REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA
Parliament
© Parliamentary Administration/Mike Ranz
Media Workshop
“Manipulation through Information“
Newspaper, radio, film – the three most important media in our
day and age. But can we be sure that the news we get is always
correct? Can news be manipulated? What topics are presented
in the media? Who is responsible for the headlines? Who decides
what information is passed on to the public at large? Must films,
newspapers or the radio always tell us the truth? – This workshop
is all about dealing with media and understanding its role in a
­democratic country. Children and young people are confronted
with the world of information and allowed a look behind the
scenes of those who shape public opinion. They are introduced
to the media in a playful way and learn what changes i­ nformation
may undergo as it is processed by the various media.
Participation Workshop
“My opinion counts!“
How does one form an opinion of one‘s own? How does one
arrive at a joint decision? Where can you speak your mind and
actively participate in getting things done? – Participants are
playfully confronted with a variety of opinion-forming pro­
cesses and, in the course of a participation game, develop their
own ideas on where and how to express their own views in
everyday situations. They
learn about how public opi­
nion is formed, how they
can actively participate in
the process, how they can
influence it by voting and
how they can take position
in a given system and parti­
cipate in shaping it.
© Parliamentary Administration/Mike Ranz
© Parliamentary Administration/Mike Ranz
Workshops for school children/groups:
Mon to Fri 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For schools located more than 100 km from Vienna the workshop
may be postponed to 10.30 a.m.
Workshops for individual participants:
Saturdays from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Dates to be announced in advance.
Participation is free of charge!
Soft drinks and fruit are served free of charge.
Where is the Democracy Workshop?
Palais Epstein, Dr. Karl Renner-Ring 1, 1010 Vienna
U U2, U3 (stop Volkstheater, exit Dr. Karl Renner-Ring)
Bus 2B, 48A
Tram D, 1, 2, 46, 49, 71
Registration and information:
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +43 1 401 10–2930
Fax: +43 1 401 10–2690
For further information: www.demokratiewerkstatt.at 
­Demokratiewerkstatt  “Anmeldung & Termine“ (registration)
Please note: Participation in the events organised by the Democracy
Workshop is subject to the terms and conditions outlined at www.demo­
kratiewerkstatt.at. The persons accompanying the participants are under
obligation to supervise their charges during the workshops. The Republic
of Austria/Parliamentary Administration is the exclusive owner of all films,
sound and visual materials produced by participants in the course of the
workshop, and retains the right of free publication.
Imprint
Publisher and media owner: Parliamentary Administration
Front-page photos: © Parliamentary Administration/Mike Ranz
Collaboration: L4.3 – Democracy Workshop
Graphic design: Parliamentary Administration/Dieter Weisser
Printed by: Paul Gerin GmbH & Co KG
Vienna, 2015
THE
DEMOCRACY WORKSHOP
Each year National Council President Doris Bures welcomes some 10,000 children and young people
to the Democracy Workshop © Parlamentsdirektion/Bildagentur Zolles KG/Jacqueline Godany
Democracy Workshop: What is that?
The Democracy Workshop has been established by Parliament
in order to inform young people between the ages of eight
and 14 years in six different interactive workshops about the
­essential features of democracy and the parliamentary system.
The topics of the individual workshops have been prepared in
the form of research projects for work in small groups according
to the age of the participants. Each small group will deal with its
topics by producing a film, radio or newspaper feature, which
can subsequently be accessed at www.demokratiewerkstatt.at
The workshops aim at
© Parliamentary Administration/Mike Ranz
Workshop with Members of Parliament
Political Workshop
Enjoying rights! Who are laws made for? Can laws be changed?
And who are the people in Parliament who deal with them? –
Children and young people learn about the principles of legis­
lation, the separation of powers and the work of Members of
­Parliament. In the course of their research projects participants
are given the opportunity to interview real Members of the
­National and Federal Councils about their parliamentary work
and personal experience! This support will give them a tangible
insight into the legislative process and the day-to-day activities
of the Members of Parliament.
Where do laws originate? And how are they made? Who are the
people that make them? What steps, and how many of them,
have to be taken to make a law? – In the Political Workshop
children and young people actually pass through the various
rooms in the parliament building where laws are discussed and
finally adopted. On their way, they will encounter a number of
challenges they have to meet by joint action. Children grouped
in a number of “expeditionary teams“ will move from station to
station – from the Council of Ministers’ room to the parliamen­
tary group rooms and the
National and Federal Council
Halls – and explore the basic
concepts of legislation and
parliamentary work.
“Are laws there for everyone?“
stimulating interest in democratic decision-making
helping to understand the parliamentary process
teaching the basic principles of participation
promoting media literacy
teaching how to express one’s own opinion
Democracy Workshop Pro:
What is that and how can
you become one?
School classes and individual
­participants who have attended
four different workshops will be
honoured as Democracy Workshop
Professionals by the President of
the National Council.
© Heinz Wagner
Workshop “A Journey through Time“
“Discover the history of the Republic as reflected in
Parliament“
What is a Constitution? How does the separation of powers work?
How was the Republic of Austria founded? What was the Cold
War and did it affect Austria? – This workshop presents important
events that have shaped the development of the Republic of Aus­
tria from 1918 to the present
in a sweeping review of the
First and Second Republic.
The recent past becomes
even more alive when child­
ren and young people try to
place their own families’ data
in a historical context. A time
line will help them to do so.
© Parliamentary Administration/Mike Ranz
“Following the tracks of a law“
Workshop
“European Union“
“Getting to know the
European Union“
www.demokratiewebstatt.at
Why is there a European Union
at all? Where and in what ways does Austria have a say in the
EU? Do EU decisions affect our own lives and how can we
­influence them? These are some of the questions dealt with in
this workshop. Participants learn about the European Parlia­
ment and the Commission and about everyday subjects such
as the Euro, travelling within the EU and in other European
countries and why cooperation with other member countries
is important and useful.