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Estonia

5. Participation

5.7 “Learning to participate” through formal, non-formal and informal learning

Last update: 28 February 2026
On this page
  1. Policy framework
  2. Formal learning
  3. Non-formal and informal learning
  4. Quality assurance/quality guidelines for non-formal learning
  5. Educators' support
  6. References
On this page
  1. Policy framework
  2. Formal learning
  3. Non-formal and informal learning
  4. Quality assurance/quality guidelines for non-formal learning
  5. Educators' support

Policy framework

Two policy documents are most relevant to social and civic competencies and the participation of young people in society and decision-making in Estonia: the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021-2035 (Noortevaldkonna arengukava 2021-2035) and the Cohesive Estonia Strategy 2030 (Ühtne Eesti 2030).

The Youth Sector Development Plan 2021–2035, adopted on 12 August 2021, is the central policy document for youth participation. It defines participation as one of its four strategic goals (alongside momentum, independence and security) and treats civic competencies as a cross-cutting theme running through all objectives. The Plan sets out that young people must have the ability to make informed choices, show initiative and create solutions regarding important challenges, receiving sufficient information, support and feedback. It also emphasises that young people should have a say in the planning, design, implementation and evaluation of services intended for them. For further details on the Plan’s implementation and target groups, see chapter 5.5. The framework of reference for civic and social competencies used in the Plan is not separately defined.

The Cohesive Estonia Strategy 2030 (Ühtne Eesti 2030), prepared jointly by the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, replaced the earlier Civil Society Development Plans. The Strategy defines civil society as the foundation of a cohesive society. Of its four priorities (adaptation and integration; Global Estonia; Community Estonia; smart population census), the most relevant for youth participation is “Community Estonia,” which aims to support active civic participation, empower communities, strengthen non-governmental organisations and ensure transparent, participatory decision-making. The Strategy explicitly identifies young people as a target group whose social participation should be increased, and it shows a strong connection with the Youth Sector Development Plan 2021–2035 in the most relevant areas. A steering committee coordinated by the Ministry of Culture oversees implementation.

Formal learning

Civics and citizenship education is a compulsory subject in both basic and upper secondary general education. In basic school, it is taught one lesson per week in the second stage and two lessons per week in the third stage. The National Curriculum for Upper Secondary Schools (Gümnaasiumi riiklik õppekava) requires two compulsory courses in civics and citizenship education. The national curricula introduced in 2011 established several cross-curricular competencies related to citizenship education — including values, social skills, communication skills and entrepreneurship skills — for which the specific knowledge, skills and attitudes to be mastered by the end of each ISCED level are defined.

The National Curriculum for Upper Secondary Schools defines the objective of teaching social subjects as developing students’ social competence. This includes the ability to understand the causes and effects of social changes; to recognise and apply basic social-science research methods; to create future scenarios; to know about and respect human rights and democracy; to recognise cultural specificities; and to be an active and responsible citizen. The aim of civics and citizenship education specifically is to strengthen civic identity and social cohesion, foster active citizenship, support readiness for dialogue and respect towards people with different worldviews, and develop students’ self-awareness on questions regarding values and worldviews.

Non-formal and informal learning

Participative structures within formal education settings

The Basic Schools and Upper Secondary Schools Act (Põhikooli- ja gümnaasiumiseadus) (2010) defines the legal framework for student bodies and student councils. A student body has the right to decide and independently organise matters of student life, form unions with other student bodies, join Estonian and international organisations through a student council, and elect a student council to represent its interests. The Vocational Educational Institutions Act (Kutseõppeasutuse seadus) (2013) provides a comparable framework for vocational education. In general, a student body is defined as an institution exercising students’ right to self-government.

Partnerships between formal education providers, youth organisations and youth work providers

The Youth Sector Development Plan 2021-2035 defines the following policy goals in relation to partnerships between education providers, youth organisations and youth work providers:

  • creating opportunities for young people to communicate with professionals in their area of interest;
  • ensuring opportunities for developing entrepreneurial competences through social entrepreneurship, community work, creative industries and youth work; 
  • supporting the development of habits and skills for self-expression, including through school democracy at all levels of education and creative self-expression through hobby education;
  • recognising and validating competences acquired through youth work (including hobby education), especially in formal education.

These policy measures are financed through broader programmes supporting youth work and the implementation of the Development Plan. The main funding instruments include the state budget allocations to the Education and Youth Board, support programmes for youth organisations under the Youth Sector Support Conditions and Procedures regulation (Noortevaldkonna toetuste andmise tingimused ja kord) (2025), and EU co-financing through Erasmus+ and the European Social Fund.

Supporting non-formal learning initiatives focusing on social and civic competences

Youth participation and the capability to participate through non-formal learning are supported primarily through youth work provision, since participation is defined in Estonia as a goal, a value and a method in youth work. The Youth Sector Development Plan 2021-2035 sets specific policy goals in this area and systematic public financing is available.

Participation is one of the Plan’s four strategic objectives, while civic competencies are a cross-cutting theme across all four objectives. Support mechanisms include grant schemes for youth organisations and local youth councils, training programmes for youth workers at both higher-education and in-service training levels, and targeted measures for young people at risk of exclusion. See chapter chapter 5.5. for further details.

Quality assurance/quality guidelines for non-formal learning

There is no single overarching quality-assurance system specific to non-formal learning activities in Estonia. However, several mechanisms exist within the youth work sector: 

  • The Education and Youth Board (Harno) coordinates the development and implementation of a quality-assessment system for local-government youth work. Municipalities can carry out quality assessments, and since 2023 Harno has offered follow-up support to municipalities after assessments, helping them address identified weaknesses such as gaps in youth information services or youth participation.
  • The occupational standard for youth workers (levels 4, 6 and 7), first adopted in 2016 and amended in 2025, defines the competences and ethical principles of youth work. The Education and Youth Board awards professional qualification certificates through a portfolio-based self-assessment and expert-panel interview.
  • The youth-sector monitoring and analysis system, including the Youth Monitoring Dashboard (Noorteseire juhtimislaud) and the Minuomavalitsus platform, provides data-informed tools for policy-making and quality monitoring at local and national levels.

Educators' support

There is no specific certification for civic educators in Estonia. However, both the teacher and youth-worker professional standards include competencies related to civic education and participation. Youth work can be studied at three higher-education institutions: Tallinn University (applied-sciences degree and master’s degree in youth work), the University of Tartu Narva College (bachelor’s degree in youth work) and the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy (applied-sciences degree in community education and hobby activities).

Since 2020, these functions have been reorganised. On 1 August 2020, the Education and Youth Board (Harno) was established through the merger of the Innove Foundation, the Archimedes Foundation, the Information Technology Foundation for Education and the Estonian Youth Work Centre. From 1 January 2021, the Department of Youth Programmes of the Estonian Agency for Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps, now part of Harno, took over the training and quality-support functions previously performed by the Archimedes Foundation’s Youth Agency. The Department provides training for youth workers, youth-project coordinators, representatives of voluntary organisations, local-government employees and youth policy-makers through the platform mitteformaalne.ee. It also publishes the Estonian youth-work magazine MIHUS and coordinates international training activities through SALTO-YOUTH and the Erasmus+ programme. In the youth field, Harno supports the implementation of youth policy, coordinates the national youth information service Teeviit, and helps local governments develop the quality of youth-work services.

References