The PB Youth Committee reconvened at the Office of City Council Member Lander to plan GOTV efforts.
The PB Youth Committee has leapt into action in the final month before Vote Week, the exciting culmination of the District 39's sixth PB Cycle. Youth members, serving as PB Youth Ambassadors to their respective schools and neighborhoods, are tapping into post-election sentiment, using PB as a platform by which to empower students and show that there is no age requirement necessary to effect change. Regardless of possessing the ability to vote in state or federal elections, teens can make a difference in their communities. And, of course, when national politics become increasingly frustrating, local democracy provides an essential means for many to have their voices heard.
Meet the PB Youth Ambassadors of the PB Youth Committee below:
Ilana Cohen
Ilana Cohen is a junior at The Beacon School and a resident of Park Slope. She pursues her passion for government and public policy as a leader of her school's Model UN and Model Congress clubs, and her passion for journalism as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper The Beacon Beat. After working on youth outreach for the District 39 PB process as an intern at the Office of City Council Member Brad Lander last year, Ilana was appointed to her current role in the District Committee and helped found the PB Youth Committee.
"What amazes me most about the PB process is its inclusivity. The requirements for voter eligibility for PB are much more open than those for state and federal elections, giving many city residents who would otherwise never be able to cast a vote the opportunity to have their voices heard. This capability to empower is one that I feel is so ingrained in the work of the PB Youth Committee, which I hope will show teens around the district that they are not powerless in the chaos of the post-election political climate--that they have the ability to effect real change right now."
Chris Stuaffer
Chris Stauffer is a junior at Bard High School Early College in Manhattan and is from Park Slope. As a co-chair of the Youth Progressive Policy Group, Chris pursues his passion for expanding youth engagement in public policy and government. He also is on the leadership team of his school's Model UN team and is a captain of the track and field team. Chris became interested in PB last summer when he worked in Council Member Brad Lander's office, and is now dedicated to getting more youth involved in the process through the PB Youth Committee.
"I love the idea of allowing the community to decide what they need most--[PB] allows for everyone's voices to be heard. This process allows so many more people to get involved in their community, and help improve the quality of life for everyone!"
Eliza Callahan
Lara Schuman
Eliza Callahan
Eliza Callahan is a junior at The Beacon School and lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. She is a member of the Beacon Reads book club and pursues dance outside of school. Eliza started working with the PB Youth Committee in 2016 after hearing about the amazing projects PB brings to the local community.
"I think the best part of PB is the sense of leadership it gives to youth. Teens work together with other teens and young adults to create and fund projects to better their own community. PB allows students to really show the community what they care about and their ideas for how to make [the district] a cleaner and more inclusive place."Lara Schuman
Lara Schuman is a junior at Midwood and a resident of Park Slope. In addition to being a peer tutor and a writer for Midwood's Argus, Lara is a dedicated athlete, pursuing both tae kwon do and soccer. Lara learned about PB through her friends and decided to join the PB Youth Committee this year to become more involved in the process.
"Being a part of the PB Youth Committee has allowed me to learn more about local democracy, and made me feel like more of a part of the community. I hope to help improve our neighborhoods and make a difference in the district."
Ahnaf Bin Mahbub
Ahnaf Bin Mahbub is a resident of Kensington and a senior at Al Madinah High School. He has experience in various forms of community service, ranging from phone banking for Bernie Sanders and Bill de Blasio to community street cleaning. Ahnaf enjoys his new role as a PB Youth Ambassador for the PB Youth Committee.
“For me, Participatory Budgeting is the perfect opportunity to give everybody a chance to vote. Unlike in state and federal elections, residents are able to vote with few restrictions. PB allows hidden voices to be heard and more change to develop within a community. With the comprehensiveness of PB, people of all ages--especially teenagers--have the opportunity to make a difference.”
Paul Broderick
Paul is a graduate of the Institute for Collaborative Education in Manhattan and a current freshman at NYU, where he has a major in Political Science. Raised in Kensington, Paul interned in Council Member Brad Lander’s office in the Spring of 2016, where he coordinated the volunteer workforce and GOTV efforts for that year’s PB Vote Week. He remains committed to engaging District 39 and neighboring communities in the PB process as part of the PB Youth Committee.
"How often does it seem like elected officials get themselves lost in the bureaucratic cloud of government and lose touch with some of their constituents’ most critical needs? PB allows constituents to take back command of their own tax dollars--something everyone on the political spectrum can appreciate. Most importantly, it brings local democracy back to its roots.”
Naimul Islam
Naimul Islam is currently in his last semester at Brooklyn College and resides in Kensington. He is an avid reader, poet, an activist and a youth leader for minority groups. In addition to working with several local non-profits in his community, Naimul is a facilitator for the GetOrganizedBK Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism group. He learned about Participatory Budgeting from City Council Member Brad Lander’s staff and became involved in the PB Youth Committee last year.
“The PB process gives an opportunity for neglected and underprivileged communities to curate ideas to make an impact. The youth who live in these communities are the ones who know more than anyone else about their communities' needs. PB gives them a chance to figure out the problems we face and create programs to benefit the past, the present and the future of our communities.”
Claire Foley is a resident of Kensington and a student at the Bard High School Early College in Queens. In her free time, Claire takes ballet, pointe, and modern dance classes, peer tutors, and serves as a member of the World Science Academy club at her school. Claire joined the PB Youth Committee this year and is proud to serve as a PB Youth Ambassador.
"I joined the PB Youth Committee because I love my neighborhood so much that I think of it as an extension of my own home, and so I think working on improving my neighborhood with other people who also love the neighborhoods they live in is a really valuable way to spend my time. My favorite part about PB is being able to meet so many different people with so many different backgrounds, who all come together for the sole purpose of improving the community we live in."
For more info on how you can become involved in the PB Youth Committee, use the contact form on the blog to send us an email!
