Iceland

Iceland does not have a national youth policy, leaving most responsibility to its municipalities. The Youth Act (2007) focuses mainly on youth participation in youth activities and in politics. According to the act, organised activities should consider social, preventive, pedagogic and educational values; foster initiative and active participation; and focus on young people's well-being. The Youth Act delegates authority to municipal governments as well, requiring them to "set rules on how independent youth activities in their area are to be supported" and set up local Youth Councils with advisory status.

The act also establishes the National Youth Council of Iceland (see Section "Youth Representation"), mandates youth research, and creates a Youth Fund to finance projects of youth clubs and organisations (see Section "Additional Background").

The Department of Primary Education, Sport and Youth of the Ministry of Education and Children is responsible for "youth affairs outside formal education at governmental level." Among others, the ministry is responsible for researching the situation of youth. However, other national and - especially - local authorities also tackle youth issues. According to the Youth Act (2007), a nine-member Youth Council is appointed by the minister, which consults on youth affairs, recommends priorities and policy, advises on youth activities, plans youth conferences and participates in international youth opportunities.

The National Youth Council of Iceland (LUF) is a membership-based umbrella organisation for municipal youth councils and other youth organisations. It is "the only existing body that serves the role of being a platform of cooperation and consultation for youth-led NGOs in Iceland." The Youth Council's purpose, as defined by the Youth Act (2007), includes consulting national and municipal authorities on youth affairs, planning meetings and conferences on youth affairs, and participating in foreign cooperation on youth affairs. LUF is a full member of the European Youth Forum.

According to the EU Youth Wiki, there is no national definition or common understanding of the term "youth work" in government documents in Iceland; however, the concept is recognised by the Youth Act (2007).

The Icelandic government published a Policy on Youthwork: 2014 - 2018, yet no assessment or report on the policy outcomes is publicly available.

In March 2022, the Ministry of Education and Children (formerly the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture) published a Policy on Social and Leisure Activities for Children and Youth that incorporates recommendations of the Council of Europe on youth work (CM/Rec(2017)/4). During the policy's drafting process, the previous use of the term "youth work" was replaced by "social and leisure work". In light of comments on the draft, this change was contested by some stakeholders, reflecting the lack of consensus with regard to terminology. The policy aims to increase quality and safety and to establish a future vision on these issues. It took effect in March 2022 and is expected to be valid until the year 2030.

Iceland's Youth Act (2007) does not have an allocated budget. Funding for organisations subject to the Youth Act depends on approval by the parliament. The fiscal budget of 2023 does allocate ISK 1.55 billion, or USD 11.34 million, to sports and youth affairs (line item 18.40) under the umbrella of the Ministry for Education and Children (budget section 02).