Austrian Award for Child Protection goes to MCI

Students of Social Work at MCI receive MYKI Award for Child Protection: “Stop Mobbing” workshop to prevent mobbing at schools achieves first place in “Violence Prevention & Information” category

MCI Management Center Innsbruck is delighted: a group of students of the Social Work Bachelor’s program at MCI was able to win the Austrian Award for Child Protection, MYKI, for MCI. As part of their studies, the project team involving Sebastian Dörr, Patrick Haase, Stefan Müller, Anne Posbrig, and Verena Prantl developed the Stop Mobbing workshop concept for the prevention of violence at schools. The project was supervised by Christina Steixner-Buisson and Philipp Bechter, both lecturers at MCI. The innovative workshop concept which, among other things, works with the pupils’ smart phones, and the respective homepage (www.stop-mobbing.at) convinced the jury throughout.

The workshop and website are part of a comprehensive campaign developed by the students for use by Austrian schools. The concept has already been successfully applied by SCHUSO, the Tyrolean school social work group. Philipp Bechter, coordinator of the project at SCHUSO, praises the cooperation with the MCI student group: “The project addresses an important issue our schools have yet to solve. I am very happy that this excellent initiative now receives public recognition.”

MCI Rector Andreas Altmann and Professor Belachew Gebrewold, head of the MCI Department of Social Work, congratulate the recipients: “The award represents both a well-deserved recognition of the teams’ hard work and a distinction for the Department of Social Work of the Entrepreneurial School®. We are very proud of the winners – congratulations!”

The MYKI Award for Child Protection was awarded for the seventh time this year to honor exemplary projects. MYKI aims to put those in the spotlight who are particularly committed to promoting and supporting the welfare of children, thus providing new role models. The MYKI award honors individuals, institutions, and initiatives that provide active and creative support for children and/or otherwise help improve their lives. In doing so, MYKI increases the standing of child protection and children’s rights in Austria.
The winning project was selected by a jury of prominent experts in medicine, psychotherapy, psychology, psychiatry, pedagogy, law, as well as child and youth welfare. They awarded the MCI student project first place in the Violence Prevention & Information category.

Further information:

Press contact
Ulrike Fuchs
+43 512 2070-1527
ulrike.fuchs@mci.edu