The participation and co-determination of young people in politics at all levels, but also generally in society, is an important focal point of the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth.
In the interests of a successful implementation of the European Union white paper “A New Impetus for European Youth" in Austrian youth policy, the participation of young people is of particular importance.
Like youth policy in general, participation is a cross-sectional topic and requires implementation in all areas of politics.
The Ministry itself is in particular a provider of impulses and the coordinator for the establishment and extension of participation in a variety of fields. Support for clubs and associations, initiatives and projects plays a central role here. The Federal Youth Promotion Act, which came into effect in 2001, also defines projects worthy of support as those which in particular include the co-determination and participation of young people in all areas of life, as well as responsibility, independence and the promotion of democracy as principles of their youth work.
ARGE Partizipation
The Ministry is represented in the Participation Working Group, whose task is to coordinate participative measures in Austria and to further develop them – see their website www.jugendbeteiligung.cc (German only). The Participation Working Group is an institution of the provincial youth departments, because in terms of competencies, the implementation of co-determination and participation opportunities at provincial, regional and municipal levels is the task of the respective provinces.
