Sometimes all you need is someone who believes in you. Someone who says, “You can do it!” But children from socially disadvantaged families often don’t have that someone. They start out with fewer resources and assets, which impacts their chances of pursuing a higher education. This is where NextGenBuddies comes in. The Volunteering@WU initiative is carried out in partnership with the Vienna chapter of the Catholic relief agency Caritas along with Austrian supermarket chain BILLA.

The program has been partnering WU students, who volunteer as study, sports, or music buddies, with children and young people from low-income families since 2010.

Study buddies work with children between the ages of 6 and 18 to help them with their schoolwork. In addition to tutoring, the buddies also go on outings, workshops, and excursions together, which not only serves to broaden the children’s horizons but also helps boost their self-confidence.

Music buddies get together with children ages 7 to 12 to sing in the choir of the Caritas cultural initiative Brunnenpassage. The buddies act as role models, helping the children prepare for their performances and encouraging their musical talents.

Sports buddies get kids moving – with ball games, dancing, or hiking. The focus here is on more than just exercise, however. Every shared activity helps to grow the children’s sense of team spirit and self-confidence.

Some 130 students volunteer their time as buddies every week. They promote the young people’s talents, help them build up their self-confidence, and accompany them as role models on their journey through life. The program benefits not only the children but also the student buddies themselves. Confronted with a world they might otherwise never have known, they learn to take responsibility and experience social realities first-hand.

The figures show that the concept works: 1,700 students, 170,000 hours of voluntary work, 260 children and young people mentored every week. The program has received multiple awards, including the 2024 “Wirtschaft hilft” award. And it is catching on, with other universities in Austria beginning to adopt the concept as well.

Sometimes all it takes to achieve great things is a little push. NextGenBuddies proves that education can bring people together. For children, for students – and for a society that needs more togetherness.