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Dagmar Holzer does not see herself primarily as a problem solver. Their main task is to accompany young people on their way to independence. She is one of around 50 street workers who work in a total of 19 locations in the country. They are not always – as the job title suggests – on the road. As reported, since this year there have been four so-called online street workers who network and exchange information with young people on the Internet. The state and the municipalities share the costs of more than 3.1 million euros per year.
- More on the topic: New in Upper Austria: Online street work as a “safe haven for young people”
State Councilor Michael Lindner (SP), responsible for youth protection, looked back on a “30-year success story” in a press conference on Wednesday. The offer is being used more and more: more than 3,600 young people were advised in 2022, and 2,848 in 2018. The success Lindner attributes this to the “preventive power”: “Street workers meet young people where they are in life and support them without demanding changes in behavior.”
“Many feel left alone”
Theresia Schlöglmann, head of child and youth welfare for the state of Upper Austria, is also convinced of the positive influence of mobile youth work. “The research results also confirm this,” she said. Last year, 150 teenagers and young adults in Upper Austria were asked why they used the offer. Two main motives emerged from the study: Firstly, because respondents get help with problems. And secondly, because they enjoy spending time with the street workers. “Many feel left alone and simply need someone to listen,” says Schlöglmann.
Cook, play, celebrate
Dagmar Holzer also experiences this in her daily work in the south of Linz. “We have been accompanying some of them for ten years,” says the street worker. For these people in particular, Holzer and her colleagues are often much more than social workers and helpers. They are close friends with whom they enjoy spending their free time. We cook, play and celebrate together. Sometimes – “when the situation is right” – she actively approaches the young people. In most cases, however, she is the one who is approached and asked for advice, says Holzer. She repeatedly states: “18-year-olds often don’t know what they are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do.”
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The survey also revealed differences between the genders. While girls are more often supported with regard to their living situation and relationships, boys are often grateful for the street workers’ accompaniment when they go to the authorities, for example to the police or the job market.
Snacks and showers
The fact that the street work places are so well attended is also due to the service they offer. 94.6 percent of the young people surveyed said they had already used the snacks and drinks on offer. But this is not insignificant in order to gain access to the 12 to 25 year old target group, says the head of child and youth welfare. There are also shower facilities, but too few, as the study shows. In addition, some of the young people would like to see improved opening times for the street work offices. “In the future it will be about further developing street work,” announced State Councilor Lindner.
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Source: Nachrichten
