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 thus concerns young people´s life situations in a number of different areas, such as work, housing, education, health, leisure and influence.
The Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality is responsible for coordination of the Government´s youth policy, issues affecting youth organisations and international youth exchanges. The task of coordinating Government youth policy presupposes active cross-sectoral efforts within the Government Offices and vis-à-vis other agencies. It involves extensive contact with youth organisations, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions and a number of innovative youth projects. 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 to:
- ensure that all young people have genuine access to welfare, and
- ensure that all young people have genuine access to influence.
The work on coordinating and reporting progress so as to achieve these overall goals takes place in five main areas:
- Education and learning
- Work and means of support
- Health and vulnerability
- Influence and representation
- Culture and leisure
The objectives of national youth policy also govern international cooperation in the field of youth policy.
