The tremendous success of this PB cycle has truly shown the civic engagement and community organizing skills of its founding teams and its individual participants--our District 39 constituents!
Youth Involvement in the PB Cycle:
This PB cycle featured a new and exciting level of youth engagement. The creation of the PB Youth Group involved teens from the around the district, as well as some from nearby neighborhoods, in volunteering at PB events, reaching out to their communities to get out the PB vote, and voting in the process themselves! Many of the teens joining the group had never known about PB until this year, yet they were eager to become engaged in such a rewarding process.
"It's cool to be involved in local democracy when you're only fifteen," says high school sophomore Isabella Rhodes, an active member of the PB Youth Group. "PB is encouraging young people to get involved and show that teens can be valuable members of their communities."
This PB Youth blog served as a great resource for teens to access when they had questions about the process. Initially intended to serve as a means of communication and sending updates for the members of the District 39 PB Youth Group, this blog is now written for the larger PB community. Through posts documenting PB events and providing interviews with PB participants, anyone can follow the PB cycle and learn how to become more involved in the process themselves.
"It's cool to be involved in local democracy when you're only fifteen," says high school sophomore Isabella Rhodes, an active member of the PB Youth Group. "PB is encouraging young people to get involved and show that teens can be valuable members of their communities."
This PB Youth blog served as a great resource for teens to access when they had questions about the process. Initially intended to serve as a means of communication and sending updates for the members of the District 39 PB Youth Group, this blog is now written for the larger PB community. Through posts documenting PB events and providing interviews with PB participants, anyone can follow the PB cycle and learn how to become more involved in the process themselves.
My Takeaways About the PB Process:
Before this year, I wasn't even aware of the occurrence of the PB process! In hindsight, this seems almost insane, as I am now not only fascinated by the cycle, but have enjoyed being able to participate as a volunteer, a blogger, and a leader of the District 39 PB Youth Group. Despite that it may seem like a small or limited process, PB has allowed me to become much more engaged in my community and provided a window into how instrumental a role local government can play in our daily lives. Government is often branded as ineffective, yet from what I have seen of PB, I know that this conception is not tried-and-true. PB is one of many governmental vehicles that drive positive change in our communities. School renovations, library expansions, murals, and "greening up" the streets are just some of the many projects that exemplify the far-reaching and accessible nature of the PB process.
Looking Forward:
Along with the end of 5th PB cycle in District 39 comes the opportunity to focus on the next PB process! Starting in the fall of this year, there will be idea collections, neighborhood assemblies, and events for PB participants being arranged. If you weren't involved in the PB process this year, there's an amazing chance to become so in the next cycle! You can attend a meeting, talk to a past participant, or even plan on becoming a budget delegate or a facilitator. And remember--it's never too early to start brainstorming ideas for potential PB projects!
PB is an incredibly unique and rewarding process, and it is all-inclusive. Anyone in District 39 can participate, even without being a registered voter, and this accessibility to local government and community decision-making that PB provides is one not easily found in the political turmoil of 2016. So I encourage you all to become a part of the 6th PB cycle and make your voice heard!
Along with the end of 5th PB cycle in District 39 comes the opportunity to focus on the next PB process! Starting in the fall of this year, there will be idea collections, neighborhood assemblies, and events for PB participants being arranged. If you weren't involved in the PB process this year, there's an amazing chance to become so in the next cycle! You can attend a meeting, talk to a past participant, or even plan on becoming a budget delegate or a facilitator. And remember--it's never too early to start brainstorming ideas for potential PB projects!
PB is an incredibly unique and rewarding process, and it is all-inclusive. Anyone in District 39 can participate, even without being a registered voter, and this accessibility to local government and community decision-making that PB provides is one not easily found in the political turmoil of 2016. So I encourage you all to become a part of the 6th PB cycle and make your voice heard!
