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Estonia

5. Participation

5.5 National strategy to increase youth participation

Last update: 28 February 2026
On this page
  1. Existence of a national strategy to increase young people's political and civil society participation
  2. Scope and contents
  3. Raising voter turnout: targeted grant funding
  4. Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy
  5. Monitoring and evaluation
  6. References
On this page
  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. Monitoring and evaluation
  5. Revisions/ Updates

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

A specific national strategy on youth participation does not exist as a stand-alone document. However, youth participation is one of the underlying concepts and strategic goals of the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021-2035 (Noortevaldkonna arengukava 2021-2035), adopted on 12 August 2021 — International Youth Day. Strategic goal no. 2 focuses on participation, aiming to ensure that the protection of youth rights is consistent and that active youth participation is supported.

Youth participation has been a core pillar of national youth strategies in Estonia since 2001. The current strategy advances this commitment through three main priorities: creating the prerequisites for increased trust in and commitment to the state among young people; ensuring that young people can express their views and be heard at all levels of governance; and empowering young people to be active citizens..

Scope and contents

Strategic goal no. 2 of the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021–2035 states that the protection of youth rights in the state is consistent and active youth participation is supported. The strategy also articulates underlying principles for youth services and policy, emphasising meaningful inclusion of young people in decision-making at every stage: weighing options, making decisions, and implementation. Young people must have the ability to make choices, show initiative, and create solutions for important challenges, supported by adequate information, feedback, and guidance. They must also have a voice in the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of services intended for them.

The strategy stresses that young people’s sense of belonging depends on whether they feel heard at home, at school, and in their community, whether they have meaningful peer relationships, and whether they are included in community activities. Young people need the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to participate in society and to navigate major societal changes. Participation opportunities help prevent social apathy and reduce the need for radical self-expression. Accordingly, the strategy frames the protection of youth rights and civic participation — including age-appropriate involvement in representative democracy — as the foundation for a strong civil society and sustainable democracy.

The strategy identifies three areas of attention for achieving these goals:

  1. Creating the prerequisites for an increased trust and commitment to the state by young people: valuing and raising awareness of youth rights (including the right to free time and self-determination); providing access to public spaces and involving young people in the design of spaces and services intended for them; and harnessing the potential of young people in national development, including national defence, environmental policy, safety, and integration.
  2. Ensuring that young people can express their opinion and heard out on all levels of governance: strengthening the youth sector monitoring and analysis system; developing self-expression habits and skills through school democracy and hobby education; providing accessible opportunities to share opinions while ensuring representation of at-risk groups and young people living abroad; giving young people meaningful feedback on how their input has been used; building capacity for inclusion in ministries and local governments; and creating an advisory group at the Prime Minister’s office and a youth roundtable at the President’s office.
  3. Empowering young people to be active citizens: supporting participation in representative democracy to increase electoral turnout; supporting youth organisations and councils; promoting youth initiatives at the local level; and supporting volunteer work and community participation.

Four indicators will measure progress: the number of participation formats; the share of local governments with a functioning youth council; the share of 18–26-year-old candidates in local government council elections; and the share of 15–26-year-olds who have participated in organised volunteer work.

Raising voter turnout: targeted grant funding

In line with the strategic goal of increasing youth participation in representative democracy, the Ministry of Education and Research launched an open grant call in 2025 to support initiatives that promote youth voter turnout and strengthen school democracy. Five civil society organisations and institutions working with young people received a total of €160,000 in funding. The grant recipients were the Estonian Debating Society (€26,800), the Federation of Estonian Student Unions (€25,000), the NGO Avatud Vabariik (€28,400), the Estonian Cooperation Assembly (€49,800), and TUUM Theatre (€30,000).

The grant call was partly motivated by findings from the 2022 International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS), which found that Estonian students have high levels of civic knowledge but low voter turnout. Funded activities — including debates, simulations, applied theatre productions, and analysis of electoral programmes — were implemented in at least three counties during 2025, engaging both formal and non-formal education settings such as youth centres and hobby schools. Young people were expected to play an active role as co-organisers and implementers. The grant scheme is governed by the ministerial regulation Terms and Procedure for the Grant Call to Support Youth Voter Turnout and Strengthen School Democracy (Noorte valimisaktiivsuse toetamise ja koolidemokraatia võimestamise taotlusvooru tingimused ja kord), passed in 2025.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

The Youth Sector Development Plan 2021-2035 is approved by the Government of the Republic following discussion in the Riigikogu. The Ministry of Education and Research coordinates implementation, with all relevant ministries contributing within their respective areas of responsibility. Implementation is based on inclusive management: youth policy is multidisciplinary, grounded in an understanding of young people’s real circumstances and needs, and organised in close cooperation with the Estonian National Youth Council.

Implementation and reporting are supported by a steering committee chaired by the Ministry of Education and Research. The committee brings together representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Culture, Economic Affairs and Communications, Social Affairs, Environment, Regional Affairs and Agriculture, and Interior, alongside the Government Office and a wide range of civil society and employer bodies. A subcommittee on Youth Policy includes representatives of student and youth organisations, relevant NGOs, Statistics Estonia, and other expert bodies.

The committee advises the minister, supports coherent policy implementation across fields, analyses progress reports, and provides recommendations on the introduction, amendment, or conclusion of programmes under the development plan.

Monitoring and evaluation

The monitoring and evaluation of the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021-2035 (Noortevaldkonna arengukava 2021-2035) follows the general mechanism applied across all policy fields in Estonia. The Ministry of Education and Research reports to the Government annually on implemented activities, achieved outcomes, and results. This process is co-organised in cooperation with the Estonian National Youth Council and supported by the national youth sector monitoring and analysis system, which includes a national youth report commissioned by the Ministry. The steering committee analyses these reports and evaluates progress against the development plan’s goals.

References