Feb-Mar 2014 Newsletter: California Campaign, NYC Celebration, Internships

California Campaign Takes Off

Last October, PBP began a year-long partnership with The California Endowment to support PB organizing efforts in their 14 Building Healthy Communities program sites around the state. Since then, we’ve met with community groups from Long Beach, Richmond, San Diego, Oakland, Sacramento, and Los Angeles to talk about bringing PB to their cities. These groups are laying the groundwork for new models of PB in the U.S., including PB in school districts, with federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, and with a city’s Youth Council. Read more.

New California Office

To support our growing work in California and the West Coast, we’re opening a new office in Downtown Oakland, at 1212 Broadway, Suite 500 Oakland, CA 94612. Stop on by to say hi! We also need new computers and equipment for our office, so please let us know if you can make a donation. And check out our office supply wish list to help us out with other essential supplies.

Save the Date: Celebrate PBP in NYC!

Join us for our first annual benefit on May 8th in New York City! The event will celebrate 5 years of PB in the US and 25 years of PB around the world, and honor our amazing partners who helped bring PB to NYC: Community Voices Heard, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, and Council Members Brad Lander, Eric Ulrich, and Jumaane Williams. Read more.

Summer Internships with PBP

We’re looking for paid summer interns that will contribute to our programs, design work, and communications. The interns will work with us in New York City or Oakland for at least 15 hours per week, from June to August (exact dates are flexible). The internships are ideal for talented individuals eager to further their technical skills and gain experience with a growing non-profit, all while exploring the potential of participatory democracy! Deadline: April 7, 2014. Read more.

Upcoming Events

Want to get involved or learn more about PB? Join us at one of these public events, or volunteer to help with outreach, planning, and more! Click on the links for event details.

PB Vallejo Assemblies: Today, March 13, 6:30-8:30 pm
PBNYC Project Expos: Now-March 19
PB Boston Assemblies: Now-April 2
PBNYC Voting: March 29-April 6
PB San Francisco Meetings: March 26-April 17
PB St. Louis Voting: April 1-8
PB Chicago Voting: April 28 – May 10
PBP Celebration (NYC): May 8
PB Boston Voting: June
PB Vallejo Expos: September
3rd International PB Conference (Bay Area, California): September 25-28

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A non-profit organization that empowers people to decide together how to spend public money

What You Can Do

1. Spread the Word
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Like us and get access to news and resources.

2. Donate to PBP
Invest in participatory democracy by making a tax-deductible donation.

3. Volunteer
Can you contribute a few hours a month to help PB grow? Do you have experience with outreach, facilitation, fundraising, or design? Sign up to volunteer.

4. Organize for PB
Want to start a PB process in your city, school or neighborhood? Get started here.

Featured Book

The new book by PBP Executive Director Josh Lerner is now out! Making Democracy Fun explores how the tools of game design can be used to fix democracy. Two chapters focus on participatory budgeting at Toronto Community Housing. More info on upcoming book talks and how to get your copy at joshlerner.net.

In the Press
Christie Hill of the Center on Policy Initiatives sits down with The Voice of San Diego to discuss the Community Budget Alliance efforts to bring PB to her city, one of the CA campaigns PBP is supporting.

PBP Board Chair Mike Menser and City University of New York researcher Ron Hayduk discuss how universities and unions can support participatory budgeting in CUNY’s Clarion.

The Vallejo Times-Herald profiles a PB Vallejo participant and Steering Committee member, Ravi Shankar, in this heartwarming piece.

Sacramento’s Capital Public Radio drops in on the first assembly of Vallejo’s second PB cycle and recaps its historic inaugural year.

The Harvard Kennedy School’s Challenges to Democracy blog tracks the progress of Boston’s Youth PB Process, as the youth-led Steering Committee finalizes the design and rules of the process.

Equal Voice Newspaper tells the story of PB in Chicago, checking in with PBP’s Maria Hadden and some of our organizational partners.

PBP T-Shirts, Postcards, Magnets, and Stickers!
Check out our new postcards, and send us an email to order PBP t-shirts, stickers, or magnets!