“Historically young” has been the motto in the baroque city since last year. As the new youth officer, 17-year-old Noah Reidinger wants to make things happen for the young Schärdingers. At the top of his “to-do list” is the introduction of a youth parliament and the creation of new freedoms in Schärding.
According to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, being young means courage overcoming despondency and adventure over laziness. Not easy in times of a pandemic. “That’s right, you’re currently very restricted due to the pandemic. Not much is spontaneous anymore, because you always have to prepare for everything possible. That’s a shame, of course, because the best experiences always come from spontaneous decisions,” says Reidinger. A spirit of adventure plays an essential role in the life of a young person. “Because everyone wants to experience something and unfortunately that’s not 100% possible right now. But despite lockdowns and restrictions, there have been adventures for me over the past two years, I’ve met new friends and was able to gain great experiences,” said the 17-year-old.
Young people should be able to have a say
At the start of 2022, the determined head boy of the Schärdinger Gymnasium is optimistic. “I want to achieve a lot this year and have planned several projects and collected ideas to make Schärding more attractive for young people,” says Reidinger. For him personally, Schärding is a great city, “because there are perfect future prospects for young people here.” Specifically, the 17-year-old is campaigning for a parliament for young people, in which regular meetings will be held in the future and important concerns of Schärdinger young people will be debated. “Furthermore, it is important to me that several attractions for young people are realized in order to make Schärding more livable and ??cooler?? for my age group”, says the high school student.
Visions and concerns for the future
Despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, the 17-year-old is consistently optimistic about the future. “My generation is very well networked. For this reason, we can also deal with problems more easily. This is very important for the near future, because unfortunately we will definitely have to overcome some crises, such as the climate crisis,” says Reidinger.
On the other hand, he is very concerned “that not enough consideration is given to us young people politically at federal and state level. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly clear how little attention is paid to the voices of young people and how little we unfortunately hear from politicians in high offices and to be respected.” When asked what he would do if he were Chancellor of Austria, Reidinger replies: “Then I would clearly concentrate on youth work. My most important concern is to get young people away from their mobile phones and electronic devices in general and to give them activities to offer in order to be able to further educate yourself in a future-oriented way.”
The people from the Innviertel can well understand that life in the country has become more attractive again for young women and men as a result of the pandemic. “Of course I also want to live in a bigger city one day, because you definitely have more opportunities there. However, I won’t be able to live in a big city my whole life, because I’ll still miss the quiet Schärding with its relaxing atmosphere.”
Wordrap
- I always have fresh orange juice in the fridge for my breakfast to start the day well.
- For me, being brave means… facing your fears and always giving your best.
- On Instagram I follow… fitness pages every day, because sport plays a big role for me.
- My favorite TikTok video is about… gym training essentials and other “skills” you can use in life.
- I inform myself about world events… always in the morning before I go to school in various online media.
- In order to protect the climate, I refrain from… unnecessary car trips. Whenever I have appointments in Schärding, I walk or ride my bike.
- For me, equality means… to guarantee everyone the same opportunities in life, without there being any preferential treatment based on social status.
- For me, friendship means… blindly trusting the other person and being able to laugh about everything together.
- For me, someone who is successful is… someone who remains calm in every life situation and who tries to clarify emerging problems in a calm and objective manner.
- When I’m 30, I want to… start a family, have a job that I enjoy every day, and most of all, own a house on the beach.
Source: Nachrichten
