Free learning aid in Leopoldstadt: Caritas opens new learning café

Free learning aid in Leopoldstadt: Caritas opens new learning café

In the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna, a new Caritas learning café was opened, which is aimed especially at children from families affected by poverty. The aim of this café is to offer free learning aid, especially children and young people. This initiative is particularly important in times when increasing living costs have many families difficulties to finance additional offers such as tutoring.

The Caritas director Klaus Schwertner emphasized the urgency of this measure during the opening ceremony: "The waiting lists for learning cafes are far too long. The need for free learning promotion has increased enormously due to the inflation of rents, energy costs and food." With the new learning café at Austria Campus, an attempt is made to counteract this need and to promote educational justice.

Education as a key to combating poverty

Education plays a crucial role in poverty. In Austria, the connection between social disadvantage and educational opportunities is extremely tight. Children from financially weak families often have worse opportunities in the education system, which can have a negative impact on their future. The provision of support in the form of learning aid can make decisive changes here, since many parents can no longer afford tuition for financial reasons.

The new facility is currently being looked after 16 children, with the possibility of increasing this number to 25 if the demand continues to increase. The parents have the opportunity to clarify their child's needs in a personal conversation and determine suitable support. Caritas already operates more than 70 such learning cafes in Austria, in which around 1,850 children between the ages of six and 15 are funded free of charge.

success rate and cooperation

Another positive aspect is the high success rate of the learning cafés. According to the head of the learning café, Martina Polleres-Hyll, 96 percent of the children who attended a Caritas learning café last year successfully completed the school year. In addition to learning aid, the focus is also on improving German skills and promoting social skills, which supports the children in their development.

The learning café at Austria Campus is the result of a cooperation with Unicredit Bank Austria, which provides the rooms and the necessary infrastructure. Furthermore, the bank employees voluntarily get involved in helping the children with homework and learning. Robert Zadrazil, Country Manager at Unicredit Bank Austria, emphasizes: "Our goal is to help young people to successfully graduate, a solid career preparation or a successful start." This partnership between Caritas and employers shows the joint commitment to promote educational and opportunities for education and thus make a valuable contribution to improving living conditions in Leopoldstadt.