Azorean Government launches financial and economic literacy project for young people under Erasmus+ programme - Communication

Secretaria Regional da Juventude, Habitação e Emprego

The Regional Secretariat for Youth, Housing and Employment, through the Regional Directorate for Youth, will launch this year “Are you ON?! You Count, You Decide,” a project aimed at promoting financial and economic literacy (FEL) amongst young people in the Azores.

The project, whose application for co-funding under the Erasmus+ Programme (Key Action 154 – “Youth Participation Activities”) was approved last December, will run for 13 months. It will include activities such as consulting workshops, a digital campaign and field trips, in addition to a regional meeting and a session to present the meeting’s conclusions.

These activities will run until June 2027 using non-formal education methodologies. They will focus on participatory learning, group dynamics and collaborative work, a practical and applied approach, dialogue with decision-makers, the promotion of critical thinking and reasoning, and the co-creation of ideas and solutions.

The target audience for the activities, which will take place in person or online, includes youth organisation leaders, secondary, vocational and higher education students, as well as those on alternative learning pathways, students involved in European clubs, young people engaged in civic movements, and those classified as NEETs.

Eligible participants also include young people who took part in the project "You're ON! Get informed, Debate and Decide." Organised by the Regional Government in 2024 as part of the Erasmus+ programme, this initiative focused on media literacy, with its participants recommending the creation of a programme dedicated to financial literacy.

Maria João Carreiro emphasised that the programme is based on the idea that financial literacy contributes not only to promoting young people’s autonomy by supporting informed consumption, savings and investment decisions, but also to reducing inequalities in access to information and fostering participatory democracy.

According to the Regional Secretary for Youth, Housing and Employment, the programme content to be developed is aligned with the overall priorities of the Erasmus programme (Participation, Inclusion, Digitalisation and Sustainability). It will also address the EU's role in the Outermost Regions and the principles of solidarity and cohesion.

“Financial and economic literacy is a fundamental skill for citizenship. As such, the Regional Government, with this programme, is demonstrating its commitment to empowering younger generations, acknowledging financial and economic literacy as an essential tool for inclusion, participation and development,” she emphasised.