Youth Policy
Over 1.4 million of Sweden's inhabitants are young people between the ages of 13 and 25. Youth policy is cross-sectoral and includes all the decisions and measures affecting the conditions of young people. National youth policy therefore concerns young people's life situations in a number of different areas, such as work, housing, education, health, leisure and influence.
Photo: Dan Lepp/Johnér
Since January 2011, the Ministry of Education and Research has been responsible for coordinating the Government's youth policy, issues concerning youth organisations and international cooperation on youth issues. The task of coordinating Government youth policy presupposes active cross-sectoral efforts within the Government Offices and vis ā vis other agencies. It also entails a great deal of contact with actors including youth organisations and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions. The central government agency, the National Board for Youth Affairs, is an important actor in implementing youth policy.
The objectives of the Government's youth policy are:
are to:
- to ensure that all young people have genuine access to welfare, and
- to ensure that all young people have genuine access to influence.
To achieve these overall goals, coordination and reporting take place in five main areas:
- Education and learning
- Work and means of support
- Health and vulnerability
- Influence and representation
- Culture and leisure
Sweden participates in international youth policy cooperation within the EU, the UN, the Council of Europe, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Barents Euro-Arctic Council and the Council of the Baltic Sea States. The objectives of national youth policy also govern international cooperation in the field of youth policy.
