Youth policy in Finland
What is sustainable policy in youth matters?
Implementation of youth policies
2.3.2011
Eva Roos, Planning Officer, Advisory Council for Youth Affairs, Ministry of Education and Culture
1. Definitions (Youth Act)
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young people means those under 29 years of age;
youth policy means improving young people’s growth and living conditions
youth work means the promotion of active citizenship in young people’s
leisure time, their empowerment, support to young people’s growth and
independence, and interaction between generations;
active citizenship means young people’s goal-oriented activity in civil
society;
national youth organisation means a registered association which
implements the purpose of this act and whose operations extend to the
whole country;
(Policy is the end result of a process during which governments and other
institutions first recognize that a particular need or problem exists and then
state their intention to do something about it)
2. THE ACTORS
The Ministry of Education and Culture
MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
State Secretary
Internal Audit
MINISTER OF CULTURE AND SPORT
State Secretary
PERMANENT SECRETARY
Communications and Public Relations
International Relations
DEPARTMENT FOR
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
POLICY
DEPARTMENT FOR
CULTURAL, SPORT AND
YOUTH POLICY
ADMINISTRATION
DEPARTMENT
• Department´s Office
• Division for Cultural Legislation and
Finance
• General Administration Division
• Division for Art Policy
Cultural Export and Exchange Unit
• Financial Planning Division
• Division for Cultural Policy
Copyright Unit
• Information Management Division
• General Education Division
• Vocational Education Division
• Division for Higher Education and
Science
Higher Education
Research
• Division for Adult Education and
Training
• Sports Division
• Youth Policy Division ( 13 +1)
• Human Resources Division
• Financial Administration Division
THE STATE ADVISORY COUNCIL FOR YOUTH
AFFAIRS
• is appointed by the Government to act as an expert body on child
and youth policy. 4-year term.
• operates within the Ministry of Education and Culture
• National youth organisations and youth work organisations can
propose members to the Advisory Council (14+1+2)
• the key task is to monitor and annually evaluate the implementation
of the Youth Policy Development Programme
• participates in the preparation of the Youth Policy Development
Programme
• responsible for bringing young people’s perspective into the
decision-making process
• produces up-to-date information about young people and their living
conditions (annual Youth Barometer, indicators, research)
Youth Organisation Subsidy Committee
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Attached to the Ministry of Education and Culture
4-year term
members are nominated by youth organisations (7+1+1)
annually submits a proposal to the Ministry of Education and Culture
for state subsidies to be allocated to national youth organisations
• evaluates and develops the subsidy system
• About a hundred organisations receive government support
3.THE LEGAL BASIS, A TOOL
FINNISH YOUTH ACT (72/2006)
• latest update 1.1.2011 - Outreach youth work & multidisciplinary cooperation
• specifies the objectives and values of youth work and policy
• purpose to support young people's growth and independence, to promote
active citizenship and empowerment, to improve young people's living
conditions
• values are communality, solidarity, equity and equality, multiculturalism and
internationalism, healthy life styles, and respect of life and the environment
• The Youth Act is also an act on the financing of youth work and it lays down
provisions on support systems for youth work and policy
THE YOUTH ACT
•
Outreach youthwork. Aim & description: to reach the young people in need of support and
•
Multidisciplinary cooperation. A guidance and service network for young people in
help them gain access to the types of services and support that promote their growth and
independence as well as their entry into education and the world of work. The municipalities
should appoint a youth division authority responsible for the implementation of outreach youth
work. 56 % of Finland's municipalities so far.
municipalities with representation from educational, social and health care, and youth
departments as well as labour, police and defence administration.
The aim: to improve the possibilities for the young to get the public service they need. To
strengthen the early support for entering education and work life. By gathering information on
the conditions in which young people grow up and live. The network should make it easier for
young people to access the services, moving from one service to another and should promote the
smooth exchange of information concerning the provision of youth services by planning joint
procedures between various authorities
•
8 §: “Young people must be given opportunities to take part in the handling of matters
concerning youth work and youth policy. They must also be heard in matters concerning them.”
Youth Policy Development Programme
Youth Act, Section 4:
1. The Government shall adopt a youth policy development programme
every four years. The development programme shall contain the
national objectives for youth policy and provide guidelines for youth
policy programme work at the provincial (regional) and local
levels. The development programme shall be revised according to
need.
2. The development programme shall be prepared by the Ministry of
Education and Culture together with the other ministries concerned.
During the preparation, they must hear major stakeholders in youth
work and youth policy.
ISSUES COVERED BY THE CHILD AND
YOUTH POLICY PROGRAMME 2007–2011
• Six strategic priorities – towards a life cycle policy:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
An effective system of preventive basic services;
Effective services at points of transition, change and crisis in life;
Early intervention and support;
Multiprofessional and cross-sectoral action;
Competence assurance and customer orientation; and
Anticipation, evaluation and monitoring of the impact of decision-making on children and
families
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHILD AND
YOUTH POLICY PROGRAMME 2007–2011
1. The policy programme for the well-being of children, youth and
families
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The policy programme for the well-being of children, youth and families launched by Prime
Minister Vanhanen's second Cabinet is divided into three areas; a child-oriented society ;
well-being of families and prevention of social exclusion
The Child and Youth Policy Programme creates a basis for the Policy Programme and its
cross-sectoral objectives
2. The State Advisory Council for Youth Affairs
–
Evaluates annually the implementation of the Child and Youth Policy Programme
3. Monitoring of the Government Programme
– Government mid-term policy review
– the Goverment reports to the Parliament at the latest in 2011 of the
The Child and Youth Policy Programme
4.THE FINANCING OF YOUTH WORK
- an essential tool
The state budget 2010: 50 474 million €
(The Ministry of Education and Culture: 6 218 million €)
The state budget 2011: 50 527 million €
(The Ministry of Education and Culture: 6 730 million €)
Ministry of Interior
0,2 %
1%
3%
4%
Ministry of Defence
4%
5%
President
0,2 %
1%
3%
0,03 %
0,04 %
Ministry of Finance
Parliament of Finland
23 %
6%
23 %
Ministry of Justice
30 %
Ministry of Education and Culture
30 %
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
8%
Ministry of Transport and Communications
0,2 %
2%
4%
6%
2%
Ministry of Employment and the Economy
Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
Prime Minister´s Office
12 %
Ministry of Environment
Interest payments on state debt
7%
4%
0,3 %
6%
2%
3%
13 %
The state budget 2010
The Ministry of Education and Culture sector
2010
2011
Budget Budget
Mill. euro
512
8
115
-4
-3
Sector of the Minister of Education and Science 4 632 5 043
411
9
Main Class 29 total
Administration, Church Affairs and Total expenditure
in the Ministry of Education and Culture sector
6 218 6 730
Change
2010-2011
mill. €
%
118
General education
855
905
50
6
Vocational education
666
698
32
5
Adult education
503
513
10
2
University education
2 607 2 927
320
12
Sector of the Minister of Culture and Sport
1 468 1 572
105
7
Student financial aid
890
937
47
5
Culture and the arts
Sport
Youth work
385
130
61
426
144
65
41
14
4
11
10
6
The Ministry of Education allocates funds from the state youth budget to:
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local youth work
national youth organisations
civic organisations doing youth work
national youth centres
international cooperation
youth facilities construction
youth workshop activities
youth research
young people's cultural pursuits
morning and afternoon activities for schoolchildren
preventive drug and intoxicant work
• Within the Ministry budget, youth work is mainly funded with money
from the national lottery, about 9 % of the National lottery's
revenue/proceeds. Other beneficiaries are the arts, sports and
science
• The State supports the municipalities and their youth work
• The Ministry of Education and Culture allocates government
transfers to local authorities for youth work based on the number of
young residents under 29 years of age
Thank you & let's continue with...
...discussion (10-15 minutes) and some hard
work (15-20 minutes)
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What did you find positive/interesting in the Finnish Youth Policy system?
What did you find sustainable?
What did you find less positive?
Any ressemblance to the Youth Policy in your country? What do you have
that Finland does not?
How could the implementation be done more effectively?
====> Let's build a model for a sustainable Youth Policy
Think tanking in groups
1. Why is there a need for a Youth Policy?
2. What do we need? Actors, tools, values?
3. How do we do it? (implementation)
4. Slogan, motto for a sustainable Youth Policy?
---->
Did we together manage to build a basis for a sustainable Youth
Policy?
What do we have to bear in mind? Problems to take into consideration?