The project “Shape the Future: Financial Literacy for Youth” was designed to respond to a clear need identified in both partner communities, Craiova and Varna: many young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, face serious difficulties in managing financial resources, while youth workers often lack the knowledge, tools and confidence to support them effectively in this area. The project was based on a joint needs analysis carried out through observation, dialogue, questionnaires and previous work with more than 200 young people and teachers, which showed that financial education was both a real gap and an urgent youth work need in the two contexts. The application also linked this need to the broader social reality in Romania and Bulgaria, where young people are significantly exposed to poverty and social exclusion risks. From a youth work perspective, what we wanted to achieve was not only to improve the personal financial literacy of the 20 participants, but to strengthen their capacity as youth workers, facilitators and volunteers to use financial education as a practical tool in their daily work with young people. The project aimed to help them become more confident and better prepared to explain financial topics in a clear, accessible and motivating way, to create inclusive learning contexts, and to use non-formal education methods that make financial topics relevant for young people, especially those from vulnerable groups. The first objective was to improve the financial competences of 20 youth workers from Romania and Bulgaria through two international mobility activities. This included both basic and advanced topics such as personal budgeting, saving, responsible use of credit, long-term investments, financial risk management, safe use of online financial tools and fraud prevention. A second objective was to develop their facilitation skills and their ability to use non-formal methods in financial education, so that they could later transfer what they had learned into workshops, mentoring and educational activities in their own communities. The project also aimed to improve public speaking, teamwork, reflection and communication skills, because these are essential in youth work practice and in delivering educational content effectively. A third objective was to increase young people’s involvement in financial education through non-formal methods. In the application, we committed to using interactive workshops, simulations, case studies and other practical tools to make financial education accessible and attractive, especially for young people who would normally avoid such topics. A fourth objective was to promote social inclusion through financial education, by involving disadvantaged groups and by preparing youth workers to support young people who face financial insecurity, low confidence and limited access to relevant information. In this sense, the project was conceived not only as a training experience, but as a way to reduce barriers and make financial education more useful in real community settings. The project also had a clear organisational objective. Both partner organisations wanted to strengthen their capacity to integrate financial education more consistently into their youth work. For Orenda Foundation, this meant expanding its educational offer in the area of financial literacy and inclusion. For Today Social Skills, it meant strengthening the competences of its youth workers and developing more relevant activities that could attract and support young people. In the long term, the project was intended to help both organisations build practical methods, new resources and stronger cooperation in this field. In implementation, these objectives were also connected to concrete follow-up expectations. We wanted the participants not only to learn, but also to transfer the knowledge further through dissemination, educational materials and local activities. This was reflected later in the creation of the toolkit, the informative cards for different age groups, the dissemination workshops in schools, high schools, kindergartens and universities, and the financial education marathon on social media. These elements confirm that the project objectives were built from the start around youth work practice, transferability and community impact, not only around mobility itself. This project was also relevant to the wider objectives of the EU Youth Dialogue and the European Youth Goals, especially by contributing to quality learning, inclusion, active participation and better preparation of young people for social and professional life. Through practical financial education, non-formal methods and work in disadvantaged contexts, the project supported young people in becoming more informed, more confident and better equipped to make responsible decisions.