Youth work in Estonia is based on the government-approved Youth Work Strategy for 2006–2013. The document defines the principles and courses of development of youth policy and youth work. The goal of youth policy is to ensure young people’s participation in decision-making processes and to take their needs into account.

The goal of youth work is to provide the youth with opportunities for versatile development and its main principles comprise the following:

1. Youth work is done for the benefit of young people and alongside them, by involving them in making decisions.
   

2. Youth work proceeds from the needs, interest and wishes of young people; youth work is based on their participation, self-initiative and free will.
   

According to the Youth Work Act, a young person is a person aged between 7 and 26. As of 1 January 2009, there were 337,691 young people in Estonia, constituting 25.2% of the population. Both the number and percentage of youth in society has decreased on a yearly basis (Figure 1).