CLEAR RESPONSIBILITIES AND OVERARCHING STANDARDS

25 March 2025

The political participation of children, young people and young adults is a fundamental concern of the Federal Youth Advisory Board (Bundesjugendkuratorium – BJK). It also believes that the federal government has a responsibility in this area. From the perspective of this expert commission, three points are key to effectively involving young people in policy consultation at the federal level: clear responsibilities, compliance with standards for child and youth participation and a sustainable and transparent design of participation formats.

Making Participation a Matter of Course

Child and youth participation at the federal level should not depend on the interest or commitment of individual staff members or departments within the federal ministries. In this context, the BJK is calling for not only the BMFSFJ but every federal ministry and the Federal Chancellery to establish a fixed remit for involving young people in policy consultation at the start of each parliamentary term. Furthermore, children and young people must also be able to rely on the fact that despite the diversity of participation opportunities and political topics, overarching standards in the design and structure of participation formats are upheld. Only when these quality criteria are met can child and youth participation at the federal level be considered effective. Finally, firmly anchored structures are required to establish the participation of young people as a matter of course. As part of every participation process, all young people involved should receive age-appropriate and transparent feedback on the impact of their advisory input. Such transparency signals respect for young people’s expertise.

Photo credit: designed by Sofie Jokerst