Navigating between meaningful ideas and meaningless practices:

Abstract

This article examines the participation of young people in public life. Drawing on expert interviews and policy analysis, the study explores how institutional frameworks, political culture, and societal norms shape youth participation mechanisms and influence their ability to move beyond tokenism. In Finland, the Nordic welfare model, high institutional trust, and established youth policy frameworks create favorable conditions for engagement, yet reliance on formal representative structures often limits responsiveness to spontaneous or grassroots initiatives. In Poland, the post-socialist legacy of low institutional trust, political polarization, and weaker traditions of structured civic dialogue contributes to the marginalization of youth voices. The findings highlight common barriers in both countries, including an overreliance on representative mechanisms, insufficient feedback loops, and the exclusion of marginalized youth. Theoretically, the study reaffirms the relevance of the ‘invited’ versus ’invented’ spaces framework for cross-national analysis and underscores the need for intersectional approaches to youth participation. Practically, it offers recommendations for policymakers, educators, and participation facilitators, emphasizing the need to diversify participatory opportunities, broaden the scope of youth influence, and foster intergenerational dialogue.