The participants of the conference at the Polish Parliament discussed whether there is a need to establish and maintain youth councils in Poland.

Letter of the Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński to the youth

I would like to emphasize my great joy from the fact that we can host in the Polish Parliament a large group of representatives of Youth Councils and representatives of local governments and the non-governmental sector. I warmly welcome all interested parties and all persons who undertake the discussion with a sense of concern for the fate of the young generation in our country.

The topic of today's meeting "Are Youth Councils needed and by whom?" is important not only for this generation, but also for the positive development of our entire country. After all, investing in youth means building a strong foundation for civil society. Therefore, we must jointly and, importantly, effectively participate in this process, and therefore continue to promote and create youth policies.

I realize, and I stress this with all responsibility, that we must take action to respond to the needs of young people and enable them to participate in public, social, cultural and political life on an equal footing with other social groups.

However, the state's actions towards young people in this area should not be conducted without the agreement with young people - that is why I consider our joint debate on the functioning of the Youth Councils at the Local Government Units to be extremely necessary and I am very glad that the Parliamentary Group, which supports their activities, was established and is active in the Sejm.

I am aware that strengthening Youth Councils in Local Government Units is a very important process, but there is still a lot of work ahead of us to prepare an integrated policy for young people, based on their needs.

That is why meetings such as the one held today are necessary. Joint discussion, exchange of views and experiences of representatives of various environments can bring many benefits, and above all, help to identify the tasks to be undertaken in this extremely important matter for us.

Young people, by their very nature, are more astute observers of everyday life, they see more clearly the problems that also prevent us adults from being complacent. This youthful enthusiasm, this sensitivity and involvement in tackling difficult issues are needed by the country.

It is perhaps here, among the representatives of the Youth Councils, that the future parliamentarians and ministers can be found. People who will take responsibility for the fate of Poland. But they must be well prepared for this. Because the guarantee of Poland's prosperity are people with broad horizons. Competent. Efficient and responsible. They understand the need of realizing public matters and interests. It is the most important thing for Poland.

In the Sejm, which is at the same time the creator and the guardian of the law, we are aware of the numerous problems concerning the young generation and the issues that bother them. Coping with all the tasks posed to the youth requires a lot of work not only from the young people themselves, but also requires reforms and changes necessary for its proper development.

I know that the Polish Parliament should and must play its part in this process. That is why we are taking action in the financial, economic and social spheres. The changing reality requires new legislative solutions from us.

Youth is our hope - the hope of Poland. We believe that they can actively and constructively participate in the local and state life. The law we make should make it possible and easier.

Therefore, I wish everyone who will share their thoughts, hopes and expectations during today's session a truly fruitful discussion and constructive conclusions, which - I assure you - we will use during the legislative work on youth policy.