PBYF SPOTLIGHT A Snapshot of Coro's Participatory Budgeting Youth Fellows' Achievements

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SPECIAL THANKS YOUTH ON THE MOVE

To the City Council members and their PBYF Year in Review d edicated staff who have partnered with us to bring greater youth voice to PB in New The Participatory Budgeting Youth Fellowship (PBYF) offers high school York City. students intensive training, hands-on experience and ongoing support to promote greater youth involvement in 's Participatory Speaker Corey Johnson (District 3) Budgeting process (PBNYC), which empowers local residents as young as 11 to Council Member Mark Levine (District 7) decide on how to spend at least $1 million in public funds for community Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (District 10) improvements in their City Council districts. Now in its second year, PBYF is a partnership between Coro New York Leadership Center, the Member (District 15) Council, and the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP). Coro is the city's Council Member (District 16) premier leadership training organization that helps New Yorkers build the Council Member (District 22) skills, knowledge, and networks to lead change. Council Member I. (District 27) After their three-week summer leadership institute concluded last August, Council Member Stephen Levin (District 33) Coro's second cohort of Participatory Budgeting Youth Fellows hit the ground Council Member (District 34) running! Building on last year's achievements, the 2018-19 Youth Fellows have focused on expanding their reach and innovating PB. In just 6 months, these 20 Council Member (District 38) dynamic high schoolers have: Council Member (District 39)

Council Member (District 49) - Completed 1,052 hours of PB service in their City Council districts (40% increase from last year) Marissa Yanni (Speaker's Office) - Collected 1,011 ideas that will better their communities (55% increase from last year)

- Helped facilitate over 40 idea collection assemblies at schools, community centers, and other venues - Completed 115 hours of leadership and PB training

My proudest achievement was hosting the youth assembly. We had around 30 youth who had a ton of great ideas and our facilitation went really well. They seemed to totally grasp the PB process.

-Sabrina, PB Youth Fellow (District 3, Manhattan) Hugo & Sabrina facilitate a discussion during a District 3 Youth Idea Collection Assembly

This year, we proudly partnered with Since the school year has progressed, four new City Council offices and Youth Fellows have been balancing increased our cohort size by a third. academics with being at the front lines of Additionally, two PBYF alumni (Anton their City Council districts -- often taking from Manhattan's District 7 and Mia from leading roles at meetings and idea Staten Island's District 49) returned as collection events, and building Senior Youth Fellows, using their relationships with local organizations.

experience and expertise to equip the "PBYF allowed me to talk to new people, new cohort as our next wave of PB facilitate assemblies, and do stuff I ambassadors and advocates! wouldn't regularly do. This improved my social and public speaking skills." -Anthony, Youth Fellow (District 27, GETTING Queens)

COMFORTABLE The Youth Fellows' efforts to push themselves out of their comfort zones has WITH THE not gone unnoticed in their communities or City Council offices. One Supervisor UNCOMFORTABLE and Adult Partner* describes how the Youth Fellows have become an integral part of the team: Youth Fellows Do the District 49 Youth Fellows, Marina & Alexei Hard Work of Self "Our Youth Fellows have been collecting ideas that will better their tremendous in helping to elevate the community Reflection, Public youth voice and raising overall youth Speaking, & Targeted engagement for Cycle 8 of Participatory Youth Outreach Budgeting. They have taken over major leadership roles in the Neighborhood I am now comfortable Assemblies - facilitating small groups full with being To prepare for their leadership of young people that always had roles, Youth Fellows spent the interesting ideas. Additionally, they have uncomfortable. This has been instrumental in spreading the word summer engaging in activities that about PB events and goings-on ... They helped me escape my promoted self awareness, critical have made Cycle 8 easier, stronger, and comfort zone and thinking, and team-building more fun for all involved." eliminate biases! I have a through real-life PB scenarios. These included a district "scavenger Thanks to the commitment of their City system: I talk to every hunt" where Youth Fellows worked Council Adult Partners, we look forward person I see. in teams to find actual PB projects to seeing the Youth Fellows continue to in their districts and a mock idea influence and impact PB in communities collection assembly, which they had across the city.

to coordinate and facilitate in under Marina, PB Youth two hours for Coro staff and alumni. Fellow (District 49, * Because we believe that youth voice can be truly amplified and youth leadership Staten Island) These experiences served the Youth authentically elevated through partnerships Fellows well as they dove right into with caring, committed, and consistent adults, their districts after the summer. we proudly refer to and train our City Council supervisors as "Adult Partners."

2 My proudest achievement in PBYF so far has been the feeling of being trusted by community members. When they tell me their needs, I become aware of what's really happening in my community.

-Laura, PB Youth Fellow (District 22, Queens) Jodie from District 38 speaking on a panel discussion at the screening of the " Public Money" film

"Allowing people to reach out to GETTING IN TUNE me as a Youth Fellow makes them WITH OUR feel less intimidated than talking to a district official. Talking with COMMUNITIES everyone in my community has worked really well in getting youth to provide ideas." Youth Fellows Get an -Dionysios (District 22, Queens) Intimate and Multifaceted Picture of Youth Fellows are also taking opportunities to share their insights Their Neighborhoods with broader audiences. Jodie, a District 38 Youth Fellow, was invited From listening to their neighbors to speak on a panel discussion for discuss community needs, Youth the screening of Public Money, a PBS Fellows are recognizing that there documentary about how PB started is still work to be done to engage in New York City. With ease and underrepresented communities candor, she shared her sentiments the PB process. with a crowd of eager attendees more than twice her age: "I think many people are "When I was facilitating an assembly immigrants who think about their in District 38, there was a lot of status and aren't comfortable with emotions, a lot of complaints. You giving information to the get to see a lot of people from the government." community, and because they live -Jakeline (District 38, ). in the community, they will understand the small problems that "I've noticed that more adults than a lot of people wouldn't be able to youth are telling us about their see... and because of that they'll be ideas, and I think its because young able to contribute to the change." people feel youth voice doesn't matter." The Youth Fellows' insights will -Jaylex (District 16, Bronx) inform how they undertake their work in the second half of the year, "I think areas that need assistance as they gear up to get out the vote may not trust government." and develop action plans to -Leo (District 7, Manhattan) promote greater PB equity and Laura facilitates a discussion during an Idea engagement! Collection Assembly in District 22 However, Youth Fellows are also recognizing the unique role they can play in helping bridge gaps between community members and government.

3 I always wanted to be treated based on my knowledge, not my age, and I guess I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. Constituents are calling me and addressing me in a professional manner.

-Courtney, PB Youth Fellow (District 15, Bronx)

Dionysios facilitates a discussion during an Idea Collection Assembly in District 22

LESSONS ON LOOKING AHEAD LEADERSHIP FROM Look Out for a Youth OUR COUNCIL Fellow Near You in MEMBERS Spring 2019

Youth Fellows Share Youth Fellows will be developing new ways to engage more youth Their Council Members' and underrepresented communities "Words of Wisdom" during Vote Week (March 30th - April 7th). Their plans and goals for the spring include: As part of their training on inquiry

and multiple perspectives,Youth -Giving outreach presentations at Fellows have been conducting schools and local organizations Leadership Learning Interviews with

their Council Members. Here is -Organizing youth voting events in some of what they learned: their districts

"[He advised us] to not have regrets, -Drawing the largest youth voter because if you regret choices, you Anthony, District 27 Youth Fellow at a turnout yet! game with CM I. Daneek Miller & staff will regret experience, and he

doesn't regret wisdom." Stay tuned for more information

on these events and how to "I learned leadership is a learned support their outreach efforts! quality. No two leaders are the same. If anyone wants to be a leader, they can."

"My Council Member didn't know If you would like to help other what he wanted to do in the future young people get access to this [when he was younger]. Yet opportunity, fill out an Interest because of all the support he was Form on our website (url below)! given by the people he loved and his role models, he was able to get For more information, contact us at to where he is today. This stood out [email protected] or to me because it shows that people (212) 248-2935. are stronger as a whole, and a leader should stand with the Seth & Jaden, District 39 Youth Fellows people." facilitate a small group discussion at a PB event

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