Programs

Start of 2020 WU4Juniors Summer School

15/07/2020

We welcome 36 participants from 8 countries

In 2019, WU Vienna launched a comprehensive educational program for teenagers, focusing on finance, business and economics, and business law. The program was set up in cooperation with the Berndorf Private Foundation and the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV). It is called WU4Juniors and designed to help young people understand important economic mechanisms. The program consists of 2 components that build on each other: interactive online modules and a summer school for particularly dedicated participants.

The summer school runs from July 13 to 17, 2020, offering a rich and varied program with over 22 individual items. 32 lecturers, from WU experts to seasoned practitioners, are involved in teaching the summer school. Due to the specific requirements of the COVID-19 situation, this year’s Summer School is largely held online, but it has been specifically designed to allow for a lively exchange of ideas despite the challenging circumstances. The kick-off event was held in a hybrid format to give the participants an opportunity to get to know WU. The welcome speech and the opening lecture were streamed live online from WU’s Ceremonial Hall for all participants who were unable to attend the event on campus. All participants had the opportunity to ask questions using an interactive software application.

A varied program of lectures and workshops

During the summer school, the participants take part in a varied program of interactive online lectures given by experienced faculty members and sessions held by company representatives, with ample opportunities for discussion and exchanging ideas. During the “Research Insights” sessions, the participants get to take a look behind the scenes of academic research and gain insights into research topics and researchers’ day-to-day work. The program also includes a business simulation game that allows participants to observe and analyze the consequences of managerial decisions. Over the course of the week, the participants will also work on a project in small groups and create an explainer video. A workshop on group work and individual project coaching sessions complete the program. The final event on Friday will include a presentation of the results of the project work.

[Translate to English:] WU4Juniors Summerschool Schülerinnen und Schüler

About WU4Juniors

The core component of the WU4Juniors program is a collection of video study modules that are available free of charge on the Learn Public platform. The videos provide business and economics knowledge in a way that is informative and entertaining. Topics include for example the circular flow of economic exchanges, stocks, debts, contracts, and poverty. Everyone who completes a full topic receives an online badge as a reward. Participants who complete the basic module on the circular flow of economic exchanges and an additional topic receive a WU4Juniors certificate. Since the launch of the platform in 2019, over 4,200 people have registered for the program, earning a total of almost 2,000 badges. The success of the WU4Juniors program shows that there is strong interest among young people in learning more about how the economy works.

Find out more about WU4Juniors.

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