The climate protection organisation Protect Our Winter (POW for short) has already been offering climate workshops for school classes for two years with its “Hot Planet, Cool Athletes” programme. With “Mountainsports for Everyone”, POW is going one step further in the school year 23/24. The programme offers pupils the opportunity to try out various outdoor sports free of charge while at the same time learning about the effects of climate change in Austria.
“We want to give young people access to mountain sports, regardless of their social and cultural background,” explains Christina Stahl, who coordinates the project on behalf of POW. POW is currently working with one secondary school class in Vienna and one in Salzburg. The majority of the 45 pupils have a migration background and/or come from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. As part of “Mountainsports for Everyone”, they have now been able to take part in climate workshops, climbing courses and a bike workshop. At the beginning of March, both classes will be travelling to Gosau, Upper Austria, where the pupils can try out snowboarding and skiing.
Together with the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024, the final public event will take place on 1 March 2024 at 17:00. In addition to the presentation of the workshop results and a film screening, there will be a panel discussion with representatives from POW, Andreas Gobiet (Geosphere Austria), Christian Schirlbauer (Managing Director TVB Inneres Salzkammergut) and MD Rupert Schiefer (Board of Directors of Bergbahnen Dachstein Salzkammergut) on the topic of sustainability and inclusion in winter sports. Catering will be provided by Wirtshauslabor Nord project manager Jochen Neustifter.
