Budgetwise: Financial Education Tools
Budgetwise: Financial Education Tools 2025-1-IT03-KA151-YOU-000304605 An Overview BudgetWise is an international training course that brings together youth workers, trainers, educators, and representatives of civil society organisations from across Europe. The project aims to strengthen their knowledge and skills in financial literacy and responsible investing, providing practical tools to support young people in making informed financial decisions. Project Objectives Educational: To deepen trainers’ understanding of the EU Financial Competence Framework, covering essential areas such as budgeting, debt management, and financial risk assessment for the general population Provide ready-to-use materials and teaching resources that financial trainers can apply in their own workshops and educational programs. Methodological: To professionalize youth work by introducing Game-Based Learning and interactive simulations as tools to transform complex economic data into accessible, practical knowledge. Integrate gamification and interactive simulations into financial education to make learning engaging, practical, and memorable, while fostering strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. Use game-based learning and real-life scenarios to demonstrate how financial knowledge and investment awareness can improve decision-making, teamwork, and long-term planning. Intercultural: To foster a European network of educators who can compare socio-economic challenges across borders, creating a unified response to financial instability within the EU. Offer hands-on experiences—such as financial simulations, budgeting challenges, and investment case studies—to turn learning into real-world action and behavioral change. Social Impact: To develop a “Social Financial Toolkit” that trainers can implement locally to reduce financial vulnerability in their respective communities. Highlight the importance of financial literacy development as a key driver of economic resilience, personal well-being, and sustainable community growth. MOBILITY IN ITALY It will encourage and give necessary tools to young people, youth NGOs, or other young professionals to teach and promote financial literacy in their communities. This 7-day intensive training program in Italy will bring together youth workers and youth leaders with backgrounds in financial training, education, and that can be representatives of civil society organizations from across Europe. Participants will take part in practical sessions focused on modern and innovative approaches, transfer the knowledge and sharing practices about financial literacy and responsible investing. These will include gamified learning methods, interactive simulations, and real-life case studies from the field of NGOs, Social Enterprises and so on that help make financial education more engaging and effective. Through an open agenda, participants will share their national experiences, best practices, and educational tools used in financial literacy programs. This peer-to-peer exchange will promote cross-learning, collaboration, and the co-creation of new methodologies that can be applied in diverse educational contexts across Europe. The activity is especially valuable for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and youth workers. It helps them strengthen their capacity to deliver financial education in their communities, especially for young people who often lack practical financial skills. By improving these competencies, NGOs and youth workers can better support youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, and responsible financial decision-making. Overall, by combining hands-on training with intercultural exchange and dialogue, the program aims to build a stronger network of youth led organisations composed by financial educators across Europe and promote a shared culture of financial awareness, inclusion, and responsible investing in the youth field. Time 15-21 Settembre 2026 Where Casapesenna, Italy Beneficiaries 26 youth workers funding 2025-1-IT03-KA151-YOU-000304605 Partners BROWSE the project infopack Browse the info pack to learn all the details about the Budgetwise: Financial Education Tools project, or download it by clicking the button below. Download the PDF
Applications Open: Join GIOSEF Italy in Palermo for a 9-Month ESC Experience
GIOSEF Italy is looking for three volunteers to join the new edition of “Volunteering in Palermo | Creating Cultural Crossroads with GIOSEF Italy”, a long-term European Solidarity Corps project running from October 2026 to July 2027.
R.E.T.E Star
R.E.T.E. Star was created to strengthen the skills and capacities of the organisations within the Giosef Italy network, starting from the training needs identified by local branches and staff during the Palermo Assembly in 2024. The project is rooted in the awareness that the third sector can only become more effective, inclusive and sustainable by investing in training, innovation and stronger organisational capacity.
Retreating Beauty
Retreating Beauty Erasmus+ Youth Exchange – KA1 – Mobility of Young People 2023-3-IT03-KA153-YOU-000172534 AN OVERVIEW Today’s young people grow up immersed in social, aesthetic and relational norms that deeply influence how they perceive their bodies, relationships, consent, and self-worth. Ideals of beauty, romantic expectations, and gender roles are often internalised automatically, without adequate space to question them. Retreating Beauty – What We Hide, What We Hold, What We Choose was created to provide a safe, experiential, and reflective space where young people from different cultural backgrounds can critically explore these themes using non-formal education methodologies, embodied practices, dialogue and creativity. The project promotes awareness, empathy and interdependence, encouraging participants to recognise and respect their own boundaries and those of others, and to actively contribute to building social spaces that are more inclusive, respectful and care-oriented. PROJECT OBJECTIVES Deconstruct dominant beauty norms: critically analyse aesthetic, bodily and relational norms, understanding who they include and exclude. Strengthen a culture of consent: explore consent as a continuous, negotiated and relational process, both verbally and physically. Develop awareness of personal boundaries: recognise, communicate and respect limits and needs in diverse social and cultural contexts. Promote empathy and solidarity: cultivate trust, listening and interdependence through experiential and reflective practices. Co-create safer, inclusive spaces: develop shared principles and practices to foster environments rooted in respect, care, and collective responsibility. OUTPUT Personal growth and critical awareness: participants gain tools to read and question social norms related to beauty, bodies, consent and relationships. Relational and communication skills: increased ability to express needs, limits and consent, and recognise them in others. Shared embodied and reflective experiences: practices that strengthen trust, empathy and group belonging. Guidelines for safer spaces: principles and practices co-created by participants to bring back to their local contexts. Long-term impact: increased active engagement in promoting inclusive and care-oriented communities. Time June 2026 Where Palermo Beneficiaries Young Europeans aged 18 to 30 funding KA150-YOU – Erasmus accreditation in youth: 2024-1-IT03-KA150-YOU-000280449 INFOPACK HERE Partners
Flavours without Borders
Flavours without Borders Cooking For Change AN OVERVIEW This project will use cooking and culinary traditions as a non-formal learning tool to promote social inclusion, intercultural dialogue, sustainability, and youth empowerment. Through hands-on activities, participants will explore how food can connect cultures, build community, and inspire responsible habits. Throughout the project, young people will engage in collaborative cooking sessions, cultural nights, and visits to local Italian food producers, allowing them to discover local traditions while sharing their own culinary heritage. They will gain practical cooking skills, teamwork experience, and creative methods they will be able to apply in future community initiatives. The project will also promote sustainable and healthy cooking practices by raising awareness about food waste reduction, responsible consumption, and the value of seasonal and local ingredients. By involving participants in planning menus, co-facilitating workshops, and shaping activities, the project will strengthen youth leadership, initiative, and a sense of ownership. Overall, the project will empower young people to use gastronomy as a tool for social impact in their personal, professional, and community lives. PROJECT OBJECTIVES Use cooking and culinary traditions as a non-formal learning tool to promote social inclusion, intercultural dialogue, sustainability, youth empowerment, and awareness of food waste, while equipping participants with practical skills for personal, professional, and community use. Foster inclusion and cultural exchange; Connect participants with Italian food traditions; Empower youth to use gastronomy for social impact; Promote sustainable and healthy practices; Strengthen youth leadership; OUTPUT Culinary Competence: Ability to prepare and present dishes with a focus on healthy, sustainable, and innovative cooking practices; Intercultural Competence: Enhanced understanding, appreciation, and empathy for diverse food traditions and cultural perspectives; Sustainability Awareness: Knowledge and practical skills in reducing food waste, promoting responsible consumption, and adopting environmentally conscious practices; Soft Skills: Strengthened teamwork, leadership, creativity, communication, and public speaking abilities. Digital and Collaborative Skills: Experience in co-creating a “Cookbook of Cultures” and producing digital storytelling materials to document and share project outcomes. Time June 2026 Where Casapesenna Beneficiaries Young people aged between 18 and 26 years old. funding KA150-YOU – Erasmus accreditation in youth: 2024-1-IT03-KA150-YOU-000280449 Download Infopack Partners
Common Things
Common Things Empowering Youth in Areas Impacted by Organised Crime AN OVERVIEW Common Things is a Training Course hosted by GIOSEF Italy and designed to explore how youth work can reveal, understand, and challenge the visible and invisible dynamics of organised crime — the “common things” that communities experience every day but often choose not to see. The project title reflects the contrast between what is ordinary and what is hidden. Just as in popular culture, where underlying layers reshape reality, organised crime and corrupt systems act both openly and underground. Recognising these patterns helps youth workers transform awareness into action — promoting justice, democratic participation, and the protection of common goods. PROJECT OBJECTIVES Strengthen youth work as a tool for legality, democracy, and social justice. Promote civic responsibility and a shared culture of common goods. Foster Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on youth participation. Explore visible and invisible structures connected to organised crime. Analyse how confiscated assets can be centres of community regeneration. Develop new educational tools promoting legality and activism. Enhance youth workers’ capacities in non-formal education. Promote solidarity, inclusion, and democratic participation. Learning Outcomes Participants will acquire: Knowledge: civic structures, anti-mafia history, corruption dynamics Skills: storytelling, facilitation, tool creation, critical thinking Foster Euro- Attitudes: participation, intercultural sensitivity, civic responsibility Link with Erasmus+ Priorities Inclusion & diversity Participation in democratic life Sustainable community development Digital transformation (The Upside Common campaign Sustainable community development Digital transformation (The Upside Common campaign) Time 24-31 May 2026 7 days Where Palermo – Italy Beneficiaries 28 youth workers funding KA150-YOU – Erasmus accreditation in youth: 2024-1-IT03-KA150-YOU-000280449 Download Infopack Partners
Crew Beyond Borders
Crew Beyond Borders Adventure-Based Learning Methods for Youth Work AN OVERVIEW Crew Beyond Borders – Adventure-Based Learning Methods for Youth Work is an international training course held aboard the Helena, a sailing boat equipped for non-formal education, navigating the waters of the Mediterranean. Framed within the Erasmus+ Programme and aimed at youth workers, the project explores and promotes adventure-based learning as a powerful and innovative methodology in the field of European youth work. PROJECT OBJECTIVES Its main goal is to develop soft skills and provide new educational tools by immersing participants in an intensive, hands-on experience where sailing, cooperation, physical challenge, and shared responsibility become drivers of personal and professional growth. The unique setting of the sailboat enables participants to engage in a non-traditional learning environment, fostering reflection on leadership, communication, sustainability, and intercultural understanding. Objective 1: To critically explore and validate adventure-based learning as a transformative pedagogical approach within non-formal youth work. To deepen the participants’ understanding of experiential education theory, with a specific focus on adventure-based learning and its historical and epistemological underpinnings. To analyse the pedagogical potential of risk, physical challenge, and uncertainty in fostering reflective learning and identity development. To co-create a shared educational framework that integrates adventure-based learning into broader youth work strategies across diverse socio-cultural contexts. Objective 2: To enhance the personal and professional competences of youth workers by embedding experiential and embodied learning practices into their educational methodologies. To facilitate critical self-reflection on the educator’s role, positionality, and relational dynamics within participatory and immersive learning environments. To develop key transversal competences—such as adaptive leadership, emotional intelligence, and resilience—through embodied practice and group-based challenges. To strengthen participants’ capacity to design, facilitate and assess competence-based learning pathways grounded in real-life, experiential processes. Objective 3: To foster intercultural learning, global citizenship, and transnational cooperation by creating a mobile and situated educational space that transcends traditional institutional boundaries. To activate meaningful intercultural dialogue through shared physical experiences, narrative practices, and collaborative problem-solving at sea. To position the sailing journey as a metaphor and method for rethinking educational spaces as fluid, horizontal, and co-created. To promote sustainable cross-border cooperation among youth organisations through the development of common pedagogical values, mutual recognition of competences, and long-term project planning. OUTPUT From a knowledge perspective, participants will develop a solid conceptual understanding of adventure-based learning within the broader field of experiential and non-formal education. They will be introduced to the pedagogical roots of this methodology, its applications in diverse youth work settings, and its connections to transformative learning theories. In terms of skills, the project focuses on promoting transversal and pedagogical skills essential for contemporary youth work. These include the ability to facilitate group processes in unconventional contexts, design experiential learning activities with clear educational outcomes, manage risk and emotional safety, and lead structured reflection and debriefing sessions. Regarding attitudes, the immersive and collective nature of life on board is designed to encourage openness, humility, and an ethic of care. Participants are invited to re-negotiate their roles not only as educators but also as learners and co-creators of the experience. Attitudes of curiosity, empathy, intercultural sensitivity, and environmental awareness are intentionally cultivated throughout the journey, creating a safe but challenging space for inner and relational development. Finally, the behaviours developed during the course are expected to extend beyond the project itself. Participants will practice responsibility, initiative, and sustained engagement in collective tasks such as navigation, cooking, cleaning, and facilitating onboard activities. These behaviours—anchored in shared living, mutual trust, and real-time feedback—support the internalisation of collaborative practices that can be transferred to the participants’ everyday work with young people, especially in contexts where traditional education fails to engage or empower. INFOPACK HERE Time July 2026 – March 20278 Months Where Helsinki, Finlandia Beneficiaries Young people aged between 18 and 30, Youth workers and trainers. funding KA150-YOU – Erasmus accreditation in youth: 2024-1-IT03-KA150-YOU-000280449 Partners Unglingasmiðjur Stígur og Tröð – Youth Centre Villa Elba – Potrafimy – InterMediaKT – BokraSawa – Yupi
Training Course for Regenerative Organizations
Natacha attended a training course in Croatia on organizational regeneration, exploring sustainable practices and new tools to innovate work in NGOs.
Letter from Aveiro
My name is Benedetta Freda, I’m 22 years old, I’m Italian, and I’m currently in Aveiro, Portugal, where I’m participating in a European Solidarity Corps volunteer project.
RISE – Reclaiming Influence for Social Empowerment
RISE – Reclaiming Influence for Social Empowerment is an Erasmus+ project that promotes youth participation and social empowerment. Through training activities, exchanges, and meetings with policymakers, the project provides tools to understand and address power dynamics, develop advocacy campaigns, and build youth activism networks. RISE takes place in Italy and France, involving 150 young people in a journey of active citizenship and leadership.
