Youth Councils of the Heads of Local Governments in Leningradskaya Oblast’

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of youth councils under the heads of administrations of municipalities of the Leningrad region, both MO–1 (cities and towns) and MO–2 (districts of the Leningrad region). Information about the development, activities and problems of youth councils was obtained through semi-structured expert anonymous interviews, both with activists of these youth councils and with employees of municipalities overseeing their activities. Based on the research materials, we can identify three main options for the real activity of youth councils under the heads of district administrations: Option A – “Club of interested leaders of youth initiatives”, option B – “A communicative platform for dialogue with the interested head of the district”, option C – “A communicative platform without the participation of the head of the district”. An analysis of the development of youth councils in municipalities of the 1st level allows us to conclude that three factors are important conditions for success. The first is the presence in the settlements of at least a small group of young people with some expressed interests. The most frequent interests are sports and modern music. There is also an interest in volunteering, local history, etc. (as a result of the school's efforts). The second factor is the presence of an extensive network of youth policy specialists who will be able to see such young people and see the specifics of their interests in order to help them find themselves. These may be employees of both local administrations and other structures working with young people. And the third factor is the attention to initiative youth from the head of the settlement. The communication factor itself is important, as well as the opportunity to provide some financial support, starting with a room in which young people can meet.