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1. Formal Mechanisms of Consultation

2. Actors

3. Information on the extent of youth participation

4. Outcomes

5. Large-scale initiatives for dialogue or debate between public institutions and young people

Formal Mechanisms of Consultation

According to the principles and policies set down in the policy area of “Democratic Participation and Civic Consciousness” in the National Youth and Sports Policy Document, youth consultation is organised through written forms, meetings, workshops and questionnaires when planning a project or activity. Written demands of young people are evaluated within the Ministry. For larger-scale projects, survey services may be outsourced to research companies in order to identify young people’s demands and expectations. After implementation, feedback is collected through satisfaction surveys and other tools; results are analysed and used to inform future projects. In decision-making processes such as updating the National Youth and Sports Policy Document or developing new strategies, workshops are among the most frequently used consultation mechanisms.

In addition, youth centres operate as local-level channels where young people can submit opinions and demands related to youth centre activities in writing or verbally (Youth Centres – General Directorate of Youth Services). After compiling local expectations and demands, youth centres share them with the Ministry and may adjust activities accordingly.

At local level, City Council Youth Assemblies (within City Councils) may also contribute by presenting opinions to municipalities during the determination, implementation and monitoring of local strategies and action plans. The framework for City Councils is set by the City Council Regulation (Official Gazette, 08.10.2006).

Actors

The Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of National Education are among the key public authorities in relation to youth participation and youth consultation. In addition, youth NGOs contribute to youth consultation and participation, including through structured engagement around grant programmes and calls for proposals.

Within the framework of the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ Youth Projects Support Programme, meetings and workshops with broad participation from youth NGOs may be held before and after calls for proposals. In these meetings, youth representatives and young people can be consulted on thematic priorities and implementation issues, supporting ongoing cooperation between the Ministry and non-governmental youth actors.

Youth representation bodies described in Chapter 5.3 (e.g., youth assemblies within City Councils and student councils where applicable) may also function as channels through which youth inputs are conveyed to public decision-makers, depending on local arrangements and institutional practice.

Information on the extent of youth participation

Each public authority typically keeps its own inventory of participants in consultation processes (often including numbers and, in some cases, participant characteristics). However, since institutions collect and store these data separately, there is no single integrated national figure for the overall number of young people consulted across all authorities.

In the Ministry of Youth and Sports, youth centres may provide a partial indicator for youth outreach and consultation capacity at local level (Youth Centres). In some provinces—especially where there is a higher concentration of young migrants or disadvantaged young people—training programmes such as language courses, social inclusion and integration activities may be adapted based on local needs and feedback.

Evidence base and research supporting policy design (not a consultation mechanism):
To support evidence-informed policy making, the Ministry of Youth and Sports carries out and supports research and field studies that monitor changes related to young people and assess needs and expectations in youth and sports. One example is the Türkiye Youth Atlas, which aims to compile and analyse youth-related data at provincial/regional level to support planning and decision-making.

Outcomes

In the preparation stage of the National Youth and Sports Policy Document, opinions and suggestions of young people presented in workshops, as well as written inputs (including online channels where applicable), were evaluated and reflected in the document. The document is presented as having been prepared with a democratic and participatory method, based on inputs from public institutions, universities, NGOs, educators and especially young people.

Within the scope of the Youth Projects Support Programme, thematic calls for proposals have also been shaped to respond to needs identified through engagement with youth organisations and young people (programme overview: Youth Projects Support Programme).

Large-scale initiatives for dialogue or debate between public institutions and young people

Large-scale dialogue mechanisms in the youth and sports field have included national-level councils/consultative meetings foreseen in the Ministry’s framework and secondary legislation. In this context, a regulation on youth and sports councils (“şûra”) provides rules on the organisation and follow-up of council decisions (Youth and Sports Councils Regulation).

For example, the 2nd Youth Council (2012) addressed topics including education, employment and entrepreneurship, disadvantaged young people and participation in social life, youth in the international arena, healthy life, sports and environment, internet and media, democracy consciousness and participation, culture and arts, leisure time activities, and ethics and humanitarian values. Decisions discussed in such council settings were reported as feeding into policy development, including the National Youth and Sports Policy Document.