IG Vienna's 2024 Year in Review

IG Vienna's engagement in Austria began at the start of the year! We were invited with CA Salzburg and CA Burgenland to a a fireside chat with Austrian Minister of Justice (and former IG Vienna founding board member) Alma Zadic at her office at the Federal Ministry of Justice of Austria. We continued hosting our monthly Stammtisch and in March hosted a joint Alpbach Info Evening event with regional FAN Clubs to learn about the European Forum Alpbach and scholarship opportunities, as well as a second Info Evening focused on IG Vienna scholarships. We attended a film screening of Feminism WTF and engaged in a panel discussion to discuss the controversies of feminist theories and dive deeper into feminist perspectives on female oppression and diet culture.

We carried out our Application Campaign in March and were overwhelmed with excellent scholarship applicants. Through an extensive selection process, we selected a group of Pioneer Scholarship Holders to attend EFA 2024. We continued our engagement with VinziRast cooking and an April Stammtisch in April. In May, we attended a Queer Vienna City Walk with Andreas Brunner to guide us through historic queer life in the city. 

In June we hosted our scholarship holders ceremony event, where our scholarship holders met each other and the board! We hosted a Rave for Ukraine with IG Kyiv to support the collective Repair Together, which focuses on rebuilding homes in Ukraine. With our sponsor MSD we hosted a PubQuiz on the topic of STDs and a focus on HPV, in celebration of the successful "HPV-Impfung jetzt!" campaign. On July 1, 2024, the HPV vaccine became free for all adults in Austria under 30 after the campaign began in IG Vienna and grew into an independent initiative.

 On July 4th (no relation to the US holiday) we hosted our SommerFest with a wine tasting from our generous sponsor, the winery in Burgenland, Gebrüder NittNaus. Members, previous scholarship holders, and others gathered at the Start-Up Host for a night of socializing and reconnecting.

In July we attended a discussion at the University of Vienna where renowned Yale Professor Jeffrey Alexander discussed the resilience of democratic civil societies in the face of multiple contemporary crises.

What an incredibly busy and enriching time we had at the European Forum Alpbach 2024! The first week was dedicated to a series of thought-provoking seminars, where we explored a wide range of scientific, societal, and cultural topics. These sessions not only deepened our understanding of pressing global challenges but also provided an opportunity to acquire new skills and engage in artistic practices that broadened our perspectives.

During the second week, we had the privilege of attending—and in some cases, co-organizing—a number of high-profile fireside chats. These discussions brought together key decision-makers and influential voices, including a fireside chat with Austrian Minister of Justice Alma Zadić (and IG-Vienna founding board member), a memorable hike with Austrian Minister of Climate Action Leonore Gewessler, MEP Lukas Mandl, representatives from the Political Academy, NEOS party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger.

Our scholarship holders had the unique opportunity to attend fireside chats with climate activist Luisa Neubauer, Minister of Health Johannes Rauch, American economist Joseph Stiglitz, former Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González, and many more. Scholarship holders had the unique opportunity to attend fireside chats with Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and climate activist Luisa Neubauer, gaining firsthand insights into pressing economic, geopolitical, and environmental challenges. The exchanges were engaging, insightful, and at times, challenging, reflecting the diversity of perspectives shaping Europe’s future.

Beyond these discussions, we were proud to host the Women’s Forum*, which this year focused on Feminist Economics, fostering crucial conversations about gender and economic justice. Additionally, we co-organized Alpbach Pride in collaboration with Club Alpbach Salzburg & Heublumen, celebrating diversity and inclusion in a vibrant and welcoming space. Our commitment to climate action was further highlighted by the Climate Strike, which we organized together with Club Alpbach Lower Austria, bringing attention to urgent environmental concerns. 
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us in these important conversations and events! Your participation, energy, and engagement made this experience truly unforgettable. We are grateful to have shared these moments in Alpbach—Europe’s most beautiful flower village—and look forward to continuing these discussions beyond the Forum.

After the EFA, our generous sponsor, Arbeiterkammer Wien, hosted us for a Certificate Ceremony for our scholarship holders and a reception. We enjoyed engaging in conversation with their leadership and enjoyed a beautiful view of the city at sunset.

We also attended a fireside chat with at the Arbeiterkammer with Priska Lueger, who offered a deep dive into the challenges of how to make heating, cooling, and renewable energy infrastructure available in a just and sustainable way. 



Our sponsor, Wienerberger hosted us for an event "Solar, Brincks, and Tomorrow" to discuss the future of building lasting and sustainable construction solutions.

Our new board was elected in October 2025 and got to work transitioning into their new roles working with former board members throughout the handoff. IG-Vienna board members attended the Forum Alpbach Network Fall Conference, coordinating, collaborating, and planning for FAN for 2025 and beyond. We participated in the "Orange the World" campaign raising awareness about violence against women.

In December our board had a strategy weekend to plan events, scholarships, and planning for the future of the club. We hosted our IG-Vienna Christmas Party, where our board baked cookies for guests! Thanks for making 2024 great, and we look forward to 2025! 

Your board - Melanie, Katja, Thomas, Flora, Fabian, Jonathan, Suncica, and James