Launching the First University PB in the US

PBP is thrilled to be a lead partner for a new pilot PB process at Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York. The Brooklyn College Student Government is setting aside 10% of its budget – at least $20,000 – for students to allocate this spring through participatory budgeting. This will be the first college or university in North America where all students will be invited to develop and vote on budget proposals.

The process kicks off with two town hall meetings at the start of March, and students will decide which projects get funded at an April vote. For more information, see the press release below. As universities across North America are threatened by funding cuts, we hope to model a new way for students to take control of their education and make their own budget decisions.

--
BC Student Government Press Release
February 14th, 2012
Brooklyn, NY

Today the Brooklyn College Student Governments of CLAS, SGS and GSO revealed an exciting new budgeting plan.
10% of their budgets are to be voted upon directly by students.

Through the new initiative, called Participatory Budgeting, students will come together in two town hall meetings (March 6th and March 7th) to discuss student needs and priorities. They will then propose specific projects to address these needs. Student volunteers will work with representatives from the administration, student government, and faculty, to develop these proposals into functional projects and make sure each proposal is financially, technically, and legally feasible. These proposals will then be placed on a ballot and students will vote on which ones to fund in April (around the same time as the Student Government election).

Traditionally, these funds are utilized by student clubs. While it is important to support clubs, as well as their events, and initiatives, student government feels that students who are either not in clubs or have needs that clubs cannot address ought to have a chance to be heard. Every student should, and now will, have the power to submit their ideas for projects and to improve their experience at Brooklyn College. Additionally, using this money in such a manner enables the student body as a whole to benefit from the funds; after all, the students themselves provide these funds. In order to ensure that this is the case, we are designating the funds to be used for proposals that are “infrastructural” in nature; by this we mean ideas that will improve the experience of the Brooklyn College student body at large and not just specific students or specific groups of students.

Participatory budgeting originated in Brazil and has proven successful in thousands of cities around the world in the past several years. Recently, a city ward in Chicago began allocating discretionary capital funds through participatory budgeting and NYC is only the 2nd U.S. city to ever attempt it. Brooklyn College will be the 1st College or University to attempt this in the U.S. We are working with a member of the team that helped implement the concept in Chicago; his organization The Participatory Budgeting Project (www.participatorybudgeting.org) is also working with four NYC Council-members who are currently doing participatory budgeting in their districts.

We hope the project will increase transparency, make government more efficient, and get students more involved. Democracy is in the making, will you be a part of it?

For more information, email: classpeaker@gmail.com

Want to be an international PB leader? (Board Member Opportunity)

Do you want to help PB grow across North America, and serve as a leader for an international movement to build public control over public money? If so, see our Board Member ad below!

Board Member Volunteer Opportunity

The Participatory Budgeting Project, Inc. (PBP), a non-profit organization based in New York City, is seeking up to three additional members for its Board of Directors.

Our mission is to empower community members to make informed, democratic, and fair decisions about public spending and revenue, by opening up public budgets to meaningful democratic participation. We work with elected officials, government agencies, and community groups in the US and Canada to set up participatory budgeting programs - public processes that let ordinary people directly decide how to spend public money. This work involves three main activities: public education, technical assistance, and research & evaluation.

As a Board Member, you will help lead a growing movement to build real democracy. Participatory budgeting (PB) is practiced in over 3,000 cities around the world, but it is relatively new to North America. As the primary organization promoting PB in the US and Canada, PBP has served as a lead partner for the first two PB processes in US cities (in Chicago and New York), and we are working to launch additional processes in over a dozen other cities. Our board and staff include PB experts, practitioners, and participants based in over five cities.

Because we are a start-up organization, incorporated in 2011, we expect Board Members to play an active role in developing the organization. We seek board candidates who will:
- Serve at least a two-year term,
- Attend three to five board meetings per year, via phone or in person,
- Contribute additional work outside of meetings, by serving on at least one board committee,
- Assist with fundraising, and
- Serve as an ambassador for the organization by representing and promoting our work in the wider community.

We are especially interested in candidates with accounting, legal, or non-profit development expertise; who have experience as participants or organizers of PB processes; and who are based in New York City, Chicago, or Toronto. We strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals.

To apply, send a resume and a letter of interest (highlighting the contributions you expect to make to the organization) by March 7th to Josh Lerner (Executive Director) at josh@participatorybudgeting.org and Michael Menser (Board Chair) at menser@participatorybudgeting.org. For more information, visit our website at http://www.participatorybudgeting.org.

International PB Conference - Registration Open!

Registration is now open for the first International Conference on Participatory Budgeting in the US and Canada, March 30-31, 2012, in New York City. We've also announced a new batch of speakers and co-sponsors - see the conference website for more info!