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State Youth Council

The State Youth Council is an expert body on youth work and youth policy appointed by the Government, with invited members representing broad experience in the living conditions of children and young people.

VISION: The State Youth Council is a well known expert body on youth policy and advocator of youth voice. It makes visible how the Government decisions and actions impact on young people, who are active participants in the Council’s work. The State Youth Council makes initiatives to influence the policies and decisions and conducts cross-sectoral evaluations of services targeted to young people and their wellbeing. The evaluations produce information in support of decision-making.

According to the Youth Act, the Council:

  • address issues of fundamental and far-reaching importance to young people and assess the impact of the measures taken by central government on the young people and the services and activities intended for them;
  •  introduce initiatives and proposals to develop youth policy;
  • generate up-to-date data on young people and their living conditions;
  • issue a statement to the Ministry of Education and Culture on the issues to be addressed in the national youth work and policy programme;
  • monitor international developments and cooperation in this field. The Council may include sub-committees responsible for the preparation of the issues to be addressed.Further provisions on the duties and appointment of the State Youth Council shall be issued by government decree. The composition of the Council shall also be determined by government decree.

Key tools for the State Youth Council include the Youth Barometers that measure the values and attitudes of the young, indicators for young people’s wellbeing and other data.

The State Youth Council functions as an expert in issues relating to the growing and living conditions of young people. The State Youth Council gives opinions and prepares action plans with the aim to raise issues concerning young people on the agenda in public discussion.