This dissertation is devoted to the improvement of forms and methods of local self-government bodies’ activity in the field of youth policy. Based on the results of reserach it’s obtained the conceptual provisions on improvement of organizational, logistical, educational, motivational forms and corresponding methods of ensuring participation of youth in local governments activity in Ukraine are substantiated. In particular attention it is paid to such forms and methods of activity of representative bodies of local self-government and executive bodies of local self-government such as: the function of balancing needs (local development in conditions of limited resources) determines the educational form and methods of persuasion by concluding joint projects of cooperation of territorial communities in the field of youth policy; innovative function characterizes the motivational (constructive-encouraging) form and methods of support of interaction, cooperation, initiatives of youth of territorial communities. The conceptual principles of organizational support for youth participation in local government under the influence of decentralization reform in Ukraine, in particular, developed and proposed an author’s draft regulation on activity of the Regional Council of Youth Associations at regional councils. This is an advisory body on youth policy, whose activities is aimed at coordinating the interaction between the regional authorities and the youth of the region, including youth NGOs, and the other stake-holders’ actions.
It’s improved the theoretical and methodological approaches to determining the forms and methods of youth participation in the activities of local governments in the field of youth policy by establishing the relationship of forms of youth activity (direct and indirect) in their interdependence with public importance and its socially useful value for society, related to the results of the implementation of youth policy in Ukraine (state youth policy, public youth policy) and the influence of international organizations.
It have been further developed trends in the study of local government in the field of youth policy, the content of which is to identify: levels of youth policy on the basis of institutional, structural, organizational and legal changes that have occurred as a result of reforming the public authority; new organizational forms of youth participation at the national, regional, local levels; methods of coordination of interaction in systems of intergenerational relations, “society-youth”; leadership role of youth participation in public affairs management at the local level due to the impact of decentralization on the model of youth policy in the community, taking into account its intersectoral nature (development of strategies and development programs of territorial communities, targeted youth programs, creation of “youth space”, public youth control). It’s proposed the scientific approaches to establishing a direct relationship of functions (regulation of legal relations, communication, provision of activities, balancing needs, organizational and legal impact, preparatory, innovative) and powers of local governments (rule-making, law enforcement, law enforcement, law enforcement, constituent, control, interpretive explanatory, analytical, informational, document flow, coordination, approval, examination, quality management system; local development in conditions of limited resources; bylaws, executive-administrative, legal-authoritative; financial, formation of local budgets; personnel management, involvement of stakeholders) with forms (legal, organizational, logistical, educational, coercive, relatively independent, incentive and constructive) and appropriate methods of activity. Also it’s considered the theoretical points on the development of local democracy as one that contributes to the formation of managerial potential of youth as a social group by strengthening the influence of youth initiative - formalized (through the activities of youth parliamentarism) and informal (through volunteer groups, youth organizations), the dissemination and exchange of socio-cultural heritage, values, innovations with other social groups, which actualizes the feasibility of forming a certain social ecosystem by natural involvement of youth in public administration processes (natural forms) and the use of forms of external incentives (incentive forms) by local governments, as well as within the cooperation of local communities and relevant agreements for joint implementation of youth programs, quality assessment, criteria for compliance with real requirements of youth in communities.
