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1. Policy legal framework

2. Funding

3. Cooperation

Policy legal framework

Legislative Decree Number 638 on the Organization and Duties of the Ministry of Youth and Sports: It was the legal framework for youth work in Turkey. After the adoption of new governmental system, with the issuing of Presidential Decree 1 dated 10/07/2018, legal basis of youth work reframed on similar terms with this former decree. However, with the reorganisation of the Ministry on the basis of new governmental system, education and research in youth work have come to be addressed by specific departments within the General Directorate of Education, Culture, Research. 

National Youth and Sports Policy Document: It laid down main areas of youth work and specified the procedures and basis of youth work in line with the policy areas. Even though National Youth and Sports Policy Document remained in force between 2013-2017 years, it still keeps being a guiding document for policies and policy measures which are created and implemented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in the field of youth participation as well as other policy areas.

Ministry of Youth and Sports Regulation for Youth and Sports Experts: Youth and Sports Expert is a career occupation in youth work and its occupational development is regulated in accordance with “Regulation for Youth and Sports Experts”.

Ministry of Youth and Sports Directive of  Procedures and Principles of Youth Leadership Training, Development and Working: Procedures regarding the career and development of Youth Leaders who are the active actors of the youth work in the field are regulated in accordance with the “Directive on Ministry of Youth and Sports Youth Leadership Development Training and Work Procedures and Principles”.

Funding

There are various grant programmes which support non-governmental organisations engaged in youth work financially in Turkey. However, “Youth Project Support Programme” under the responsibility of Ministry of Youth and Sports has a separate place in this field on the grounds that it directly targets the youth organisations, youth workers and youth groups. Shortly after its foundation, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has issued the “Ministry of Youth and Sports Project Regulations” (Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı Proje Yönetmeliği).The basic aim of the abovementioned Regulations is “to support the personal and social development of young people; enable them to realise their potentials; increase their active participation in decision making and implementation processes and each field of social life; create and carry out project support programmes in relation to facilitating their access to youth and sports services and realizing innovative ideas (additional clause: RG-30/4/2016-29699) and carry out joint projects with real and legal entities, youth groups and youth communities by the Ministry of Youth and Sports by taking the needs of young people and youth groups into consideration.” This regulation has enabled the Ministry to grant the youth projects and initiatives in many areas such as, culture, art, participation, social inclusion, education and entrepreneurship. The efforts for youth participation and social inclusion which are priority themes of youth work in Turkey have always been an important part of the all sorts of granted projects.

Above all, the youth work which is conducted by the service units of the Ministry is afforded by the annual budget allocated to the Directorate General of Education, Research, Coordination, Directorate General of Youth Services and Directorate General of Foreign Relations and International Organisations within the Ministry.  

Cooperation

Youth work in Turkey is based on works and activities carried out in cooperation of many public authorities and civil society. Youth work carried out by various public authorities (primarily Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Family and Social Services, Ministry of Labor and Social Security, National Agency, public universities) are coordinated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in line with the policy measures and activities in the its law of foundation. Youth Centres affiliated with the Ministry of Youth and Sports function  as the grassroot organisations of youth work at local level across Turkey. Furthermore, efforts continue to establish Youth Offices aimed at extending activities of youth centers to schools, universities, dormitories, sports halls and neighborhoods and strengthening  the connection between students and the Ministry. Currently, there are a total of 351 youth offices, including 129 in universities, 48 in schools, 99 in dormitories, 51 in neighbourhood and 24 in sports halls..

In Turkey youth work directed to empower young people by offering them job and carrer opportunities is viewed a valuable component of youth work. The main actors of employment and entrepreneurship, respectively İŞ-KUR and KOSGEB interact with other public authorities, organisations of employers and employees. There is a close cooperation between İS-KUR and the Ministry of National Education in the field of training high quality workforce and vocational education thanks to the Protocol for Training Workforce and Service Concord between the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Ministry of Labour and Social Security. In the same vein, İŞ-KUR collaborates with universities to inform the students about professional career possibilities.

With respect to international cooperation on youth work, "Protocol on Cooperation in Youth Policies” was signed and took effect between the Republic of Turkey Ministry of State Responsible for Youth and Sports and Federal Republic of Germany Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens and Youth on 18 April 1994. In this vein, Turkish-German Mixed Experts Commission was established. Commission meetings have been held in both countries in turns since 2002. In accordance with the decisions made in the commission meetings, various training activities have been carried out by means of youth and expert exchanges. All planned activities are reported and carried out by the parties within the predetermined schedule in accordance with the reciprocity principle.