This program 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.

Program Benefits

When you successfully complete this program, you 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 the local level
• Influence policy-making processes in a way that is appropriate to your role