Department of Applied Sociology of Law and Criminology

Outreach youth work offers setting-orientated social consultation and support on a communal level. The primary target group is a socially vulnerable one, specifically young persons with marginal chances of being included in society, who spend most of their time in public spaces. In this highly volatile social field, this safety work initiative is launching an intervention approach which contributes considerably to increase the target group’s opportunities to participate in society, promotes a democratic political conscience and communicates peaceful conflict resolution strategies.

This research study explores the efficiency of outreach youth work in public spaces as a means to implement multidimensional safety measures. Primary impact indicators are identified, and elaborate method tools are being developed for a meaningful efficiency-evaluation. These research findings lead to evidence-based recommendations for optimising outreach youth work and promoting social peace in local communities.

The project was funded by Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) as part of the Austrian Security Research Programme KIRAS.