MAINSTREAMING OF

YOUTH ISSUES ACROSS

RELEVANT POLICY
SPHERES AND
FOSTERING A CROSSSECTORIAL APPROACH
CHISINAU 12.06.2014

BEHROOZ MOTAMED-AFSHARI

CROSS-SECTORAL?
Cross points between different policy areas
Joint target group (children, youngsters)
Youth as a resource not only a problem

Common action area, common region

Cooperation:
Sharing information and competences
Sharing objectives and goals
Sharing results

YOUTH POLICY?
Youth as full actors in society
Stimulating dialogue on youth at all levels
Dynamics on a local level (power of youth)

Active citizenship as an engine for society

Understanding youth - supporting the needs of youth
Mix between protection, provision and interaction
Not a stand alone policy
Youth policy starts with children
Official: documents, strategys, time frames, budgets

CROSS-SECTORAL
COLLABORATION
Inter-sectoral cooperation
Recognized relationship
Formed to take short/long term action
Effective, efficient or sustainable than in one sector alone
Inter-sectoral action

Central aim for achievement of greater equity in health or

well-being
Progress needed at number of areas that relate to living and
working spheres (school, work, housing, leisure time, justice
etc)

CROSS-SECTORAL
COLLABORATION
Cross-sectoral policies and cooperation strategies

Developing linkages across sectors

Broadening and deepening overall impact
Base for innovation
Integrated approach encompass mutually reinforcing
government, community and individual efforts.

INTEGRATED YOUTH
POLICY

Siurala 2006

WHAT IS NEEDED FOR CROSSSECTORAL COOPERATION?

1.

Finding common/complementary goals

2.

Right mix of players

3.

Tools for cross-sectoral cooperation

4.

Coordination

FINDING COMMON/
COMPLEMENTARY GOALS

Setting common goals together

Setting a relevant agenda together

Ensure YOUTH participation

Ensure measurement
Sectoral versus cross-sectoral policy: A proper rationale for
partners based on expertise in the youth field, from the
youth coordination body

RIGHT MIX OF
PLAYERS
Prioritise the partners = concentrate on the key domains
of youth policy
Ensure equal participation and ownership

Who represents stakeholder groups?

Intention, motivation, shared views?
Same language?

Leadership?

TOOLS FOR CROSS-SECTORAL

COOPERATION
Sustainability
Transparency of roles and responsibilities

Youth strategy/plan
Inter-sectoral Commissions/WGs
Common projects/Activities
Youth Councils/NGOs

TOOLS (EXAMPLES)
YOUTH STRATEGY/PLAN

+ Raising profile of youth

+ Political tool with no large impact
+ lack of monitoring tools
+ Little transfer to the local level

INTERSECTORAL
COMMISION/WG

+ members with little power at

ministries
+ Possibility to include outside
partners

COMMON PROJECTS/ACTIVITES + Accidental

+ Good starting point easier to
see common goals in specific
projects
YOUTH COUNCILS/NGOs

+ Holistic view, lobbying across

sectors
+ No real position in decisionmaking (Consultative up to
Tokenism)
+ Missing structures to include
them in the decision-making

COORDINATION
Coordination: leading to strategic push
Tendency to establish a ministry/service responsible for
youth

All youth issues are pushed to the youth service/ministry

Youth ministry = little power and budget
Leadership problems who takes a decision? Fear of
loosing authority?

Youth Check (2013)

(integrated in Austrian Youth Strategy/UN Convention of Children
rights)

Guiding principle:
ALL ministries must check (assess) each legislative initiatives
on their effects on children and young people. (federal budget
reform)
sharpening the awareness about the specific concerns and
needs of young people
broadening the normal adult-perspective
(from 030 years)

AUSTRIA

outcome oriented impact assessment on the effects of policy

measures (also in the future)

5 Steps assessment: Problem analysis, defining aims,

defining measures, impact assessment and internal
evaluation.

Outcome information for laws, ordinances, other legal

frameworks and major projects.

Online-tool

AUSTRIA

Main principle
youth perspective is mainstreamed in relevant policy areas on
the basis of promoting and providing equal approach to all
actors in youth work

Priorities:
to counteract the social exclusion
promote participation and voluntary activities
equal access to non-formal education.
Age: between 13 and 25

CZECH REPUBLIC

Youth policy:
implementation of tasks according to respective two-year
Action Plans
no specific budget, each ministry covers youth related actions
from its own budget
strong link to the EU Youth Strategy
strong focus on cross-sectorial approach

CZECH REPUBLIC 2

Tools:
An inner (ministerial) working group (coordinating /Preparing)

Thematic cross-sectorial working groups on 8+2 fields

A Youth Chamber as a cross-sectorial advisory body for
drafting, implementing and evaluating current and future
youth policies of the Czech Republic
Support structures for an intensive European cooperation in
the field of youth policies

CZECH REPUBLIC 3

Objectives of the Governments youth policy:

to ensure genuine access to welfare

to ensure genuine access to influence

Guiding principle:

Young people as a resource

young people important for growth and for social development
both at present and for the future.

Age: 13-25 years

SWEDEN

Basis:
governmental bill for Youth Policy (defines goals and the structure for a
yearly follow-up together with an action-plan)
Ministry of Education and Research

Tool:
Active cross-sectorial efforts within the Government Offices and vis a
vis other 16 National Agencies.
The National Board for Youth Affairs (NBYA) is the National Agency that
is assigned by the Government to implement youth policy on national
level and support the development on local level.

SWEDEN

Yearly Follow up:

focus on how the two main objectives are achieved within each of the following
prioritised areas of activity:

Education and learning

Work and income maintenance
Health and vulnerability
Influence and representation
Culture and leisure

16 national agencies / relevant statistics / yearly follow-up on youth policy.

Compilation of the statistics (NBYA ) it in order to describe the living
conditions of young people and report it to the government on a yearly
basis.
Conducting an annual thematic analyze of young peoples circumstances
within one or several selected main areas. The follow-up system also
includes regular studies of young peoples attitudes and values.

SWEDEN

GERMANY
Educational Chains

Preventive action tackling drop-out and early school leaving.

Combining different successful sectoral programmes
(Education/Employment) under one initiative
Cooperation between:
Federal Ministry of Education and Research,
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs,
Federal Employment Agency
Lnder and the social partners

 Support transition from general into vocational education

Prevent drop-outs
Supports young people to prepare for their general school
certificate and their vocational education.

Analysis of
potentials in
the 7th or 8th
year in
participating
secondary
general
schools.

Individual
career
choice
process

Coaching for
the transition
to work