Strategic partner
With current needs and the future of Lublin's youth in mind, the City has undertaken to develop its youth policy until 2030. The document is to set the development directions for Lublin as a youth friendly city, and conclude the special year 2023 in which the City is proud to have the honourable title of European Youth Capital.
The Youth Policy is a document that is to set the development directions of Lublin as a friendly and open place providing a wide range of possibilities for young people to grow. The process for youth policy development is founded on the participation of young people, particularly those groups whose needs have not been defined yet. The document is to provide clear and comprehensive answers to the question of how we should shape responsible urban policy to empower young people. It is vital to notice their autonomy and to create appropriate conditions for participation in urban life. The document, which is to be drawn up in the course of a multi-stage process, will consist of the diagnostic part, providing a brief introduction to the research methodology, description of values and development directions of the youth policy of the City of Lublin, and proposals for adequate tools and measures. The final form of the document will include abbreviated graphic content taking into account all accessibility requirements.
The youth policy development process is divided in several stages. The first step was desk research. Based on the search query of available documents, reports, statistical data and the results of previous research into youth issues, tools for supplementary studies were developed, including:
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6 individual interviews with officials representing the City of Lublin, the representatives of the Lublin Youth City Council, the representative of a non-governmental organisation working with/for youth and representatives of an educational institution;
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6 in-depth focus group interviews – with students attending primary schools, vocational schools and technical secondary schools, university students, young people with special needs, i.a., students representing special schools and care & education establishments, and youth workers dealing with young people, i.a., in immigrant circles, in the sphere of culture, sports, participation, higher education, and community work, as well as with a group of NEET youth (not in employment, education or training).
The group interview participants were mostly recruited on a random-sample basis. We placed particular emphasis on selecting persons who had not been subjects in any youth engagement research, non-engaged socially, or without any leadership experience. After the research stage was complete, the first draft of the document was prepared and further consulted with relevant organisational units of the Lublin City Office and with the Lublin City Council. Following the collection of opinions in respect of feasibility of the proposed solutions and action directions, the document will be subject to further proofreading and referred to public consultations in line with the applicable local laws, in a manner that is open to all city residents. The consultations are being held between 9 and 24 November with the use of various consultation tools, including an open questionnaire and workshops addressed to young people, youth workers, officials and employees of urban institutions. The remarks will be summarised in a report on the consultation process.
The entire procedure for the development of the Lublin youth policy has ensured accessibility to persons with special needs. In the course of the procedure, officials and representatives of organisations that co-create the policy had a chance to learn about good practices of other cities which are implementing the provisions of their documents. The City invited the Field of Dialogue Foundation [Fundacja Pole Dialogu], having extensive experience in participatory and youth-focused activities, to cooperate on the preparation of the document in collaboration with the Lublin Research Group [Lubelska Grupa Badawcza] and the Shipyard Foundation [Fundacja Stocznia].
In case of any queries, please contact the Social Participation Department of the Lublin City Office: , tel. +48 81 466 2555.
