YOUTH 2020 - The position of young people in Slovenia

Youth political participation, social engagement, and extremism  193 • As many as a quarter of young people believe in the legitimacy of the use of violencewhen it comes to higher goals that address injus- tices. Amore systematic and unrestricted use of violence to achieve political goals is approved only by a handful of young people. Recommendations: • Mechanisms of trust in politics must be strengthened, building on positive examples. • It is necessary to stimulate interest in politics through various pro- jects andprograms thatwouldat the same time stimulatean increase in young people’s knowledge about politics and political processes. • It is necessary to encourage citizens’ participation in the formula- tion and implementation of public policies at all stages, while be- ing very transparent and also providing information on the ef- fects of such participation. • It is necessary to strengthen the premises of civil society, inwhich young individuals want to participate and thus strengthen their democratic citizenship. • There is a need for findingways to introduce online forms of consulta- tion, cooperation,monitoring, anddecision-makingthat enableyoung people to participate in the political process on an equal footing. • The relationship between ensuring security on the one hand and respect for fundamental rights and freedoms on the other must be redefined. The so-called “war on terror” creates a climate for legitimizing violence. • It is necessary to invest in prevention programs against radical- ism and violent extremism, so that the circumstances leading to such practices are addressed before the onset of violence.