How to Engage Students in Decision-Making Through the School Participatory Budget: Free Online Course

10/ 11/ 2025

The educational online platform Zrozumilo! offers the course “School Participatory Budget for Students”, where students can learn how to initiate change, vote, and contribute to the development of their school. SPB is a digital tool for youth and childrens civic participation that helps shape conscious and influential Ukrainian citizens. Its implementation involves active engagement from three key participant groups: representatives of local self-government bodies; representatives of educational institutions (trainers); students. This course is designed for students, who are the main participants in SPB. Over six lectures, participants will learn: what SPB is and why it’s cool; who participates in SPB and in what roles; how to develop an idea and turn it into a project; how voting works and how winners are selected; how to implement projects; how and why to use the e-democracy platform e-DEM. The lectures include links to project and budget templates, instructions for using the electronic system, and other useful materials. Who is this course for? The course materials will be useful for students who want to influence the processes around them and grow through participation in the school participatory budget. Course Structure: Lecture 1: What is SPB and Why It’s Cool Lecture 2: Who Participates in SPB and How Lecture 3: How to Develop a Project Idea Lecture 4: How to Submit an Application and Draft a Budget Plan Lecture 5: How to Gain Peer Support: Promotion and Voting Lecture 6: How to Implement Your Project and Be a Role Model The online course was developed as part of the Swiss-Ukrainian EGAP Program, implemented by East Europe Foundation, and the Council of Europe project “Strengthening Multi-Level Governance and Local Democracy to Support Ukraine’s Recovery,” carried out by the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance under the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, with expert and methodological support from the NGO “Civil Society Development Forum.” Course Registration: https://courses.zrozumilo.in.ua/courses/course-v1:eef+EEF-065+October-2025/about

SPB is a digital tool for youth and children’s civic participation that helps shape conscious and influential Ukrainian citizens. Its implementation involves active engagement from three key participant groups:

representatives of local self-government bodies;
representatives of educational institutions (trainers);
students.

This course is designed for students, who are the main participants in SPB.

Over six lectures, participants will learn:

what SPB is and why it’s cool;
who participates in SPB and in what roles;
how to develop an idea and turn it into a project;
how voting works and how winners are selected;
how to implement projects;
how and why to use the e-democracy platform e-DEM.

The lectures include links to project and budget templates, instructions for using the electronic system, and other useful materials.

Who is this course for?

The course materials will be useful for students who want to influence the processes around them and grow through participation in the school participatory budget.

Course Structure:

Lecture 1: What is SPB and Why It’s Cool

Lecture 2: Who Participates in SPB and How

Lecture 3: How to Develop a Project Idea

Lecture 4: How to Submit an Application and Draft a Budget Plan

Lecture 5: How to Gain Peer Support: Promotion and Voting

Lecture 6: How to Implement Your Project and Be a Role Model

The online course was developed as part of the Swiss-Ukrainian EGAP Program, implemented by East Europe Foundation, and the Council of Europe project “Strengthening Multi-Level Governance and Local Democracy to Support Ukraine’s Recovery,” carried out by the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance under the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, with expert and methodological support from the NGO “Civil Society Development Forum.”

Course Registration: https://courses.zrozumilo.in.ua/courses/course-v1:eef+EEF-065+October-2025/about