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Policy in Action
Start date: Sep 1, 2014, End date: May 31, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Aġenzija Żgħażagħ has been coordinating the Structured Dialogue on a local level for the past four cycles and in line with the 'Renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-2018)' the agency is always looking for innovative ways to create spaces where a wider array of young people and policy makers can meet and discuss relevant policy issues. The project ‘Policy in Action’ provided a platform that offered a practical way to facilitate such a dialogue. Groups of young people came together and discussed a number policy actions found in the new National Youth Policy with decision makers and youth workers to come up with youth-friendly strategies that will ultimately help with the implementation of such policy issues. Further to this, this project also promoted the cross-sectoral dimension of youth policy by working with different Government departments, agencies and other entities simultaneously. At the core of this project were four national youth meetings that addressed four key priority areas in the new National Youth Policy: ‘Education and Training’, ‘Social Inclusion’, ‘Participation of Young People and Youth Organisations’ and ‘Community and Voluntary Activities’. During these four national youth meetings a number of young people from different youth organisations youth organisations discussed with key decision makers and youth workers ways to implement some of the policy actions found in the National Youth Policy document related to these four themes. After these national youth meetings, with the feedback collected during the national meetings Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, the youth ambassadors, decision makers and youth workers set-up four information campaigns that were intended to inform an even wider audience of the Structured Dialogue and raise awareness on relevant policy issues. In this regard, the main objective of this project was to start a structured dialogue between youth organisations and key decision makers and then take this dialogue to a wider spectrum of young people. This project created an opportunity where young people from different backgrounds and with different skills and needs discussed some of the action plans found in the National Youth Policy and in return they influenced and/or understood better the decisions that have a direct impact on the quality of their life. The policy actions that were discussed were: • In the policy priority of Education and Training: the transition from compulsory to further education; tackling early school leaving and improving literacy; • In the policy priority of Social Inclusion: Young people and labelling; young people and mental health issues and inclusion through sports. • In the policy priority of Community and Voluntary activities: The value of youth organisations and volunteering in such organisations. • In the policy priority of Participation of Young People and Youth Organisation: The Youth Village, the concept and the way forward. Two of the policy priorities were also priority areas of the previous cycles of the Structured Dialogue so such discussion created a space for youth organisations and policy makers and youth workers to reflect both on the youth policy actions of each theme and the recommendations that were issued after each Structured Dialogue consultation phase. The other two Community and Voluntary activities and Participation of Young People and Youth Organisation were chosen due to national priorities.
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