School launch campaign
The school start campaign is a measure established by Volkshilfe Vorarlberg in 2008 to support families at risk of poverty, who receive support every September to make it easier for parents to start schooling for children of school age. This school launch campaign has been carried out by the Austrian Volkshilfe in all federal states since 2011 .
Goal and cause
One of the goals is to even out social inequality . In Austria around 300,000 children are at risk of poverty and another 80,000 are at risk of exclusion. For families in Austria, starting school means that not only the materials (exercise books, writing utensils, drawing materials, etc.) but also trips and excursions have to be financed from the family income in a short period of time (September to October). According to an investigation by the Chamber of Labor , an average of around 855 euros per school child is incurred during this time. In 2019, Volkshilfe Österreich issued vouchers worth 60,000 euros in the form of LIBRO vouchers to families with school-age children whose income was below the risk of poverty threshold.
financing
In 2004 Margit Fischer was won over as a patron for Aktion Armut tut weh , a campaign by Volkshilfe against poverty in Austria. Margit Fischer has been committed to Volkshilfe ever since.
In 2006, Volkshilfe Austria founded the Margit Fischer Fund (now: Armuts Kampangne ) and started fundraising. Volkshilfe received the seal of approval for collections for this charitable purpose. The collections of the nationwide collection campaigns are divided among the federal states and had to be used for charitable purposes with evidence of the recipient's income. One of the uses is the school start campaign.
Volkshilfe Vorarlberg
Volkshilfe in Vorarlberg under President Annegret Senn was in charge of the development ( invention ) of the school launch campaign from 2008 . It was started, parents of school-age children for the costly month September ( enrollment of children starting school ) to assist with € 50 per child (maximum 200 €), if this was necessary due to the household income. Volkshilfe Vorarlberg supports around 600 school-age children every year as part of the school start campaign. The administration costs for the school launch campaign are entirely borne by the national organization.
Volkshilfe Austria
Volkshilfe Österreich took up the Vorarlberg school start campaign and from 2011 Volkshilfe Austria introduced the school start campaign in all federal states in Austria.
With the support of the LIBRO company , Volkshilfe bought vouchers , which were then distributed to families in need by the regional organizations in the individual federal states. From 2011, Volkshilfe Österreich was the organization that carried out the school launch campaign nationwide. In Vorarlberg - in contrast to the other federal states - vouchers and cash were and will be issued.
School starter package
Since 2015 there has been a so-called school start package across Austria . This is based, among other things, on the basic idea of a school launch campaign from Vorarlberger Volkshilfe. The school start package is financed from public funds by the Ministry of Social Affairs (BMASGK) and issued by the Red Cross (ÖRK). The content of the school starter package can only be varied to a very limited extent. There are only benefits in kind, no cash benefits. The school starter package is only given to families who receive social assistance / minimum income, which is why the Volkshilfe had to continue the school starter campaign, as there are many families, single parents and pensioners who have school children and have to live with an income below the risk of poverty threshold, but no social assistance / Receive or receive minimum income. Care is taken to ensure that there is no double funding. Around 80% (around 45,000) of around 55,000 beneficiaries each year take advantage of the school starter package.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Volkshilfe supports school launch campaign , Vorarlberger Nachrichten of August 30, 2016.
- ↑ Marcel Fink: Ex ante evaluation of the Austrian OPERATIONAL PROGRAM 2014 2020 for the implementation of the European Aid Fund , August 25, 2014, Institute for Higher Studies , p. 17.
- ↑ The start of school is expensive , Vorarlberger Nachrichten from 8./9. September 2018.
- ↑ Schulstartaktion 2019 , website of Volkshilfe Österreich, as of July 30, 2019, last accessed on December 28, 2019.
- ↑ a b Back to school for all children , Bregenzer Blättle from September 6, 2019.
- ^ Volkshilfe Österreich: Special Edition - 60 Years of Volkshilfe - 1947–2007. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 8, 2015 ; accessed on September 24, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Annegret Senn awarded the great merit of the state of Vorarlberg , Volkshilfe Magazin from January 2016 (01/2016).
- ↑ Wellbeing of the children in the foreground , Vorarlberger Nachrichten of October 30, 2015.
- ↑ Volkshilfe is distributing Ergobag school backpacks again , Vorarlberger Nachrichten of May 8, 2015.
- ↑ Information sheet School Start Package 2019 .
- ↑ Approx. 45,000 according to FEAD ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION REPORT - OP I (2018).
