Youth
Youth Scholarships for the Innovations in Participatory Democracy Conference
As we question many aspects of democracy, we can be sure about one thing: Young people are transforming what it means to show up and participate. And, beyond participating – young people are leading initiatives like Action Civics and Participatory Budgeting (PB) to create real change in their communities. In NYC, Coro PB Youth Fellows…
Read MoreWelcome back-to-school-PB!
Today’s lesson: How to learn democracy by doing democracy As schools reconvene from summer break, more and more are empowering students to directly decide how to spend a portion of their school budget through participatory budgeting (PB). One of the best ways to teach democracy is by doing real democracy; PB in schools does exactly…
Read MoreParticipatory Budgeting in Elementary Schools: You’re Never too Young for Democracy
With the 2017-18 school year just around the corner, it’s time for fresh ideas to improve your local schools. One new model comes from New York City’s Primary School 139, with some special help from Participatory Budgeting Project’s Executive Director Josh Lerner – and his son Miro. P.S.139 is a large Title I public elementary…
Read MorePB for Sustainable Development
Earlier in June, we were invited to attend the UN Public Service Forum in The Hague, Netherlands to do a presentation in the forum’s track dedicated to sharing innovative practices around building inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. Cities are especially tasked with pioneering sustainability measures because 70% of the world’s population will live in…
Read MoreHow PB in schools tries to make PB a little easier
Thea Crum is the Director of the Neighborhoods Initiative at the Great Cities Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago, and has handled research and evaluation for participatory budgeting (PB) in Chicago, including at Sullivan High School. Michael Menser is a Professor at Brooklyn College, CUNY, and helped bring PB to NYC and his college, and…
Read MoreWhat happens when students lead PB?
Impacts, outcomes, and winning projects shine in Phoenix “Let’s rock and roll!” shouted Christopher Oglesby, Assistant Principal at Carl Hayden Community High School, to a team huddle of 30 spirited students. The group dispersed in all directions, and prepared to welcome over 1,500 student voters to the gym. This team of student leaders—along with school…
Read MoreWhy HUD budgets are vital to rebuilding trust in government
What do youth apprenticeship programs, safe routes to schools, and mobile showers for the homeless community have in common? They all make communities more resilient, more equitable, and more sustainable. They are all eligible to be funded by Community Development Block Grants (CDGB). And they are just some of the many projects directly decided by…
Read MorePBNYC Vote Week Kick-off
You’re invited to vote for a PBNYC project in your City Council district from March 26th-April 3rd! With 28 districts participating in the process, NYC has the largest city-wide PB process in North America. Last year, more than 51,000 New Yorkers voted in the 2014-2015 PBNYC cycle. This year’s PB citywide budget has reached over…
Read MoreYoung Leaders in Harlem Shape their Community through PB
Brotherhood-SisterSol (Bro/Sis) is an organization passionate about youth empowerment through community engagement and education. At Bro/Sis young people become independent leaders by addressing local socio-economic issues in their community of West Harlem, where only 42% of youth graduate from high school. They work with young leaders through their afterschool program, rights of passage program, environmental…
Read MoreYouth PB with Judith Bourque: Dieppe, Canada
When we started working with the small town of Dieppe, Canada to help them launch their first participatory budgeting (PB) process they asked us about the lowest voting age we had ever seen. When we provide technical assistance it’s up to our partners to lead writing the rules and setting priorities for engagement. Dieppe made sure that young people were…
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