On the local level the main actors in youth policy are the municipalities and the institutions subjected to them, as well as the institutions subjected to line ministries and their local structural units. Main actors of youth policy planning and implementing on a regional and local level are Consultative boards of municipal youth affairs, municipal youth affairs coordinators, youth centres in municipalities, Children and youth centres in municipalities, education institutions, pupils' councils.
Municipal youth affairs specialists
Municipal youth affairs specialists work with young people and youth initiative groups and with youth organizations in different directions: employing leisure time, voluntary work, non-formal education, ensuring of youth participation in the local municipal administration.
Main areas of responsibility of municipal youth affairs specialists:
- to solve youth-related issues by cooperating with youth organizations and youth initiative groups;
- to promote the cooperation of the municipal agencies on youth issues;
- to organize informative and educational activities in a certain administrative territory by involving municipality workers, youth organizations, youth initiative groups and the youth;
- to consult young people about non-formal education and voluntary work;
- to coordinate the involvement of the youth into social life activities of a certain administrative territory and to provide methodological assistance to other municipality workers on youth issues;
- to come up with suggestions to the Ministry for Children, Family and Integration Affairs on improving the state youth policy, as well as to the municipalities in coordinating and implementing youth policy;
- to take part in developing, implementing and coordinating regional and national projects and programs on youth work;
- to promote the work of children and youth camps;
- to coordinate international cooperation in youth policy.
Youth centres
Youth centre is significant stage between "passive" and "active" young person, it is a place where is available friendly, open and supporting environment for young people with different interests and life experience. Youth center cooperates with different persons, who are involved in youth policy implementation process (different institutions of municipalities, youth organizations, as well as with state administrative institutions).
Main assignments of Youth centres are:
- to provide youth possibilities to spend free time usefully;
- to promote development of young people knowledge and skills outside of formal and hobby education, by implementing different non-formal education programmes, projects and actions;
- to create favorable conditions for development of young people intellectuality and creativity;
- to promote youth participation in youth organizations, youth initiative groups and voluntary work;
- to provide young people access to their interests and demands appropriate information;
- to promote inclusion of young people from social risk groups among peer in youth center activities;
- to promote intercultural dialog in youth target group;
- to manage youth individual or group consultations about actual themes for young people;
- to promote young people participation in local, regional, national and international youth activities, projects and programmes etc.
With the support of the Ministry of Children, Family and Integration Affairs there are 39 youth centres established in municipalities since 2004, but in total there are 81 youth center in Latvia.
