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About IPYG

A worldwide youth movement. And one chapter in Vienna.

IPYG has existed since 2013, in 131 countries. IPYG Austria has existed since 2026, in Vienna. The two belong together, and both are explained here: the big picture first, then what it means on the ground.

Part 1 · International

IPYG worldwide

Where the movement comes from, how big it is, and what it does.

·01International · The big picture

A youth movement that exists in 131 countries.

IPYG stands for International Peace Youth Group. Founded in Seoul in 2013 as the youth arm of HWPL. The idea has stayed simple: young people are not the target group of peace work, they are the ones doing it.

1,729

partner organisations worldwide, from student groups to national youth federations

131

countries with active IPYG groups

500+

peace events the network put on in 2025

  1. 2013 · Seoul

    The beginning

    IPYG is founded as HWPL's youth organisation. The starting point: young people live with the consequences of conflict the longest and are consulted the least.

  2. 2013 to today

    One group becomes a network

    Seoul turns into groups on every continent. Peace walks, education programmes, dialogue formats — run locally everywhere, on the same principles everywhere.

  3. 2026 · Vienna

    Austria joins

    IPYG Austria is one of the youngest chapters. We are not starting from zero: the network, the programmes and the experience are there. The Austrian chapter is ours to write.

What IPYG does worldwide

Peace education

The Youth Empowerment Peace Class (YEPC) runs in over 57 countries. Not lectures, but workshops where young people become multipliers themselves.

Peace Walks

Once a year, thousands of young people walk together across the world. Visible peace, not paperwork.

Interreligious dialogue

Through the IRPA, young people of different faiths get into conversation. Not to agree, but to understand each other.

A voice upwards

IPYG carries youth demands to where decisions are made, and takes them to the World Peace Summit in Korea every 18 September.

How this connects to HWPL

IPYG is the youth organisation of HWPL (Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light). HWPL works at the level of international law, faith communities and institutions; IPYG works at the level of the people who have to live with the results. In Austria, IPYG is a project of HWPL Austria: same association, same team, its own handwriting.

Part 2 · Austria

IPYG Austria

Why it is needed here, why Vienna, and the voices that carry us.

·02Starting point · Why now?
Guiding message

Everyoneelsetalksaboutyouth.Weareyouth.

Young people in Austria are under pressure: world anxiety, mental strain, the feeling of not being heard. At the same time, the desire to actually shape things has never been bigger.

0%
are anxious about the state of the world — wars, climate, poverty
0%
feel mentally burdened
0%
still experience mental-health issues as a taboo subject
0%
of 16–26-year-olds say democracy matters — yet trust in institutions is falling

Sources: Ö3 Youth Study 2026 (n = 13,500, ages 16–25) · WHO HBSC Austria · current Austrian youth research

The gap we step into

89% believe in democracy — but participation is too rarely experienced as effective. IPYG Austria steps into exactly that gap: not through promises, but through real space for voice, co-creation and visible impact.

·07Spotlight · Vienna

Vienna is our Austrian hub.

For context

IPYG is globally headquartered in Seoul, where the movement was founded in 2013 and where the international headquarters sits. Vienna is the Austrian hub of the movement.

Vienna is a UN seat, a bridge between East and West, and, very practically, one of Europe's youngest and most diverse cities. IPYG Austria builds on that.

Our Vienna activities connect local community with the international IPYG network: school workshops, neighbourhood peace walks, and joint cleanups with partner organisations from across Europe.

Planned
Local

Cleanups on the Donauinsel · school workshops · peace walks in Vienna.

International

Meetings with IPYG delegations from Europe, Asia and Africa · exchange with the global network.

Digital

Online dialogue formats · social-media actions with IPYG groups worldwide · digital peace campaigns.

·08Voices that carry us

Words we take with us to Vienna.

Let us leave peace as a legacy for our future generations.
Lee Man-hee · HWPL Chairman

Voices of young and peace-shaping people whose words carry our work in Vienna.

·09Peace Vibe Roulette

Vibe-check for today.

Hit the button, we'll roll you a tiny peace action for your day. No pressure, just fun.

Spin!