🚀 BUDGETIFY Project had a successful “Youth Budget Lab” Training Course in Armenia

From April 1–8, 2026, Information and Education Development Network NGO launched and hosted the first step of the BUDGETIFY: Boosting Youth Democratic Governance Through Participatory Budgeting project through the international training course “Youth Budget Lab” in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia.

Supported by the Erasmus+, the Council of Europe, and the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation, the project brought together youth workers, young people, and decision-makers from Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Sweden, Moldova, Portugal, and Armenia to explore how Participatory Budgeting (PB) can strengthen youth democratic participation and co-governance.

What made the experience unique was the presence of decision-makers as full participants — not just speakers. For one week, young people and municipality representatives in charge of PB learned, reflected, debated, and developed ideas together. This created a real example of what shared power and co-governance can look like in practice.

During the training course, participants:

• explored the full 8-step Participatory Budgeting cycle,

• learned about PB legal frameworks and implementation realities in Armenia with experts input from GIZ Armenia,

• developed 18 participatory budgeting project ideas,

• used the Six Thinking Hats method for peer review and critical reflection,

• ran media campaign simulations to make projects “vote-winning,”

• participated in role plays, simulations, and Youthpass deep reflection sessions,

• and contributed to mapping PB realities across participating countries for a future publication.

An important outcome of the project was the creation of a Participatory Budgeting Workbook, specially and freshely designed for this TC by INEDNET as a practical and reflective non-formal education tool for trainers and youth workers and young leaders interested in PB. The workbook will soon be available for youth workers across Europe and beyond.

Beyond the workshops, the project also became a space for intercultural connection and human exchange through folk dances, intercultural evenings, quizzes, traditional food, and informal conversations that built long-lasting friendships and partnerships.

The next phase of the project will focus on Local Youth-Led Actions, where participants will bring participatory budgeting ideas back to their communities and turn learning into real local impact.