International Youth Day

We celebrate International Youth Day, but also the European Year of Youth

In its resolution, the General Assembly of the United Nations accepted, 23 years ago, the recommendation of the World Youth Conference and decided that 12 August will be dedicated to young people. Thus, starting in 2000, International Youth Day has been continuously celebrated every year on that day. In addition, in order to emphasise the importance of young people in society and their needs, the European Union declared this year the European Year of Youth.

This year's objective of the International Youth Day is "Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages". The intention of the mentioned objective is to highlight how important solidarity between generations is, which is, according to the UN, crucial for the sustainable development of society.

The problems faced by young people, not only in Croatia but also in Europe and in the world, were further highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, so in 2022 the European Union opened a dialogue with young people about their perception of their own role in the European future.

About 16% of young people live in Croatia, the same as in the European Union (EU-27), and they face daily problems such as a high rate of unemployment, emigration, weak involvement in the political life of the community, lack of space for quality leisure time, inability to become independent, etc. Namely, the unemployment rate of persons aged from 20 to 29 in 2021 was 12.0% in the European Union, and in Croatia it was 15.0%. The employment rate of persons aged from 20 to 29 in 2021 was 62.9% in the European Union, while in Croatia it was 56.9%. The decision to leave the parental household also depends on employment, so in 2021 in the European Union, the average age at which young people left the parental household was 26.5 years, while young people in Croatia left the parental household at an average age of 33.3 years.

Guided by the increasing availability of the Internet, the European Union in the Year of Youth organises many online conferences, seminars and courses for young people to encourage them to be more engaged in today's society, because it is not without reason that young people are said to be the driving force of change.

What we found out about young people in Croatia and the European Union, based on Eurostat data, see below.



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