Participatory youth policy is a principle often mentioned in policy documents in Europe. Yet for many it is a challenge to move from interpreting what it means, to putting it in practice. To build the capacity of the youth sector on this topic, the Youth Partnership has published in 2023 a new training kit on participatory youth policy, to accompany the use of About Time! youth policy manual. Participatory youth policy implies that young people are involved in policy making at all stages, from inception to implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The main feature of participatory youth policy is a mobilised effort to promote co-creation of youth policy with young people and to include strengths and talents from the field, making sure that youth policy is built on democratic principles, support for solidarity, inclusion, equality, openness and outreach. Across Europe, meaningful youth participation in dialogue and mutually respectful work in policy implementation are understood to be prerequisites for effective and efficient policy making.

 Purpose of the event

The main aim of the event was to launch and promote the T-Kit 15: Participatory youth policy, emphasising the importance of youth participation in policy making and providing stakeholders with valuable resources and tools for effective implementation.

It brought together policy makers, educators, youth organisations, youth workers, trainers and facilitators who are engaged in policy making on local, national and international levels to get acquainted with the resource structure, content and trial some of the educational approaches it includes. Participants were invited to explore possibilities of using it for improving practices and policies in their context and for disseminating it widely among youth sector stakeholders.