Experience democracy up close: “World Parliament” at StartWien College

On May 26, 2025, the participants of a B1 course of our project StartWien College immersed themselves into the world of democracy. As part of the “World Parliament” workshop, the young people experienced how parliamentary processes work and the challenges that global decisions entail in seven consecutive exercises.

The workshop focused on knowledge activation (What is a parliament? What does democracy mean? about the role of society ("What is our society made up of? Who should our laws be made for?" to the actual World Parliament – a role-playing game in which the young people first took on the role of politicians from their (fictional) country and then the role of delegates to make (global) political decisions. The young people had to vote, argue, persuade, and even compromise.