Young people’s voices must not only be heard, but also taken into account!

🤝🏻 As part of the “Time for Young People 1.0” project, we are continuing to organise debates and discussions with candidates in the Saeima elections and political parties, highlighting issues affecting young people, youth policy and young people’s opportunities to participate in decision-making.

🔵 We have already met and discussed these matters with three political parties, but we are not stopping at debates alone. We have also begun signing memoranda of understanding, and we will invite the other political parties to sign them as well.

📌 Why is the memorandum important?

Our aim is not merely to hold talks before the elections. We want to build long-term and systematic cooperation so that young people’s interests are represented even after the elections – in policy-making and decisions that directly affect young people’s daily lives and futures.

📜 By signing the memorandum, a political party confirms its willingness to maintain regular dialogue with young people and their representatives, to include youth policy issues amongst its priorities, as well as to evaluate initiatives that improve opportunities for young people’s participation, education, employment and civic engagement.

🎯 We, too, are taking our share of responsibility – to put forward proposals on youth policy issues, organise discussions and consultations, represent young people’s interests in a non-politicised and fact-based manner, and promote constructive dialogue between young people and policy-makers.

✅️ The essence of the memorandum is simple – to build a respectful, meaningful and long-term dialogue in which young people are not merely listeners, but full participants. Its aim is to strengthen the systematic representation of young people’s interests in national policy-making and the legislative process.

🗣 We believe that youth policy must not end on election day. That is why this memorandum is not just a signature on a piece of paper – it is a demonstration of the political will to work together to strengthen the representation of young people’s interests.

🙌🏻 We are continuing our discussions. We are continuing our debates. And we are continuing to strengthen the voice of young people in Latvia!

“The project was implemented with funding from the state budget under the Ministry of Education and Science’s National Youth Policy Programme for 2025–2027”.