Here’s why #IVotePBNYC. How about you?

It’s just one week until the start of our 5^th annual participatory budgeting (PBNYC) vote week, when you and your neighbors get to vote on some great projects in our neighborhoods. Please take a minute this weekend to decide where and when to vote, review the projects on the ballot, and pledge to vote.

We’re already seeing a lot of strong PBNYC spirit across the district, and looking forward to seeing more! Already hundreds of you have pledged to vote this year, and our volunteers are hitting the streets this weekend to help get the word out. Here’s some of what’s been happening as we get closer to the vote:

#IVotePBNYC:

#IVotePBNYC because I’m convinced that we take better care of things we hold in common – our schools, parks, libraries, streets, and neighborhoods – when we do it together. 

How about you? Every year, I heard some great reasons why people take the time to vote in participatory budgeting. So this year we’re asking new and returning voters alike to share with their Facebook friends and Twitter and Instagram followers why you vote.

If you’re into social media, take a minute to do an #IVotePBNYC post on your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram account. If you’re into selfies, you can print out and use this #IVotePBNYC sign, write your reason for voting, take a picture with the sign, and post it to your social media accounts. Use the hashtag “#IVotePBNYC” so we can keep track of all the energy and repost your many excellent reasons for voting.

If you’d rather not take a picture or yourself, then you can share one of these graphics with your explanation instead.  You can also invite your friends and neighbors to the PBNYC Facebook event (and encourage them to post their reasons for voting as well).

The PBNYC Youth Blog:

One of my favorite parts of PBNYC is that anyone 14 years or older can vote! This year a group of neighborhood teens have formed their very own PBNYC youth group. Led by Ilana Cohen from Park Slope, this group of enthusiastic teenagers have been working together to gain a deeper understanding of how PBNYC works. Together they developed sample project proposals, and even went through a mock PBNYC process.  They’ve also helped spread the word and get more peers involved through the PB Youth In District 39 blog.  Take a look, to see more of what these civically minded teenagers has been up to!

Our PB Anniversary Newsletter:

In the latest version of our hard copy newsletter, we took a deep dive into the participatory budgeting process. Give it a read to see some of what we’ve accomplished together through PBNYC and learn about the work that goes into creating the ballot.

I especially enjoyed hearing from our all-star volunteers in their own words what it’s like to be involved in PBNYC. On page three, Max Drury (and his mom Alissa Schwartz) share their story of helping secure $225,000 to create a new movement studio at his younger sister‘s school, Ben Jones and Bess Hauser explain what it means to facilitate the environment committee, and Neil Reilly shares what it’s like to serve on the district committee-- “the rudder of the PBNYC ship.”

(Also, oops, we failed to give PBNYC super-volunteer Caron Atlas credit for her photos on the cover the newsletter. You might remember Caron from her extraordinary work at the Park Slope Armory after Hurricane Sandy organizing an incredible range of activities for the displaced seniors there. Through her incredible volunteer work both citywide and in our district, and her work through Arts & Democracy with civic-minded artists around the city, Caron has enriched PBNYC immensely. This year, she organized “expo workshops” (a process she came up with, where budget delegates get supplies and help from artists to make creative displays to show off their projects) in 17 districts around NYC.

And speaking of those expos …

The PBNYC Project Expo and Vote Kick Off:

Don’t forget the Project Expo in our district is coming up:

The Expo is like a “science fair” for PBNYC projects. At the Expo, the volunteer budget delegates who researched these projects inside and out will be on hand to answer your questions and let you know plenty of details about why each project is a great choice. You can cast your vote right at the event too!

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We’ve got more PBNYC surprises coming soon too – stay tuned for new voting opportunities headed to your ballot for the first time this year.

And if you’ve read this far, but somehow still have not pledged to vote, what are you waiting for?!