How 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 […]
What 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 […]
Why 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 […]
PBNYC 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 […]
Young 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 […]
Youth 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 […]
Call for proposals: PB Conference 2016
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: December 18, 2015 www.pbconference.org | conference@participatorybudgeting.org | www.pbconference.org/submit 4th International Conference on Participatory Budgeting in North America Presented by the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) in partnership with the City of Boston. May 20-22, 2016 Boston, MA In cities across North America, budget crises are leading to painful cuts in public […]
Engaging Youth and Developing PB Curriculum: Steven Serling’s PB Story
High-school Social Studies teacher Steven Serling knows what democratic engagement can do for young people. A advocate of learning-by-doing, Mr. Serling emphasizes the way in which youth participation in PB encourages young people to become engaged citizens, effective communicators, and thoughtful decision makers. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Serling has been nominated for a hometown hero […]
8th Grader Lands $225K for NYC School: An Inspiring Story of Facilitation and Youth in the Civic Process
Yup, you read that correctly! Maximillian Viking Drury, a 13-year-old from Brooklyn, successfully persuaded voters to fund a PB initiative that will put $225,000 toward improving his sister’s school! The young Brooklynite is one of many youths who are inspired by the opportunity to have real power over their community’s decision making processes. Having caught […]
A Young Agent For Change: Stephen Lafume’s PB Story
It is not everyday that a 16-year-old gets to help decide how his city should spend $1 million dollars. Isabel Luciano, our East Coast Program Assistant, recently interviewed Stephen Lafume, who worked as a change leader on Boston’s Youth Lead the Change Council. Just a few weeks ago, thousands of young residents of Boston voted on […]