The aim of the European Youth Strategy 2019-2027 is to encourage "the participation of young people in democratic life", coupled with the desire to support their "social and civil commitment" and to "ensure that all young people have the necessary resources to take part in society.

The Strategy identifies participation as one of the guiding principles that "should be applied in all policies and activities concerning young people". It also stresses that “Recognizing that all young people are an asset to society, all policies and activities concerning young people should defend their right to participate in the design, implementation and follow-up of policies that affect them through a meaningful participation of young people and youth organizations. In this context, policies should be developed taking into account the changes caused by digital communication, which affect democratic and civil participation”.

In this chapter, the term "participation" refers to a broadly defined concept: in addition to the political participation of young people in the formal structures of representative democracy (i.e. as an elector and/or candidate for public office), the term also refers to the civil commitment and participation in civil society in general.