Policies and development related to youth affairs

The aim of youth policy is to improve the conditions in which young people grow up and live in and to enhance interaction between the generations through intersectoral cooperation. The objective of youth work is to support young people in growing and transitioning into independent life and to promote their participation in society.

The Ministry of Education and Culture aims to support the wellbeing of young people in cooperation with other ministries that play a key role in the growth and living conditions of young people. Although the Ministry of Education and Culture is responsible for the overall management and development of youth policy, the work to promote the wellbeing of young people requires the participation of many sectors.

The National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme

One of the main tools for implementing coordinated horizontal youth policy is The National Youth Work and Youth Policy Programme (VANUPO). The programme is based on the Youth Act, and it is adopted for four years at a time. In the Programme, each government defines its youth policy objectives and the means to achieve them. The Programme also outlines youth work, including the priorities determining the selection of national centers of excellence in the youth sector for the programme period. It also sets Finland's national objectives for European and international activities in the youth sector.

Read more about the VANUPO Programme

State Youth Council

Pursuant to section 6 of the Youth Act, a State Youth Council (previously known as the Advisory Council for Youth Affairs) shall operate in conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Culture. The members of the Council are appointed by the Government.

The tasks of the State Youth Council are:

1. to address issues of far-reaching and fundamental importance for young people and to assess the impacts of central government measures on young people and the services and activities targeted at them;
2. to submit initiatives and proposals aiming to develop youth policy;
3. to produce up-to-date information on young people and their living conditions;
4. to issue a statement to the Ministry of Education and Culture on matters to be included in the National Child and Youth Policy Programme;
5. to monitor international development and cooperation in the sector.

• State Youth Council's website