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. Monitoring and evaluation

5. Revisions/ Updates

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

One of the main political areas of the National Youth and Sports Policy Document is “Democratic Participation and Civic Consciousness". In the policies and targets specified under this policy title, young people are encouraged to participate in political process actively and become members of nongovernmental organisations.

Scope and contents

Democratic Participation and Citizenship Consciousness main policy field includes the following policies and targets:

Policy 1. Increasing the representation of young people at the national and local assemblies and eliminating the communication gap between the local administrations and youth.

Targets

• To establish an umbrella youth structure with the participation of organisations and institutions related to youth, especially nongovernmental organisations and to encourage the participation of youth nongovernmental organisations in this structure.
• To support the active participation of young people in the decision making mechanisms of local administrations.
• To support the participation of nongovernmental organisations related to youth in the policy making processes at the level of Grand National Assembly of Turkey, municipal council and general provincial council.
• To increase the opportunities for young people to participate in political processes.

Policy 2. Encouraging young people to be involved in nongovernmental organisations as founder, manager and member.

Targets

• To generalise the projects in relation to young people’s being members of nongovernmental organisations and having awareness in this field.

• To ensure that the related organisations and institutions provide all kinds of support in relation to establishment and works of the nongovernmental organisations carrying out studies on youth.

• To support the cooperation of the youth associations with the other youth associations on the local, regional, national and international level, especially with the neighbour countries.

Responsible authority for the implementation of the strategy

Article 18 of the Decree Law No 638 on Organisation and Duties of the Ministry of Youth and Sports includes the provision; “National Youth and Sports Policy Document is drawn up by the Ministry and submitted for the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers with the purpose of ensuring coordination and cooperation among the public organisations and institutions which carry out the policies and activities affecting the young people directly or indirectly. National Youth and Sports Policy Document is reviewed and revised in every four years at the latest. When revising the National Youth and Sports Policy Document, suggestions of the related public organisations and institutions, sports federations and nongovernmental organisations are taken into consideration”. In the paragraph (ç) of the article 8 in the same document; “The duty to carry out the preparatory works and monitor the implementation in relation to the National Youth and Sports Policy Document is given to the Ministry of Youth and Sports. In accordance with these provisions, the authority responsible for the coordination and implementation of the strategy is the Ministry of Youth and Sports.”

There are two affiliated general directorates in the Ministry working to ensure the implementation of policies and policy objectives.

General Directorate of Education, Research and Coordination carries out projects and studies in the field of youth. In this context, 13 project calls have been made since 31 March 2012 when the Project Regulation of the Ministry of Youth and Sports was published in the Official Gazette. Youth Projects Support Programme aims to support the personal and social development of youth, to enable young people to realize their potential, to increase young people’s active participation in decision –making and implementation processes and to all areas of social life and to support mobility, culture, art, education and social cohesion projects aiming to bring innovative ideas to life.

General Directorate of Youth Services determines the principles and procedures of establishing and operation of youth centres and similar facilities as well as youth camps and carries out activities to improve and promote such facilities. Besides it conducts the activities of youth week in Turkey.

Monitoring and evaluation

The authority responsible for the coordination, implementation and monitoring of the strategy is the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The Ministry of Youth and Sports annually asks the stakeholder and responsible institutions which are identified in the National Youth and Policy Document what they have achieved in relation to related policies and targets by means of official letters. The Ministry draws up the activity report in accordance with the data obtained from the institutions. The Ministry prepares activity report every year to evaluate state of play with respect to the fulfilment of strategies and objectives.

Revisions/Updates

Article 18 of the Decree Law No 638 on Organisation and Duties of the Ministry of Youth and Sports includes the provision; “National Youth and Sports Policy Document is drawn up by the Ministry and submitted for the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers with the purpose of ensuring coordination and cooperation among the public organisations and institutions which carry out the policies and activities affecting the young people directly or indirectly. National Youth and Sports Policy Document is reviewed and revised in every four years at the latest. When revising the National Youth and Sports Policy Document, suggestions of the related public organisations and institutions, sports federations and nongovernmental organisations are taken into consideration”.