On 23 July 2026, a local stakeholder meeting of the FLYE project – “Financial Literacy for Innovative Youth Participation in Europe” – was held in Przemyśl. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the role of young people in local communities, participatory budgeting, and ways to more effectively involve youth in decision-making processes.

The meeting brought together representatives of local authorities, non-governmental organisations, public institutions, the education sector, and other stakeholders interested in cooperation with young people from Poland and Slovakia. The aim of the event was not only to present the results of the FLYE project, but also to discuss how they could be put into practice at the local level.

From the Project to Local Action

The meeting began with a presentation of the FLYE project, its key activities and results, with particular focus on active youth participation and financial literacy.

An important part of the event was the presentation of the winning project in the FLYE youth initiatives competition. This example demonstrated how young people's ideas can be transformed into concrete actions addressing the needs of local communities, and how participation in participatory processes can help develop young people's skills and sense of agency.

This was followed by a discussion on participatory budgeting and youth initiatives. Participants explored how to engage young people more effectively in the life of local communities and how to create conditions in which their participation leads to a genuine influence on decision-making.

The discussion covered, among other topics:

• the role of young people in local communities,
• barriers and needs of young people,
• cooperation between young people, local authorities and organisations,
• participatory budgeting as a tool for engaging young residents,
• opportunities to use the results of the FLYE project in future activities.

One of the key conclusions of the meeting was the need to treat young people not only as beneficiaries of activities, but as partners in democratic processes. Effective participation requires both appropriate tools and institutions that are open to dialogue and willing to take young people's perspectives into account.

The meeting also demonstrated that participatory budgeting can be an important tool for strengthening young people's sense of agency – enabling them to turn ideas into concrete actions and see their impact in practice.

The event concluded with a summary of the key conclusions and a discussion on opportunities for further cooperation. The exchange of experiences helped identify areas where further action is needed to strengthen youth participation in the life of local communities.

We would like to thank all participants for their active involvement, openness and willingness to share their experiences. Meetings like this help create space for cooperation and support the development of solutions in which young people have a real voice and influence in their local communities.

We Decide Together. We Make a Difference Together!