The Council of Europe project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery” is launching the second call for Ukrainian communities to receive expert support in developing regulations for inclusive School participatory budgeting (iSchool PB) based on Council of Europe standards and methodology, as well as mentoring support for its implementation.
The selection process will take place in two stages. During the first stage, interested communities are invited to complete the Google form “Application of Intent to implement iSchool PB in the community” available at the link. The deadline for submission is 24 March 2026 (23:59).
All communities that submit the application will be invited to an introductory meeting (tentatively scheduled for 26 March) where the Council of Europe project team will present the details of the potential support to be provided. Following this meeting, the second stage of the selection process will take place, during which communities will be asked to complete the document “Expression of Interest”, providing more detailed information about their plans to implement inclusive School participatory budgeting.
Applications submitted during the second stage will be assessed based on several key criteria, including: recognition of youth (including children) as active contributors to local development, as reflected in the municipal statute; strategic focus on education, youth policy, and democratic governance within local development planning; existence of local development programmes dedicated to education and/or youth; inclusive local policies that guarantee equal rights and access for children with disabilities, special educational needs, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other vulnerable groups; availability of an Inclusive Resource Centre and its readiness to participate in the iSchool PB pilot cycle, etc.
Following the evaluation process, up to 10 communities will be selected to receive support from the Council of Europe project.
School participatory budgeting is an important civic participation tool that helps foster a new generation of active Ukrainians who not only have the right to vote but also understand how to use this right responsibly to contribute to the development of their school, their community, and their country.
In 2025, the Council of Europe project supported 16 Ukrainian communities in developing regulations for inclusive School participatory budgeting and recommendations for its implementation. The implementation process has already begun in most of these communities.
This call is launched within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026 and the project “Strengthening multilevel governance and local democracy to support Ukraine’s recovery”, implemented by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
