Luxembourg Youth Policy to Focus on Empowering Young People

On Monday 16 December 2024, Luxembourg's Minister of Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, presented the priorities in the field of youth policy.

"Young people today face personal challenges at different stages of their lives, such as choosing a training course, transitioning to professional life or finding housing," said Minister Meisch. "These challenges are amplified by global and societal changes, which influence not only their personal development, but also their future. This is why the essential mission of youth policy is to make young people stronger and more resilient in the face of the challenges of the modern world."

Guided by the motto "Jonker staark machen" (making young people strong, or empowering young people) and in collaboration with the youth sector, Luxembourg's Ministry of Education, Children and Youth said it will expand the places, offers and activities for young people.

The ministry stated that, faced with the challenges of an increasingly digital world, marked in particular by the amount of time young people spend on their smartphones and social networks, it is essential to offer opportunities and places that encourage encounters in the real world.

Youth centres and youth organisations offer an important analogue alternative to the digital world of young people, according to the ministry. They play a central role in youth work and create a platform where young people can develop. Moreover, they offer young people a place to meet each other, with creative spaces to work on projects, but also a place to share their worries and anxieties and find advice outside the school or parental framework. This non-formal framework allows young people to develop practical, relational and civic skills in environments adapted to their needs.

The ministry is set to strengthen youth centres and youth organisations across the country so that they can devote more time to their mission of offering cultural, social and sporting activities to young people. This mission is reportedly in line with the principles of the government programme and the "Screen-Life-Balance" initiative.

However, for appropriate youth work and an adequate offer, the ministry stressed the need to know who today's young people are. The National Youth Service (SNJ) has thus launched an annual publication of the "Jugendbarometer" under the title "Les jeunes au Luxembourg" / "D'Jugend zu Lëtzebuerg". It provides an overview of the situation of young people in Luxembourg and presents data from various institutions, such as the University of Luxembourg, the national institute of statistics and economic studies (STATEC), the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth and the ADEM employment agency.

Scientific research on the situation of young people in Luxembourg remains one of the priorities of youth policy, noted the ministry. The next youth report in collaboration with the University of Luxembourg will be published in 2025 and will focus on the digital world.

The ministry added that youth work aims to strengthen young people, who in turn feel good about themselves, are autonomous, act responsibly, think critically, are united, aware of their strengths and creative.

To coordinate youth work offers and promote initiatives, the ministry's fields of action in the youth field have been grouped under the responsibility of a single service: the SNJ. Over the past few months, the SNJ has organised a series of meetings and interviews with stakeholders in the youth sector. The youth sector conferences provided an opportunity to take stock and presented the new identity of the youth sector.

It is structured around eight axes: Plaz fir Jonker (space for young people); Eng Stëmm fir Jonker (a voice for young people); Brécke baue fir Jonker (building bridges for young people); Jonker zesummebréngen (bringing young people together); Erfarunge fir Jonker (experiences for young people); Jonker encouragerieren (encouraging young people); Verantwortung fir Jonker (responsibility for young people); Do si fir Jonker (being there for young people).

These axes describe both what the youth sector is able to offer young people and priority areas of action.

The ministry added that it intends to develop dialogue with the youth sector. To boost these exchanges, various bodies such as the higher youth council or the youth steering committee will be restructured. The youth sector conferences will become an annual event.

In spring 2025, several regional exchange meetings are planned to give young people a voice and allow Minister Meisch to listen to their needs.

The ministry is also launching a call for projects to address the housing challenge for young people. Currently, some 300 specific housing units for young people are offered in Luxembourg. In order to meet growing need, the Education Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning, will launch a new call for projects for housing for young people ("Jugendwunnen") in February 2025. These housing units are intended for young people aged eighteen to 32 in order to support them in a transition phase between training/apprenticeship, higher education and professional life.