sustainLabel, Naturefriends International, ÖKOBÜRO - Alliance of the Environmental Movement, SDG Forum Vorarlberg, Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC) and Welthaus Austria.

Enquiry reference:

Südwind Verein für Entwicklungspolitik und globale Gerechtigkeit
Silvia Haselhuhn, M.A.
Pressesprecherin
Mobil: +43 (0) 680 15 830 16
silvia.haselhuhn [AT] suedwind [DOT] at
www.suedwind.at  

Austrian Development Agency (ADA), die Agentur der Österreichischen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit
Mag. (FH) Dagmar Achter
Tel.: +43 (0) 1 90399-2413
Mobil: +43 (0) 676 839 03 413
dagmar.achter [AT] ada.gv [DOT] at
www.entwicklung.at