Financial Literacy Weekend – Empower Myself 2025
In November, we met again with the participants of the Empower Myself project to continue building the development process we began together in October. This time as well, the venue was the Mission Center Bethlehem in Jelka (Slovakia), which provided a safe and inspiring space for learning, shared reflection and meaningful experiences.
The goal of the project Empower Myself is to support young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds in building their future more consciously, responsibly and confidently – whether it’s self-awareness, career orientation or entering the labour market.
The central theme of our second meeting was financial literacy. Building on the self-knowledge and career-orientation foundations gained during the October weekend, this time we explored how to manage money responsibly, intentionally and consciously – both as students and later in independent adult life.
The young participants worked with experiential, non-formal methods: interactive group exercises, small-group discussions, practical situations and games simulating financial decisions.
Among the activities, we also used tools and methods learned through our previous international collaborations – including the Orient Activity and Re.Connection projects. These tools helped ensure that financial topics were not presented as dry theory, but became understandable through real experience.
We closed Saturday with a large, complex cooperative task that strengthened not only teamwork but also leadership skills. The young people experienced what it means to take responsibility for a group, make decisions together and solve a complex challenge in a way that gives everyone a role. Throughout the weekend, we once again saw how much strength, curiosity and developmental potential the group carries. They asked questions bravely, worked actively, and became visibly more confident in topics related to future planning and financial literacy.
We are grateful to the participants for their openness and collaboration, and we extend special thanks to our volunteers, whose background support and organisational help made the weekend smooth and meaningful. We are already looking forward to the new knowledge and experiences the next session will bring!
The Empower Myself project is implemented with the support of the European Union.
More information about the project is available here.
