According to the Youth Law, young people in Latvia are persons from 13 to 25 years of age.
Youth policy is the purposeful set of activities in all the fields of state policy to promote the wholesome and versatile development of young people, their inclusion in the society, and improvement of life quality. It is an inter-sectoral policy, implemented by various state administration and municipality institutions, as well as youth organizations and other individuals or legal entities. Young people themselves also participate in the development and implementation of youth policy.
The implementation of youth policy is influenced by several aspects, as the lives of young people are connected with the majority of state policy fields. The youth policy planning process involves evaluating youth problems, identifying obstacles to their activities, and accordingly setting goals, tasks, and measures to remove those obstacles and create favorable conditions for youth development and participation in social, political, economic, and cultural life.
As a result of implementing the youth policy, stakeholders (state and municipality institutions, youth organisations, etc.) promote the initiatives of young people, their participation in the decision-making processes and social life, support youth work and provide children with easier transition to adult status envisaging corresponding activities for personal development of young people. The basis of youth policy is youth work — a planned practical set of activities developed for young people (events, projects, programmes) in order to improve their life quality.
On a national level, the Ministry of Education and Science is the leading state administration institution in the field of youth policy, responsible for its development, organization, and coordination. It also promotes cooperation among stakeholders in the youth sector and organizes training for youth affairs specialists.
On an international or European Union level, the European Union Council is responsible for youth policy. It develops recommendations and standards for EU member states and ensures youth involvement in important decision-making processes, for example, by participating in the European Youth Dialogue.
On a local or regional level, municipalities within the territory of the Republic of Latvia are responsible for the implementation of youth policy. According to the Municipalities Law, performing work with youth is one of a municipality's autonomous functions. Municipal youth affairs specialists work with youth, collaborate with persons involved in youth policy implementation, make suggestions for the development of youth policy, and implement and coordinate informative and educational events, projects, and programmes.
In order to ensure that youth and youth workers, as well as policymakers on the state and municipality level, have access to information related to youth affairs, the Ministry of Education and Science administers the Youth Policy and Youth Opportunities Portal www.jaunatneslietas.gov.lv.