On this page

1. Existence of a National Youth Strategy

2. Scope and contents

3. Responsible authority for the implementation of the Youth Strategy

4. Revisions/updates

Existence of a National Youth Strategy

National Youth Strategy

In 2009, the Parliament adopted the National Youth Strategy 2009-2024 (Nemzeti Ifjúsági Stratégia 2009-2024, referred hereinafter to as NYS) with the parliament Decision No. 88/2009 [88/2009. (X. 29.) OGY határozat a Nemzeti Ifjúsági Stratégiáról]. Its aim is

• to give long term directions for the improvement of living conditions of youth,
• to help all the stakeholders of the field in order to plan, to organise, and
• to implement measures related to youth.

The Strategy as a core document determines the main directions of improvement through the implementation of specific action plans that take into account the continuous revision of the conditions.

Programme for the Future of the New Generation 2012

In addition to the sustainable frameworks of NYS, the Government also launched its framework programme called Programme for the Future of the New Generation (referred hereinafter to as PFNG), which came into force as a Government Decision. The programme is financed by EU grants.

Scope and contents

The National Youth Strategy

Main elements

The overall aim of the Strategy is to 'help exploit the resources young people possess and support the social integration of age groups', which is to be implemented through the system of horizontal and specific aims.

The document sets out the implementation guidelines and timeframes and identifies the relevant administrative or executive authorities. The Government established two-year action plans for the implementation of the Strategy.

The main aim of the Strategy is

• to determine the direction of the development of young people,
• to create a social environment that helps the improvement of living conditions, and
• to support youth workers in shaping, organising, and implementing the policy measures.
   

The NYS is based on the following principles:

• integration and participation,
• solidarity and responsibility,
• success and value creation,
• subsidiarity and transparency,
• independence and development.
   

Responsibility of the state, horizontal objectives

The Strategy considers youth as a resource; therefore, its main aim is to support young people in individual and community activities. The responsibility of the state appears mainly in

• fostering integration into adult society,
• maintenance of the necessary institution system and
• providing services.

The horizontal objectives of the Strategy

'Fostering equal opportunities – To prevent social exclusion and marginalisation of youth groups and young people.

Living the identity of being Hungarian and European - To develop the relationship between Hungarian youth living in Hungary and beyond the borders, pass down their cultural traditions to future generations; and to represent in youth policy actions the values and objectives of the social and youth policies declared by the European Union and the Council of Europe.

A liveable environment – To develop society's approach in order to meet the set of criteria for sustainable development.' (National Youth Strategy)

Specific objectives

Development of the environment required for the successful social integration of youth groups. The four key development areas are the following:

• having children, family - to strengthen the social, economic and mental conditions of youth required for having and raising children and enhance the establishment and safety of their family environment,
• self-sufficiency - improving the employment and housing of young people,
• equal chances, solidarity - improving the employment and housing of young people,
• equal opportunities, solidarity – to reduce the chances of social exclusion and marginalisation and improving opportunities for social mobility. (National Youth Strategy)

Empowering youth groups and their communities:

• learning and its environment – to provide competitive knowledge and develop competences required for independent living,
• creating cultural values, culture mediation – to improve the quality of cultural consumption and participation in culture, reduce regional inequalities, improve access to info-communication, enhance coping and cooperation in an intercultural environment,
• awareness raising and social integration – to strengthen social and individual responsibility and awareness of youth groups (health, sustainable development, and so on), facilitate their integration and develop their communities. (National Youth Strategy)

Supporting youth work and the work of non-governmental youth organisations:

• civil society – to create conditions that enable the participation of youth organisations in providing services, to make use of the experience of youth organisations and members of the age group and to represent youth-specific criteria in governmental decision-making,
• resources and conditions – to establish and operate a transparent resource allocation system supporting youth initiatives and the youth profession,
• youth policy, the youth profession, youth work – to strengthen youth policy and the enforcement of child and youth rights, to elaborate the training portfolio and life path model of youth assistance and youth profession. (National Youth Strategy)

Specific target groups

The Strategy does not explicitly define specific target groups, but the objectives related to inclusion and solidarity underline the role of targeting young people with fewer opportunities, with disabilities. It also highlights equality between men and women, and different needs of young men and women must be taken into account in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the Strategy.

The adoption of the Strategy

The adoption of the Strategy was preceded by a large-scale consultation in which non-governmental organisations, 'the youth profession' and youth organisations of political parties took part. The consultation lasted about half a year, which is why it was adopted with a consensus in the Parliament. The preparation of the action plans was not based on such consultations, but the role of consultative bodies (mainly the National Youth Expert Forum) was considered.

Programme for the Future of the New Generation (PFNG)

The programme identified four areas for intervention:

• citizenship,
• housing and starting a family,
• career and self-sufficiency,
• leisure time – sport, entertainment and consumption of culture.

The tasks of this programme were previously assigned to the Department of Youth Affairs under the State Secretariat for Families in the Ministry for Culture and Innovation (Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium). The programme is implemented through the services of the Elisabeth Youth Fund [(Erzsébet Ifjúsági Alap) legal successor of the New Generation Centre)]. The programme has not yet been continued since the pandemic situation because, according to the information of the Ministry for Culture and Innovation, an alternative organisational framework such as the Elisabeth Youth Fund may be adopted in 2023, once a decision has been taken on the use of funds for the 2020-2027 EU budget cycle, including for youth work.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the Youth Strategy

In the Government, formed in 2022, youth affairs, the implementation of the Youth Strategy and the PFNG (and the coordination of intergovernmental elements) take place in the Ministry for Culture and Innovation (Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium), in the Department of Youth Affairs (Ifjúságügyi Főosztály) that belongs to the Deputy State Secretariat for Youth Affairs (Fiatalokért Felelős Helyettes Államtitkárság) under the State Secretariat for Families (Családokért Felelős Államtitkárság). These units are primarily responsible for the implementation of the Strategy (and for the coordination of the intergovernmental elements). 

The monitoring processes of the Youth Strategy include large sample youth research projects conducted every four years on a representative sample of 8 000 15-29 year olds. The findings of the survey are often referred to in youth policy planning. Besides these surveys, the action plans of the Youth Strategy also have indicators and monitoring processes. The latest research was conducted in 2020 (Magyar Fiatalok 2020). The Department of Youth Affairs follows the publication of the results of each cycle, and uses the findings for strategic planning.

In addition to these surveys, the action plans of the youth strategy also have indicators and monitoring processes. The most recent notable public evaluation of the Strategy is called Hungarian Youth 2020 (Magyar Ifjúság 2020), edited by the National Youth Expert Forum, published in 2013. The document evaluated the second action plan of the Strategy and drafted recommendations for the third (2014-2015). The main conclusions of the document strengthened the role of the large-scale youth research projects and called for a robust cross-sectoral cooperation.

Revisions/updates

According to the information provided by the Ministry in 2020, NYS is planned to remain without major changes in action till 2024, and its future implementation will take into account the European Youth Strategy 2019-2027.

According to the Ministry information from 2022, the main directions of strategic planning cover

• the need for reconstituting community life of young people,
• supporting young people to become financially independent and start families, as well as
• to foster volunteering.