SGS continues its support of innovative education program
Continuing its support of the launch of the innovative Teach for Austria initiative, Salzburg Global Seminar hosted the graduation party for the first graduating class.
The first cohort of 25 highly qualified graduates from across Austria will now take up teaching posts in Vienna and Salzburg for the new school year starting in September.
Opening the evening's festivities on Friday, August 17, Clare Shine, Vice President and Chief Program Officer of Salzburg Global Seminar, speaking in German, congratulated the students on their achievement and shared an insight into why the Seminar – itself founded by exemplary graduate students in 1947 – had chosen to support the program.
“Teach for Austria and the Salzburg Global Seminar share a similar range of topics: education, social mobility, global citizenship and social entrepreneurship. But it is not just these two organizations – all of you, who are now here at the Great Hall this evening, are also passionately committed to education. [We all believe] regardless of background or income, students should have the same opportunities to move mountains in the world,” said Shine.
The celebration was also attended by Gabi Burgstaller, Governor of Salzburg, as well as other partners, sponsors and friends of the Teach for Austria program.
Teach for Austria (TfA) is a subsidiary of Teach for All, a global network launched in 2007 for expanding educational opportunities internationally, which seeks to address educational needs by enlisting a nation’s future leaders in the effort, and increasing and accelerating the impact of these independent social enterprises.
This is the first year that a Teach for All program has been run in Austria, and with a long-standing record of educational initiatives and programs at the Salzburg Global Seminar – which include the International Study Program (ISP) on global citizenship, and seminar series such as “Optimizing Talent - Closing Educational Gaps Worldwide” involving leading education researchers, policy makers, practitioners and advocates – the Seminar has supported the TfA program since its inception, holding a special reception at Schloss Leopoldskron for its launch in February 2012.
TfA seeks to address achievement gaps and foster greater educational equity for all Austrian children and youth.
Teachers from the program are called “Fellows” by the organization and they are selected through a meticulous multi-staged process which evaluates their personal and professional qualities.
Fellows will each spend two years helping provide equal opportunities to socially disadvantaged children and youth in Salzburg and Vienna by challenging their students and encouraging them to fulfil their potential in various classroom activities.