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. Revisions/ Updates

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

For many years, there have not been any policy documents in Poland which have addressed young peoples' participation in development, implementation and follow-up of policy. There was also no coherent policy in this respect, and consequently, no appointed main or responsible agency. There were many documents related to, for example, environmental protection or sustainable development, but these were created by very different ministries, and it is impossible to identify the chief manager of these topics. As in other areas of the youth policy in Poland, these issues are usually dealt with by non-governmental organisations.

The situation began to change in 2019, when the Council for Dialogue With the Young Generation (Rada Dialogu z Młodym Pokoleniem) was established. It was created as a response to the common demand to increase the participation of the young generation in governmental decision-making. In the second half of 2020, the position of the Government’s Commissioner for Youth Politics was created, with the Commissioner having the position of a Vice-Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (Pełnomocnik Rządu ds. Polityki Młodzieżowej). The main duty of the Commissioner was to coordinate the dialogue between government agencies and other partners in regards to youth politics, and to create a strategic document outlining the national youth policy. In the 2021 the Commissioner conducted consultations that around 30 000 youths participated in. The aim of those consultations was to establish the foundations for the RP Policy for the Young Generation in a participatory fashion. The Commissioner’s office concluded its operations in march 2023, and the government did not extend its activities. The policy document itself was neither written, nor put forth for the legislative process. In the end, only a few suggestions gathered during the consultation process were enacted, such as raising the importance of the youth councils at the county level, or establishing the Youth Fund (Fundusz Młodzieżowy).

In 2018, the government’s Support Programme for Scout Organisations for 2018 through to 2030 was put into law (Rządowy Program Wsparcia Rozwoju Organizacji Harcerskich i Skautowych na lata 2018 – 2030). It is directed towards supporting scout organisations in the areas of education and core activities, and broad institutional support of the organisations themselves. As such, it is not is aimed at the youth in general, but just a section of it.

Scope and contents

Not applicable – there is no national strategy to increase young people’s political and civil society participation.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

Not applicable – there is no national strategy to increase young people’s political and civil society participation.

Revisions/Updates

Not applicable.