Detail News

On 12 November, the symposium ‘SELBSTbestimmt Handy & Co. – Conference on shared responsibility in education and society’ took place on the campus of the University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria. More than 270 professionals and students took part in the conference organised by the Centre for Violence Prevention in Baden. The experts came from fields beyond education, including social work, psychology, medicine and youth work. They used the opportunity to discuss current issues relating to the digital lives of young people. The symposium focused on the reflective use of digital media and the responsibility of education and society. Lisa Fellhofer, director of the Documentation Centre Political Islam (DPI), gave a presentation on ‘Religiously motivated political extremism: current trends in the digital and analogue space’. Other topics included media literacy, cyberbullying and online hate, supplemented by a workshop programme.

Symposium on extracurricular youth work

On 13 November 2025, the association ‘akzente Salzburg – Initiativen für junge Leute!’ (akzente Salzburg – Initiatives for Young People!) organised a symposium on extracurricular youth work in collaboration with the Provincial Youth Council and with the support of the Province of Salzburg. The event in the city of Salzburg was entitled ‘Radicalisation and Extremism Prevention’. It was aimed at employees of youth centres and youth organisations, as well as professionals in the field of extracurricular youth work in general. Senior Researcher Alexander Weissenburger gave a keynote speech on ‘Islamism and Radicalisation’ on behalf of the Documentation Centre. In this context, the phenomenon was discussed in its contemporary forms, with a focus on German-speaking countries. Ideologies and their appeal, models of radicalisation, legal frameworks and prevention measures were discussed. In the course of the conference, concrete courses of action were presented thanks to further expert input from academia and practice, as well as workshops.

Extremism as a threat to cohesion

On 20 November 2025, the Magdalena Discussion was held in Upper Austria under the title ‘Peace on the brink? How extremism attacks democracy and cohesion!’ At the Sankt Magdalena Education Centre in Linz, participants discussed how extremist tendencies, digital radicalisation and social division pose new challenges to democratic coexistence. In this context, DPI Director Lisa Fellhofer gave a presentation on religiously motivated political extremism and its significance for pluralism and peace in Austria. A representative of the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (LSE) also spoke about the current threat situation and social risk factors. The panel discussions ended with an interactive question and answer session with the audience.

Symposium „SELBSTbestimmt Handy & Co.“

Workshop „Radikalisierung und Extremismusprävention“

Magdalena Gespräch „Frieden auf der Kippe? Wie Extremismus Demokratie und Zusammenhalt angreift!“