Katrin Thum leads WELTKÄRNTNER: New impulses for Carinthians abroad!

Katrin Thum leads WELTKÄRNTNER: New impulses for Carinthians abroad!

The WELTKÄRNTNER association has a new managing director. Katrin Thum, a native of Spittal, takes over from Dr. Margit Heissenberger, who successfully managed the club for many years. The president of the association, Christoph Kulterer, emphasizes that Thum knows well the opportunities and challenges of living abroad. This is particularly important because WELTKÄRNTNER networks members in 69 countries.

Katrin Thum has extensive professional experience in ten countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, France, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, the United Arab Emirates and the USA. Most recently, she worked in The Hague as a learning instructor at Berlitz and at the American School. She has also represented the Alpen-Adria University of Klagenfurt at international education fairs.

Focus on networking and support

Thum lives with her family in Vienna and on Lake Millstätter See and plans to use her diverse experiences to bring the Carinthian foreign community closer together. The association currently connects around 800 Carinthians abroad and offers them a platform for exchange, cooperation and support. The non-profit, non-partisan association offers free registration for Carinthians who have worked or have worked abroad for at least two years.

Katrin Thum's new goals include building her own network in Vienna and attracting additional sponsors. Existing offers such as virtual thematic conferences and the Christmas meeting on December 27th in Velden will be continued under her leadership in order to promote exchange among members.

Worldwide networking through AÖWB

In this context, the World Association of Austrians Abroad (AÖWB) is an important institution. Together with the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, this umbrella organization maintains a list of associations abroad with a connection to Austria. The AÖWB is a platform for Austrians abroad and offers an alphabetically ordered database of clubs in different countries.

President of the AÖWB is Werner Götz, while Dr. Irmgard Helperstorfer works as Secretary General. The AÖWB enables members to actively participate in international exchange programs and receive information about Austria. The publication of the magazine ROTWEISROT, which appears four times a year, also offers additional information for Austrians abroad.

The combination of Katrin Thum's efforts in WELTKÄRNTNER and the AÖWB helps to strengthen the community of Carinthians abroad and promote cultural connections.