Modern youth policy in the context of realization of fundamental national interests of Ukraine

The article explores the relationship between youth policy and civil society institutions, as well as their impact on ensuring fundamental national interests targeted by state policies in the sphere of national security and defense. In current conditions, when the country faces numerous challenges and threats, the role of youth in strengthening national security becomes particularly significant. Youth policy is regarded as an important element of the humanitarian space that promotes the formation of a resilient and patriotic society capable of effectively countering internal and external threats. This necessitates new approaches to shaping policies aimed at integrating youth into processes of socio-economic and political development. An important aspect of the conducted research is the identification of mechanisms through which youth policy can contribute to strengthening national security. Specifically, emphasis is placed on the role of youth civil organizations as significant actors in this process, fostering the development of active civic engagement, patriotism, and increasing the level of social responsibility among youth. Youth civil organizations, like civil society institutions, can act as partners to the state in addressing socio-economic and political issues that directly affect national security. The conducted research provides grounds to argue that youth policy can be an instrument for strengthening national security through supporting youth initiatives and integrating youth into decision-making processes. The adoption of a series of normative legal acts and program documents regarding the legal support of the implementation of youth policy, unfortunately, did not completely solve deep-seated problems (paternalism; lack of dialectical connection between programmatic documents and legislative acts; inefficiency and a formal approach to monitoring, etc.). The Euro-integration direction of Ukrainian policy dictates not only the normative establishment of “participation-based policy” but also the implementation of advanced European practices.