Process of changing the youth policy in Poland caused by the youth strike for climate

The youth policy in Poland began to develop in connection with Poland’s accession to the European Union. Since 2019, these research areas were joined by the activities of young people as a part of the international youth social movement, i.e., the Youth Strike for Climate. The article presents the following research hypothesis: the activity of the Youth Strike for Climate indicates that the youth policy in Poland is undergoing a process of climatization. The following research questions were asked: What factors influence the interest in climate issues among young people? Was the youth gathered around the YSC active before the YSC activity? Is the activity at YSC related to other social/political activity of young people? Does the YSC influence political decisions? As a result of the survey, literature analysis and the conducted research, the research hypothesis was confirmed.

The reverted demographic pyramid makes youth a decreasing percentage of our increasingly ageing population, leaving youth groups with less power and chances to influence the future of public policies and services through established participation channels. There is a potential risk of losing the interests of broader, including less heard, youth groups in democratic decision-making and implementation. Research evidence shows that we need to broaden knowledge and accountability towards these groups by including them more in co-creation to secure their trust and meaningful policy impact. One major way to improve trust in the public sector is by enhancing the abilities of professionals, managers, politicians and NGOs to co-create public and individual values with youth groups for better services and solutions instead of acting and making decisions on their behalf. Also, cross-sector collaboration among institutional units or stakeholders from different sectors on a local scale is often required to enhance the value of services or local community decisions. This paper explores from a comparative perspective the local government’s readiness for enhanced democratic participation and co-creation of public services and public value with youth. Based on document studies, interviews and cross-sectoral learning dialogues between engaged researchers, public sector and NGO representatives conducted in three countries – Sweden, Finland, and Estonia – the paper illustrates the current perceptions of public professionals and managers regarding their approach to co-creation with youth and the public sector roles, readiness and perceived gaps. The paper distinguishes between the municipal ambitions of enhanced youth participation and co-creation.