The youth policy development course will enable you to develop the skills required to investigate, analyze and influence the policy-making processes that shape welfare services, particularly those that directly affect the quality of young people’s lives. It will focus in particular on the nature and scope of youth policy – the common themes that underpin national youth policies and the characteristic tensions within such policies. The relationship between youth policies and the wider policy environment will be considered. The program will also look at the criteria for success or failure of youth policies and the evaluation of their outcomes.
Course Outcomes
When participants successfully complete this program, they should be able to:
- Describe the origins, history and development of youth policies in at least two countries in your region.
- Outline the main themes that underpin the formulation, development and implementation of youth policies.
- Demonstrate a broad awareness of the impact of youth policies on youth development work.
- Evaluate the success of such policies through, for example, the use of performance indicators.
- Contribute to the strategic development of agencies in the youth development field through youth policy development.
- Establish and/or work within partnerships created to achieve key objectives of youth policy at local level.
- Influence policy-making processes in a way that is appropriate to your role.
Course Outlines
Youth policy Overview
- Policy Definition – social/welfare policy – youth policy
- Youth Policy
- Nature, Objectives and Importance
- Characteristics of youth policies
The scope of youth policy
- Policy planning and formulation
- Policy impact and implementation
- Analyzing Social Policy
- Social policy in context
- Government involvement in social policy
- Grassroots policy development: another approach
Youth policy principles
- Youth policy and the wider policy environment
- Elements of a successful youth policy
- Policy success and failure
- Measuring success or failure
- Elements of a successful policy
Frameworks in action
- Key headings for a youth policy
- Essential features of a youth policy
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of policies