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1. Existence of a national strategy to increase young people's political and civil society participation

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

4. Revisions/ Updates

Existence of a national strategy to increase young people's political and civil society participation

Poland currently does not have a national strategy to increase young people's participation in civil society. For many years, there have not been any policy documents in Poland that addressed young peoples' participation in development, implementation and follow-up of policy. There has been also no coherent policy in this respect, and consequently, no appointed main or responsible agency. There were many documents related to, for example, environmental protection or sustainable development, but these were created by different ministries, with no clear leadership. In consequence, these issues were dealt with by non-governmental organisations.

In 2018, the government’s Support Programme for Scout Organisations for 2018 through to 2030 was put into law (Rządowy Program Wsparcia Rozwoju Organizacji Harcerskich i Skautowych na lata 2018 – 2030). It is directed towards supporting scout organisations in the areas of education and core activities, and broad institutional support of the organisations themselves. As such, it is not is aimed at the youth in general, but just a section of it.

The situation began to change in 2019, when the Council for Dialogue With the Young Generation (Rada Dialogu z Młodym Pokoleniem) was established. It was created as a response to the common demand to increase the participation of the young generation in governmental decision-making. In the second half of 2020, the position of the Government’s Pleninpotary for Youth Politics was created, with the Pleninpotary having the position of a Vice-Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (Pełnomocnik Rządu ds. Polityki Młodzieżowej). The main duty of the Pleninpotary was to coordinate the dialogue between government agencies and other partners in regards to youth politics, and to create a strategic document outlining the national youth policy. In the 2021 the Pleninpotary conducted consultations that around 30 000 young people participated in. The aim of those consultations was to establish the foundations for the RP Policy for the Young Generation in a participatory fashion. The Pleninpotary's office concluded its operations in march 2023, and the government did not extend its activities. The policy document itself was neither written, nor put forth for the legislative process. In the end, only a few suggestions gathered during the consultation process were enacted, such as raising the importance of the youth councils at the county level, or establishing the Youth Fund (Fundusz Młodzieżowy).

Scope and contents

No strategy exists; only scattered initiatives and sectoral programmes.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

Not applicable – there is no national strategy to increase young people’s political and civil society participation.

Revisions/Updates

Not applicable.