Strategic policies and decisions concerning young people are one of the main thematic areas of the "Youth for Community" project, financed by the Central State Office for Demography and Youth.

In addition to the direct involvement of participants in the activities, the project seeks to inform the interested public about the active participation of young people through a public campaign, which covers a number of topics important for the inclusion of young people in decision-making processes.

Since the basic national and local documents related to young people are based on European policies, this article will present documents and programs whose guidelines aim to recognize young people as relevant stakeholders in the social community who should actively decide on issues of their interest.

TRENDS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The main trends related to young people in the European Union have both a positive and a negative character. On the one hand, the standard of young people is improving thanks to the increasing level of education of young people, opportunities to find employment, improvement of social inclusion, reduced level of risky forms of behavior, increased interest in involvement in decision-making processes thanks to new technologies and increased level of participation in volunteer activities. On the other hand, the fundamental challenges faced by young people are difficulties in educational achievements, still high levels of poverty and social exclusion, health risks as a result of obesity and insufficient physical activity, lack of interest in participating in elections, and pronounced inequalities in the areas of education, employment and inclusion (European Commission, 2018).

The European Union and its member states are trying to respond to these and other challenges primarily with strategic documents that define the areas and measures and activities that key stakeholders will implement in order to generally improve the position and raise the standards of young people in society. Also, the European Union continuously operationally and financially supports the implementation of programs that contribute to improving the position of young people in the areas of education, training, employment, mobility and sports.

EUROPEAN UNION STRATEGY FOR YOUTH

While respecting the general responsibility of the member states for youth policy, the European Union Youth Strategy, agreed by the ministers of the European Union, establishes a framework for cooperation. It has two main goals: to ensure more and equal opportunities for young people in education and on the labor market, and to encourage young people to actively participate in society. 

The objectives of the Strategy are achieved through a dual approach that includes: (1) specific youth initiatives, aimed at young people, to encourage informal learning, participation, volunteer activities, work with young people, mobility and information; (2) expanding cross-sectoral initiatives that ensure that youth issues are taken into account when formulating, implementing and evaluating policies and activities in other areas that have a significant impact on young people, such as education, employment or youth health and well-being. 

The EU Youth Strategy proposes initiatives in eight areas, which served as one of the models for shaping the structure of the City Action Program for the Youth of the City of Samobor. The areas covered by the Strategy are employment and entrepreneurship, social inclusion, participation, education and training, health and well-being, volunteer activities, youth and the world, and creativity and culture.

In 2018, the Council of the European Union adopted the Resolution on the new European Union strategy for youth 2019-2027. and held a discussion on its implementation. The strategy is expected to develop its cross-sectoral approach by addressing the needs of young people in other EU policy areas. The strategy includes 11 youth goals as results of the sixth cycle of structured dialogue between the European Union and youth. The new strategy proposes the following fundamental areas of action: (1) Inclusion: encouraging the participation of young people in civic and democratic life; (2) Connecting: connecting young people throughout the European Union and beyond with the aim of encouraging volunteer engagement, learning mobility, solidarity and intercultural understanding; (3) Empowerment: support for youth empowerment through quality, innovation and recognition of youth work.

STRATEGY EUROPE 2020.

The Europe 2020 strategy targets young people and focuses on various objectives, including reducing early school leaving, increasing the share of young graduates and developing a comprehensive package of policy initiatives for education and employment. These include "Your first EURES job", a mobility program aimed at increasing employment opportunities across Europe (Franke, Hériard, 2018). The Europe 2020 strategy has three leading initiatives in the field of employment, social issues and inclusion: (1) help students and trainees gain experience in other countries, improving the quality and attractiveness of education and training in Europe; (2) adapt training for future jobs, create new jobs and review employment rules in the European Union and (3) develop a European platform to fight poverty and social exclusion with the goal of lifting at least 20 million people out of poverty and exclusion by 2020 ( Consejo de la Juventud de España, 2013.)