According to the Youth Law young people in Latvia are persons from 13 to 25 years of age.
The 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. 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 bases of the youth policy is youth work — planned practical set of activities developed for young people (events, projects, programmes) in order to improve their life quality.
The implementation of youth policy is influenced by several aspects, because the life of young people is connected with the majority of state policy fields, therefore this is the inter-sectoral policy which has to implement particular tasks of youth policy; support youth initiatives, non-formal education, opportunities for useful free-time activities, access to information.
In order to ensure the youth and youth workers, as well as the policy makers on the state and municipality level with the information connected with youth affairs, the Ministry of Education and Science administers the Youth Policy and Youth Opportunities Portal www.jaunatneslietas.gov.lv.
According to their functions, the municipalities carry out youth work taking into consideration the basic principles of youth policy and the state policy planning documents in the field of youth. Municipal youth affairs specialists work with youth and collaborate with persons involved in the implementation of youth policy, come up with suggestions for the development of youth policy, implement and coordinate informative and educational events, projects and programmes in the field of youth policy and other activities that promote the improvement of life quality of young people.
Contacts and Information Sources:
Ministry of Education and Science, Phone: +371 67226209, pasts@izm.gov.lv
Department of Policy Initiatives and Development, Phone: +371 67047766, 67047906
Agency for International Programmes for Youth, Phone +371 67358065, info@jaunatne.gov.lv, www.jaunatne.gov.lv