On this page

1. Existence of a National Strategy

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority

4. Revisions/ Updates

Existence of a National Strategy

There is no single strategy in Estonia on youth volunteering. Youth volunteering is addressed in the Cohesive Estonia Strategy 2030 and in the Youth Sector Development Plan for the years 2021-2035.

Scope and contents

The Cohesive Estonia Strategy 2030 brings out one of the major problems: the operating environment of civil society does not sufficiently support its viability. And the measure to resolve that problem is to support the activity of the residents and their social participation and increase the capacity of communities and non-profit organisations. The objective is to promote the development of communities and civil society, where people share democratic values and improve their living environment through active participation in community and social activities. One of the indicators of that objective is the participation rate in volunteering.

The Youth Sector Development Plan for the years 2021-2035 sets one of the strategic goals to support active youth participation and consistent protection of youth rights. One of the courses of action is empowering the civic participation of young people. And one of the indicators here is the ratio of 15–26-year-olds participating in organized volunteer work.

Responsible authority

There is no one and only responsible authority for youth volunteering. In the field of youth, the responsibility of general development is on the Ministry of Education and Research. The support for the development of civil society is the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior.

Revisions/ Updates

There are two new strategies where volunteering and youth volunteering are addressed: Cohesive Estonia Strategy 2030 and Youth Sector Development Plan 2021-2035.