capital of each of the 9 federal states of Austria. The Austrian Service Abroad is non-confessional and non-partisan. The Austrian Service Abroad cooperates with the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The servants abroad are obliged to cooperate with the Austrian embassy in their respective host country. Examples of partner institutions / organizations are the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oświęcim, Poland, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles and the World Jewish Congress in New York, United States, the Center of Jewish Studies Shanghai in Shanghai, China, the Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Center in Moscow, Russia, the Jewish Holocaust Centre in Melbourne, Australia, the Tom Lantos Institute in Budapest, Hungary, the Ashraya Initiative for Children in Pune, India and A chance for children in Zigoti, Uganda. The Austrian Service Abroad is also a partner of the Israeli Volunteer Association partnering on the initiative Understanding Israel in conjunction with the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs. Originally named 'Association for Services Abroad' it was renamed to Austrian Service Abroad in 2006. Since 2001 Michael Prochazka is part of its managing committee. Vision Statement A peaceful and socially humane world rooted in responsibility derived from the lessons of history. Mission Statement Educating young people on the subjects of memoria (remembrance), misericordia (mercy) and pax (peace), derived from and aimed at responsibility, and sending them to serve at worldwide partner institutions remembering the crimes of Nazism and commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, supporting vulnerable social groups and realizing projects of peace, while being financially supported by their government. Legal Framework The Austrian Service Abroad is funded and supervised by the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs and subject to the Austrian Federal Act on the Promotion of Voluntary Services (Bundesgesetz zur Förderung von freiwilligem Engagement.) Types of service Austrian Service Abroad offers three different types: Gedenkdienst (Österreichischer Gedenkdienst) Gedenkdienst is the concept of facing and taking responsibility for the darkest chapters of one's own country's history while ideally being financially supported by one's own country's government to do so. Gedenkdienst has the acknowledgment of, the apology for and the assumption of responsibility for atrocities done by one's own country's society in history as its basis. Gedenkdienst is about honesty with one's country's past and the desire to rectify past wrongs. Gedenkdienst is about providing people of the perpetrator's side a platform for education and going to the victim's side