Cluj-Napoca has extended its school participatory budgeting programme, Com’ON School, to 15 schools, where more than 2,700 pupils propose and vote on projects for their own schools. The city hall is providing 375,000 lei, or 25,000 lei per school, to carry out the ideas the pupils choose. The 2026 edition is one of the largest school participatory budgeting processes developed so far within Com’ON Cluj-Napoca.

How it works

This year’s edition covers 106 classes of sixth and seventh graders in 15 schools in Cluj-Napoca. In a first stage, pupils took part in ideation sessions in class, discussing what they like about their school, what is missing and what could be improved. The ideas are then developed in workshops held between 2 and 13 November in all 15 schools. With the support of Com’ON Facilitators, pupils analyse and develop the proposals. Proposals may cover relaxation and socialising spaces, small-scale educational or sports equipment, art and creative projects, and well-being initiatives, among others.

Voting, money and timeline

  • 2–13 November 2026: idea development workshops
  • 26 November 2026: online vote
  • January–June 2027: implementation of winning projects

On 26 November 2026, all pupils in the participating schools, from the preparatory class to eighth grade, can vote online. Each school has its own voting page, and ideas compete only within their own school community. In each school, the idea with the most votes is selected for implementation. Mayor Emil Boc said the process directly involves more than 2,700 pupils and indirectly more than 10,000 pupils from the 15 schools.

Background

Com’ON School was launched as a pilot in 2025 in three schools: Liceul Teoretic Brassai Sámuel, Școala Gimnazială Octavian Goga and Școala Gimnazială Iuliu Hațieganu. Pupils in the three schools proposed 17 initiatives, and voter turnout ranged from about 58% to 78%. In 2026 the pilot received the Social Impact Award, in the Civic Behaviour and Public Participation category, at the 24th Civil Society Gala, organised by The Institute in Bucharest on 5 October. The programme is part of Com’ON Cluj-Napoca, a youth participatory budgeting model developed since 2015, which received the URBACT Good Practice Label in 2024. The 2026 edition is organised by Grupul PONT in partnership with Federația Tinerilor din Cluj and the city hall. Fondation Botnar supports the development of the Com’ON programme.