High Five Finance is a 12-month Erasmus+ small-scale partnership in the youth field designed to strengthen responsible financial decision-making among young people. The project goes beyond traditional financial literacy topics such as budgeting and saving. Its central idea is that financial decisions should be evaluated through five interconnected dimensions: economic viability, environmental impact, social consequences, ethical and governance quality, and future resilience.
The project primarily targets youth workers, trainers, facilitators, coordinators and educators working with young people aged approximately 15–30. Many of these professionals have limited formal training in finance, economics or investment analysis and may feel confident discussing basic budgeting but less prepared to explain income generation, cost structures, risk, long-term viability, governance or the credibility of environmental claims. High Five Finance therefore equips them with a structured methodology that they can use in non-formal education settings.
Young people are the ultimate target group, particularly those with limited access to formal financial education, including economically vulnerable and rural youth. They increasingly encounter crowdfunding campaigns, sustainability-labelled products, digital financial platforms and investment-related content online, yet often lack a structured way to assess whether a proposal is economically viable, environmentally credible, socially beneficial, transparently governed or resilient over time. The project therefore transforms financial literacy into a practical decision-making competence.
1. Strengthen the professional capacity of youth workers to teach responsible financial reasoning.
The first objective is to equip youth workers with knowledge and practical tools that go significantly beyond personal budgeting and saving. They will learn how to explain how projects generate income, how costs and cash flow are structured, how risks are identified, and how long-term financial viability is assessed. Crucially, they will also learn to connect these financial considerations with environmental, social, ethical and governance factors so that financial reasoning is taught as a multi-dimensional process rather than a purely economic one.
2. Enable young people to independently apply the five-dimension evaluation model to real-life decisions.
The second objective is to ensure that young participants are able to analyse real projects, initiatives or investment proposals through all five dimensions before reaching a conclusion. They should be able to identify strengths and risks, distinguish credible sustainability claims from misleading ones, assess transparency and accountability, and justify their final decision using evidence rather than personal impression. The aim is therefore not simply to increase awareness, but to establish a repeatable decision-making routine that young people can apply independently.
3. Integrate the five-dimension methodology into regular youth work practice.
The third objective is institutional. The project aims to transform the five-dimension model into a tested, transferable methodology that partner organisations can continue using after the project ends. This includes a professional reference framework for youth workers, a youth-adapted version of the model and practical facilitation guidance for non-formal education. By embedding the methodology into regular youth work, the project seeks to improve the quality, innovation and long-term relevance of youth education activities.
One of the main results will be a validated professional five-dimension financial evaluation model. The project will produce a structured financial foundations module, a formal criteria sheet for the five dimensions, an integrated decision-making sequence, a standardised evaluation canvas and a professional reference guide for youth workers. These resources will establish a common analytical baseline so that the method can be applied consistently across different organisations and countries.
A second major result will be a complete Youth 5D Toolkit, adapted specifically for non-formal education with young people. It will include a simplified financial basics booklet, several structured case files, question cards covering each of the five dimensions, a decision board requiring participants to document strengths and risks, and a facilitation guide for youth workers. The toolkit is intended to turn a relatively complex analytical framework into an interactive, accessible and practical learning experience.
At participant level, the project expects young people to demonstrate that they can apply all five dimensions when evaluating a financial decision. They should be able to assess basic economic viability, identify environmental and social consequences, examine transparency and accountability, consider long-term resilience and justify a final decision using arguments drawn from multiple dimensions.
Youth workers are also expected to become capable of facilitating the methodology autonomously, guiding structured discussions, managing trade-offs between competing considerations and ensuring that all five dimensions are considered before a decision is reached. At project level, at least 80% of participating youth workers are expected to correctly apply the professional model independently, while at least 70% of youth groups should successfully meet the defined criteria for multi-dimensional reasoning.
Finally, the project will produce a field-tested and sustainable learning system that partner organisations can continue using in future youth activities. The final toolkit will be refined based on implementation results across countries and made available in printable and digital formats, while partners will prepare a sustainability plan for its continued integration into regular youth work and future projects.
