Study visit “Let’s Share Knowledge about Participatory Budgeting” Activity The Study visit “Let’s Share Knowledge about Participatory Budgeting”, organised by DYPALL Network, took place from 30th March – 5th April 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal. The activity gathered 20 youth workers from Slovenia, Croatia, and Portugal to equip them with practices, mechanisms, and models for implementing participatory budgeting for young people within their organizations and to motivate sustained participation. Throughout the week, participants engaged in a comprehensive exploration and collaborative sharing of youth participatory budgeting practices in Slovenia and Croatia, fostering discussions and analyses to understand the effectiveness and challenges of different approaches. This deepened their understanding of meaningful participatory budgeting and empowered them to translate this knowledge into concrete local action plans. The programme featured insightful visits highlighting the importance of youth participation in local decision-making through participatory budgeting across diverse realities within Portugal. These visits offered a comprehensive understanding of participatory budgeting’s operation across municipalities, covering all its phases from proposal submission to implementation and key aspects like selection, voting, timelines, data, and support. Furthermore, open dialogue facilitated the analysis of challenges faced by municipalities and communities, encouraging the exchange of potential solutions. A visit to Cacilhas-Tejo High School: participants had the chance to delve into the details of the winning project of the Youth Participatory Budgeting 2023 in Almada, “Atividade Física com Qualidade”. They learned about the project’s impact and core objectives, which centered around promoting physical activity, health, and well-being among young people in the school and community by renovating and improving the accessibility and quality of the sports field. A key highlight of the visit was the opportunity to engage directly with the President of the Student Council, hearing insights from a young student’s perspective, addressing the views and voices of her peers, as well as the current proposals they are working on for this year’s Youth Participatory Budgeting. A visit to Lifeshaker Association: the visit allowed participants to explore a completely different reality within the Municipality of Almada, situated in a social neighborhood. Participants learned about the winning project of the Youth Participatory Budgeting 2019 in Almada, “Music Sounds Better with You” and the origins of Lifeshaker in 2009. They explored its evolution and current community engagement initiatives. What resonated most with participants was the significant positive impact of Lifeshaker’s work and dedication on the community, and how participatory budgeting can shape lives. A visit to the Municipality of Lisbon: participants learned about the youth participatory budget and other programs of the Participation and Youth department. They explored the Lisbon City Council’s structure and its participatory practices, including Participatory Budgeting, the Lisbon School Participatory Budget, the Citizens’ Council, and Support for Municipal Projects Involving Participation. Participants also gained an overview of the structure of Local Youth Councils (LYCs) in Portugal. A visit to the Municipality of Cascais: the visit enabled participants to analyze the Cascais Participatory System, including the municipality’s divisions, participatory initiatives, and community support projects, alongside the Cascais Youth Participatory Budget. A key takeaway was understanding how the municipality empowers youth to manage the entire process with consistent support. Participants also learned how Cascais’ well-established system serves as a reference and provides support on participatory practices to other municipalities in Europe and beyond. The open dialogue allowed them to gather valuable inputs and insights for shaping practices in their communities and organizations. A session with the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ, I.P.) and the Lisbon Youth Centre (CJL): participants delved into the history of the Lisbon Youth Centre and the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth, learning about its mission and vision, and its evolution over the years. They had the opportunity to learn about the national context of youth policy in Portugal and share practices on youth participatory budgeting. The activity was organised in cooperation with Nefiks and Delta, in partnership with the Portuguese Institute on Youth and Sport, the Lisbon Youth Centre, and co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.