About the Film

Given the critical role of youth participation in the recent U.S. elections and in democratic engagement around the globe, the Bertelsmann Foundation is proud to release *Rising Voices*, the latest chapter in our six-episode series highlighting stories of democratic and societal resilience in cities across Europe and the United States. In *Rising Voices*, we explore tactics and strategies to engage students as young as five-years-old in local democracy. Set in Vienna, Austria, we follow the work of WienXtra and the City Council of Vienna as they work with children and young adults to reshape their city and solve the challenges that Viennese residents, regardless of demographic, all share. From complex endeavors such as improving the city’s transit system to something as simple as planting trees, Rising Voices provides insights and solutions that can be replicated on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond. This series has been created in collaboration with the GMF Cities program, and features a wide range of innovations in democracy from Oklahoma City (Oklahoma), Athens (Greece), Lexington (Kentucky), Barcelona (Spain), Minneapolis (Minnesota), and now Vienna (Austria).