Vallejo (CA) Approves First City-Wide PB Process in US

Vallejo, California just approved the first city-wide participatory budgeting process in the US! Residents will decide how to spend around $3 million from new sales tax revenue. For more info see the Times Herald article.

 

 

Design and Communications Internships - Summer 2012

The Participatory Budgeting Project is looking for two interns for summer 2012 - see the ad below:

Design and Communications Internships

The Participatory Budgeting Project, Inc. (PBP), a non-profit organization based in New York City, is seeking part-time design and communications interns for summer 2012. 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 local people directly decide how to spend public money.

The two interns will work out of our New York or Chicago offices for at least 20 hours per week, starting in May or June and ending in August. The interns will work closely with other staff to develop materials and media that make complex policy issues accessible to diverse audiences. The internships are ideal for talented individuals eager to apply graphic design, social media, marketing, and communications skills to engage people in their communities and government.

Responsibilities for the design intern will include:
- design publicity materials and educational materials about participatory budgeting for diverse audiences, including brochures, info sheets, powerpoint presentations, guides, and posters
- contribute to website design

Responsibilities for the communications intern will include:
- prepare content for publicity materials, including brochures, powerpoint presentations, press releases, and website
- expand social media engagement and reach
- compile media coverage
- maintain and further develop contact database

The ideal candidates will have:
- a completed Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field
- experience working with non-profit organizations
- strong skills working with Powerpoint, Word, GoogleDocs, Photoshop, InDesign, Mailchimp, or other relevant software and platforms
- strong communication and organizational skills
- interest in social justice and participatory democracy

We strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals. To apply, send a letter of interest, resume, and work sample (e.g. a brochure, flyer, powerpoint presentation) to info@participatorybudgeting.org by April 23rd. The internship is unpaid, though it may lead to paid work depending on the intern’s performance and available resources.
For more information, visit our website at http://www.participatorybudgeting.org.

 

 

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.

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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!

 

 

2012 PB Conference Updates

We look forward to seeing you soon at the first International Conference on Participatory Budgeting in the US and Canada. Due to popular demand, the deadline for proposals has been extended to January 31st. Please see the call for proposals for submission guidelines, and feel free to ask us about your session ideas.

The conference dates have also been set - March 30-31, 2012. The conference organizers are already planning an exciting lineup of sessions and activities. Here’s a taste of what to expect:
- Site Visits to Observe PB Voting in NYC
- Presentations on PB processes in New York, Chicago, Toronto Community Housing, Guelph, Montreal, Porto Alegre, the UK, and elsewhere
- Sessions on e-Participatory Budgeting & Digital Media, Community Organizing, Arts & Culture, Public Housing, and Youth Engagement
- Focused discussions for elected officials, practitioners, and community organizations

Stay tuned to the new conference website for updates!

 

 

Los Angeles PB Event - Jan 12th

The PB Project is speaking at a public event next week in Los Angeles - see the announcement below!

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Participatory Budgeting: From Budget Cuts to the People's Budget
An introductory event Thursday, January 12th 7pm @ Haines Hall 279 on UCLA’s Campus

Are you interested in real world solutions to the budget crises we face?

Do you want to learn about a new approach to democracy being implemented NOW in over 1000 cities world wide including places like New York City and Chicago?

Would you like to discuss how participatory budgeting can be applied to the city of LA, UCLA and the UC graduate TA union (UAW 2865)?

Then please join us Thursday, January 12th, 7pm at UCLA, Haines Hall 279, for a panel discussion on the Participatory Budgeting (PB) movement. We will be joined by New York City Council Member Brad Lander, Pam Jennings from The Participatory Budgeting Project, and community representatives from NYC's 39th District. The discussants are part of a larger group of four NYC districts who are using participatory budgeting to allocate nearly 6 million dollars in capital discretionary funds. We will learn more about participatory budgeting, the challenges of implementing it in NYC, and discuss ways participatory budgeting can be used in LA and within the UC system. Refreshments will be provided. Hope you can join us!

Please use this google map to find Haines Hall. Once you enter Haines Hall go up the main stairs to the 2nd floor and room 279 will be at the north end of the building on your left.

 

 

New Orleans event

The Participatory Budgeting Project is traveling to New Orleans next week, and we'll be speaking at a public forum on Wednesday December 14th. 6pm at Grace Episcopal Church – 3700 Canal Street. The event is sponsored by the Committee for a Better New Orleans and the New Orleans Coalition on Open Governance. For more information visit their event announcement.

 

 

PBP in Baltimore, New Haven, New Orleans & Porto Alegre

The PB Project is hitting the road! In the next month we'll be speaking at the following events:

November 23-26: Porto Alegre, Brazil
10th World Congress of Metropolis

November 25: Baltimore
4:00pm, at The Baltimore Free School (1323 N. Calvert, corner of Calvert and Mt. Royal)
Event hosted by Occupy Baltimore organizers.
More info.

December 6: New Haven
7:00pm at the Hall of Records - City of New Haven (200 Orange Street)
More info.

December 13-15: New Orleans
Visit organized by The Committee for a Better New Orleans and the Open Society Foundation.

 

 

International PB Conference: March 2012, NYC

Please share with your networks:

International Conference: Participatory Budgeting in the US and Canada
March 30-31, 2012, New York City

CALL FOR PROPOSALS--EXTENDED DEADLINE: JANUARY 31, 2012
Conference Website: http://pbconference.wordpress.com/

In a time of widespread budget crises and plummeting trust in government, politicians and community members are searching for more democratic and accountable ways to manage public money. Participatory Budgeting (PB) offers an alternative. PB is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. The process was first developed in Brazil in 1989, and there are now over 1,000 participatory budgets around the world. Most are for city budgets, but counties, states, towns, housing authorities, schools, and other institutions have also used PB to open up public spending to public participation.

PB is now common in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa - and in some cases even required by law. Yet it has only recently appeared on the radar in the US and Canada, with a few Canadian processes starting in 2001 and some initial US experiments starting in 2009.

This first regional conference on PB will take place in New York City to allow participants to observe and celebrate the closing of the city’s first PB cycle. The conference will provide a space for participants and organizers of the initial PB processes in the US and Canada to share and reflect on their experiences so far, alongside interested activists, practitioners, and scholars.

Dates
March 30-31, 2012

Note: The conference will coincide with the final vote for the New York City Participatory Budgeting process. The dates of the vote have not been finalized yet, but we expect them to be one of these two weekends. We will confirm the dates as soon as possible.

Locations
New York City: Pratt Institute (Brooklyn), Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, and other locations throughout the city

Organizers
Pratt Institute, Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development
The Participatory Budgeting Project
Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College (CUNY)

Conference Themes
As an opportunity to reflect upon early PB initiatives in the US and Canada, and build new relationships and collaborations between practitioners, the conference will focus on the following questions. We encourage all submissions relating to these and other similar themes.

1) What is the current state of PB practice in the United States and Canada? How are current experiments progressing and what efforts to establish new PB’s are underway?
2) What common themes or conditions underlie PB experiences in the US ad Canada?
3) How do experiences in these countries differ from PB in other parts of the world?
4) How do PB experiences in the US and Canada inform key ongoing debates on PB worldwide?
5) How can PB practitioners, activists, and participants in the US and Canada support each others’ efforts?

Session Types
We encourage presenters to submit proposals for a variety of session formats. These may include, but are not limited to: panel discussions, workshops, presentations, and videos. Sessions are scheduled to last 1.5 hours, but some sessions may group together shorter activities. Though the conference’s primary focus is on PB in the US and Canada, proposals dealing with broader PB issues or other locations will also be considered. Proposals that reflect a diversity of opinions, experiences and backgrounds will be given priority.

Panel Discussions: Panel discussions should be facilitated by a moderator (please indicate in your proposal whether you would like us to help identify a moderator/discussant) and should be composed of 3-5 panelists. Panels should leave adequate time for discussion.

Workshops: The goal of proposed workshops should be the participation of workshop participants in a discussion or other activity designed to learn, communicate, debate, etc. Workshops can be led by a single person, although workshops led by a diverse range of people are preferred. “Presenting” by workshop leader/s should be limited.

Presentations: Presentations of PB experiences and academic papers are also welcome. Presentations will be grouped together based on subject, geography or theme. Academic paper presentations will be limited to 15 minutes, and all presenters should be prepared for discussion with other participants.

Videos and Other Formats: We welcome video screenings and other artistic or creative proposals.

Conference Fees
There will be a sliding scale conference fee from $10 for students and low-income people to $50 for full registration. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Submission Guidelines
Session proposals should include the following information:
● Title
● Abstract (200-400 words)
● Name(s) and/or organizations of authors, presenters, panelists, workshop leaders, etc
● Special arrangements or other considerations (space requirements, scheduling requests, etc)

EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION--January 31st, 2012

Please submit proposals by email to: pbconference.info@gmail.com