Fundisha

My name is Fundisha Tibebe, and I am the new Community Engagement Manager for Seattle’s Participatory Budgeting Process. I am thrilled to be in this role and in community with all of you!

The Seattle PB process is a monumental moment in Seattle and is a result of the hard work, time, and resilience of Black community organizers in Seattle.

In my role, I hope to engage and inform community members impacted most by the injustice and inequities of the current system about the importance of participatory budgeting and how their voices and lived experiences are the driving force for this process. I’m excited to work together with the community and empower one another to step into our leadership and become self-advocates.

I want to hear from you - what do you want to know about participatory budgeting? How do you want to connect with the people around you? How can we work together to uplift one another? Hit me up at fundisha@participatorybudgeting.org!

We have already gotten things started with a virtual info session in November, where we shared more details about the PB process and opportunities with open positions. We also hosted a soft launch event on February 5, 2023 for the community to learn more about the process.

testing two together

We are currently in the planning phase of the participatory budgeting process. We are working on completing our Seattle PB team (application link below) and recruiting and selecting our Steering Committee and Accountability Work Groups (more info and application links below). In early to mid-March, we will be transitioning into our design phase, where our Steering Committee will work with the workgroups to design the rules for the PB process!

PB Process Cycle Diagram

I am excited to share the new staff members of our Seattle PB team:

  • Fundisha Tibebe (me!), our Community Engagement Manager
  • Aaron Carr, our Youth Fellowship Manager
  • Telitha Floyd, our Community Engagement Director
  • Our Participatory Budgeting Coordinator position is still open - Apply to join us!

There are many ways community members can join the Seattle PB process:

Steering Committee: The steering committee will inform design decisions for the Participatory Budgeting(PB) process, help appoint workgroup members and serve as a core accountability partner to PB stakeholders to ensure it meets the needs of Seattle residents impacted by systemic lack of investment in the City's historically underserved communities.

Click here to learn more about the criteria for roles on this committee, the selection process, and how to express interest.

Workgroups: Group members will bring their specialized skills to the following workgroups: Accountability and Restorative & Proactive Safety Working Group, Lived Experience & Outreach Workgroup, Budget Delegate & Facilitation Workgroup, and Evaluation & Data.

To learn more about the workgroups and express interest, click here.

*Note: For each position, members can expect to spend an estimated 25-35 hours a month supporting the process, depending on the phase. All members will be compensated an hourly rate of $25/hr for their time helping to guide the process in the roles above.

If you have any questions or want more information, please contact Kayla Knight at Kayla@participatorybudgeting.org.

And, I invite you to join us at our upcoming Virtual Youth Summits, hosted by Seattle People’s Fellows this March. You can register below:

Saturday, March 4, 2023, from 2:30 pm-4 pm
Register here

Friday, March 10, 2023, from 5 pm-6:30 pm
Register here

Engage with us on social media during the Seattle process:

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