Did you know that Erasmus+ projects can cover virtually any topic? Thanks to non-formal education, practical exercises and exchange of opinions and perspectives with participants from many different countries during Erasmus+ youth exchanges, you can learn so many new things!

This was the case of the group that YoWo sent to the Erasmus+ youth exchange in Spain, where a group of young people from Poland, Spain, Romania and Bulgaria learned about… economics and finance! What exactly did they learn? Check it out below!

Functioning of international financial markets, including stock exchanges, currencies, and other financial instruments. Exchanging insights with participants from other countries, as well as interesting workshops, allowed me to learn about the principles of global economics and the differences in economic policies of countries and their impact on the global market. I met new trends and innovations in the financial sector, such as blockchain technologies, fintech, and cryptocurrencies. The whole thing was topped off by practical case studies related to economics and finance, which made me aware of the real problems and situations one can encounter when investing or starting one’s own business.

Kuba

Opportunities for investing in oneself through various forms of Erasmus trips. Many people associate the Erasmus program only with student exchanges, but it turns out that it offers much more and not just to students! You can participate in a short-term Youth Exchange project, become a volunteer in the Solidarity Corps, go on an internship, attend a training course, or test your business idea through Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs. Each of these programs comes with funding, which allows you to expand your skills with relatively small financial outlays.

Karolina

Basics of managing personal finances. 💸 I learned about the 50-30-20 rule, which means dividing monthly income by proportions: 50% for basic necessary expenses, 30% for ‘wants’, and 20% for savings and investments. This knowledge allowed me to rethink my previous spending and made me realize the necessity of having a ‘financial cushion’, which should equal the necessary expenses (50% of income) multiplied by 6 – so as to be able to sustain oneself for at least 6 months in case of a crisis. 💡

Patrycja

This exchange was a very important event for me, which helped me delve into the topic of economics and personal finance, and also to meet many people who are interested in the same. At the beginning, I was very worried that I wouldn’t be able to join the team because I didn’t know enough about economics and Polish is not my native language. But all that disappeared literally at the first meeting with our best Polish team (that’s a fact). I learned a lot about economic cycles, how to survive crises, principles of personal finance budgeting, investments, and many other things. After the project, I became the full coordinator of the EKS volunteer project, so I think I will use this knowledge not only personally, but also to prepare a workshop for young people like me on how to plan a budget in the long term.

Alina

Cryptocurrencies and the basics of the mechanisms behind them (blockchain). I learned why they are some of the most independent means of payment, including their decentralization, not being subject to the monetary policy of any state, and globality. Also extremely valuable were discussions about their potential impact on our future life, such as so-called ‘Smart contracts’, which automatically enforce or verify contract conditions when specified criteria are met.

Krystian

Our group returned from the exchange full of impressions, new friendships, but also with in-depth knowledge about financial management! So much good from one Erasmus+ project!