National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme

The National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme is a statutory horizontal programme, which the Government adopts every four years with the aim of promoting a good environment for young people to grow up and live. The Programme defines the most important central government objectives and measures for the coming years concerning young people.

Taking the form of a government resolution, the Programme defines the Government’s objectives for youth work and youth policy, and the measures to achieve them.

The Programme applies to people under 29 years of age, which corresponds to the age limit set out in the Youth Act. The Programme priorities focus on improving the conditions in which young people grow up and live during the key stage of youth between 12 and 25 year of age.

In addition to the Government’s youth policy objectives and related measures, the Programme sets national objectives for European and international activities in the youth sector and defines priorities for the selection of national centres of excellence for the youth sector.

The Youth Act forms the legislative basis of the National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme. The Government Decree on Youth Work and Youth Policy supplements section 5 of the Act, which lays down the provisions on the Programme.

Drawing up the National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme 2024–2027

The current Programme is in force until the end of 2023. Preparations for a new programme for 2024–2027 are under way. The drafting started with a consultation of young people on issues that are important for their lives and wellbeing. This ensures that the programme will be able to meet the current needs of young people.

To provide background material for the drafting, the State Youth Council has carried out a review of young people’s wellbeing. An evaluation of the current Programme's implementation, which the State Youth Council is currently carrying out, will also be used in the preparation.

During spring 2023, the Ministry of Education and Culture will engage in dialogue with the youth work sector on what issues related to youth work development should be included in the new programme. The Ministry is inviting youth workers, organisations and other operators in the youth sector to come forward and express their views.

The Ministry of Education and Culture, in cooperation with other ministries central to improving the conditions in which young people grow up and live, is preparing proposals for the new programme's youth policy objectives and measures. An open consultation round on the draft programme will be held towards the end of the year.

Previous programmes

Related information

State Youth Council

Youth Barometers, Youth Living Conditions Yearbooks, and surveys on children’s and young people’s leisure activities.

State Youth Council

School Health Promotion

The School Health Promotion survey provides a wide range of reliable monitoring data on the wellbeing of children and young people of different ages, both regionally and locally.

School Health Promotion

Centre of Excellence for Inclusion

Information and studies on young people’s inclusion.

Osallisuuden osaamiskeskus

Contact information

Mikko Cortés Téllez, Senior Coordinator 
Ministry of Education and Culture, Nuoriso- ja liikuntapolitiikan osasto (NUOLI), Nuorisotyön ja -politiikan vastuualue (NV) Telephone:0295330080   Email Address: