As part of FINLIT for rural NEET empowerment, youth workers and trainers from Asociația Educreate, Edu2grow and EUDUCATE came together in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal, for an international training activity focused on innovative approaches to financial literacy, inclusion and resilience.
Hosted by Edu2grow, the training created a space for the three partner organisations to exchange experience, test non-formal education methods and strengthen their capacity to work with young people with fewer opportunities, particularly young people from rural and isolated communities.
Five days of learning and exchange
The training combined financial education with digital tools, artificial intelligence, microlearning and gamification.
Throughout the programme, participants explored topics and methods including:
- financial literacy challenges faced by economically disadvantaged young people;
- financial planning and personal financial objectives;
- microlearning and the design of short, accessible learning experiences;
- the use of AI and digital tools in youth activities;
- gamification techniques for financial education;
- money beliefs, emotions and financial behaviour;
- financial autonomy and resilience for vulnerable young people;
- online financial safety;
- savings, debt, needs versus wants and long-term approaches to money;
- financial instruments and investment concepts;
- the design of educational escape-room activities;
- Erasmus+ opportunities, action planning and the Youthpass learning process.
The programme connected financial knowledge with practical youth-work methodologies, giving participants opportunities to discuss how these approaches can be adapted for young people from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds.
Financial education through experiential learning
An important element of the training was learning through participation rather than through theory alone.
In Caldas da Rainha, participants also explored gamification and escape-room methodology as ways of making financial education more engaging. A financial education escape-room experience demonstrated how puzzles, teamwork and problem-solving can be used to introduce financial concepts in an interactive environment.
These experiences contributed to the development and adaptation of methods that can be used by youth workers when working with young people who may have limited access to traditional financial education.
Building the capacity of youth workers
The Caldas da Rainha training was not only about learning financial concepts. It was also an opportunity for youth workers from Romania, Portugal and Spain to exchange practices and strengthen their ability to design inclusive learning activities.
By combining expertise from the three partner organisations, the training supported the wider FINLIT approach: bringing together financial literacy, inclusion, digital learning, AI, microlearning and gamification in educational activities for young people.
Participants also worked on ideas that connect directly with other FINLIT activities and resources, including the Microlearning Toolkit and gamified financial-learning approaches.
Completing the Caldas da Rainha training
The training concluded with evaluation, reflection on the learning experience and recognition of participants’ involvement.
A certificate ceremony in Caldas da Rainha marked the completion of the training activity and recognised the contribution of the youth workers and trainers involved. Participation diplomas and the Youthpass process highlighted not only attendance, but also the competences developed through the international learning experience.
We thank Edu2grow and the local community of Caldas da Rainha for hosting the activity, as well as the participants and partner organisations for their active contribution throughout the training.
The completion of the Caldas da Rainha training represented an important milestone in the implementation of FINLIT and provided knowledge and methods that could be transferred into the project’s subsequent local activities and educational resources.
FINLIT for rural NEET empowerment
Erasmus+ KA210-YOU – Small-scale Partnership in Youth
Coordinated by Asociația Educreate, Romania
Partners: Edu2grow, Portugal · EUDUCATE, Spain
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
