Team Villach International is a project that developed during the process of drawing up a mission statement on integration for the city of Villach. The goal is to show young people with and without a migration background positive ways in which to shape their lives by fighting prejudice, preventing violence and providing them with role models.
The team includes a filmmaker, a professional boxer, a musician, a software developer, a chef, a mechanic and many more. Nationalities include Austria, the US, Germany, Ghana, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Under the guidance of Haris Bilabegovic, the team visits schools in Villach to motivate students and to show them what possibilities life in Austria holds for them, independent of their nationality and origin.
Young people should be given the opportunity to establish a sense of rapport with their role models that will benefit them in the long run. The team shows young people what possibilities are available to them to make their dreams come true. This actively practiced philosophy is already showing effects – the positive reactions are overwhelming!