Increasing youth participation in policy (UA0097)

Public participation is an essential element of open government. At the same time, the youth are not sufficiently aware of the mechanisms and instruments of such participation, which would enable them to influence decisions concerning youth policy and on other matters which concern youth interests. Relevant knowledge and experience are essential for the youth to acquire civic competences, which will enable them to be active citizens in their adult lives. Meeting this obligation involves taking measures aimed at helping the youth master innovative instruments for public participation, which improve practicing, analysing, and forecasting alternate decisions in the process of taking thereof at national, regional, and local levels. Professional development of civil servants and civil society members working with the youth is also provided for, as well as facilitating youth involvement in forming policy and cooperation between the youth and public authorities in forming and implementing youth policy. Special online training courses will contribute to popularising the relevant instruments, both among the youth and among public authorities and local self-governing bodies. Meeting this obligation will contribute to raising youth awareness about the mechanisms of public participation and youth involvement in forming and implementing state regional policy, and addressing local issues. 33

Steps Responsible persons Time-frame Partners Performance indicator 1. Organising and holding trainings for the youth, especially members of youth advisory bodies, on the issues of participation, including the use of innovative technologies, in forming and implementing state policy and addressing issues of local importance Ministry of Youth and Sport June 2021– March 2022 All-Ukrainian Association for Youth Councils (by agreement) State Institution “AllUkrainian Youth Centre” (by agreement) the Council of Europe project “Strengthening Civil Participation in Democratic Decision Making in Ukraine” (by agreement) NGO Civil Society Development Forum (by agreement) civic association Kyiv Public Platform (by agreement) training events have been held for the youth, in particular, for representatives of youth advisory bodies; an online course with a system of testing acquired knowledge and skills has been prepared 2. Preparing training modules for the Civic Education for Youth Workers software to be used in online training Ministry of Youth and Sport January 2021– December 2022 UN Development Programme in Ukraine (by agreement) the availability of the software on one of the training platforms and / or on the Youth Worker website 3. Creating the online course Civic Education for Youth Workers and placing said course on one of the training platforms Ministry of Youth and Sport January 2021– December 2022 UN Development Programme in Ukraine (by agreement) at least One hundred (100) youth workers have taken the Civic Education for Youth Workers course and 34 Steps Responsible persons Time-frame Partners Performance indicator and / or on the website Youth Worker website collected standard national certificates

Action Plan Review

Commitment 11: Facilitating more active participation by the youth in forming and implementing state policy and addressing local issues

Results Report

Commitment 11. Facilitating more active participation by the youth in forming and implementing state policy and addressing local issues

This commitment aimed to equip young people with public participation tools and improve the capacity of civil servants and civil society in engaging young people.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports alongside the Civil Society Development Forum held nationwide workshops for 80 representatives of youth councils and centers on direct participation in public life. [98] These workshops covered the roles of youth councils, youth centers, and youth NGOs in participatory budgeting, petitions, consultations, and public hearings. In collaboration with the Youth Platform NGO, the Civil Society Development Forum, and the Council of Europe, the ministry also conducted trainings for over 100 representatives of local youth councils and youth advisory bodies, as well as a national forum on youth centers that was held in Lviv in October 2021 with 70 participants. [99]

The Civil Society Development Forum and the Council of Europe developed the CivicLab Methodology and online certification course on innovative approaches and digital tools for conducting and assessing participatory processes. [100] Graduates of the course facilitated consultations with young people to assist the government in developing legal amendments to the standards of youth centers and advisory bodies. A representative of the Civil Society Development Forum noted that the engagement of trained facilitators significantly accelerated the consultations and contributed to more effective participation process. [101]

The capacity building aligned with the Council of Europe’s Youth for Democracy in Ukraine project, which was launched in 2020 and enabled the implementation of some activities in this commitment. [102] Other contributing factors included the Youth Strategy 2030, [103] the Law on Youth Policy Main Principles, [104] and the Youth of Ukraine 2021–2025 state program. [105]

With UNDP support, the Ministry of Youth and Sport developed three modules of the Civic Education for Youth Workers training program. These modules cover concepts of citizenship, democracy, human rights, engaging youth in policymaking, and civic education initiatives development and advocacy. A training course for youth workers was held between March and May 2021, and then modified based on feedback from trainers, participants, and partners. [106] The course is not yet available online.

The commitment helped promote the involvement of young people in policymaking through capacity building and consultations. However, the IRM assesses the results as marginal because the activities have not yet fundamentally changed government practices of involving young people in decision making. The Youth Strategy 2030 and other related regulations are expected to improve youth participation but fall beyond the scope of this commitment.