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Come for the pizza, stay for the power: why Boston let teenagers set its budget

Sandra Larson

March 31, 2016 |

The Guardian |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Boston’s Youth Lead the Change engages young people in municipal decision-making by putting them in charge of determining how one million dollars is spent every year. Participants learn how city government works, submit project ideas, and vote on which proposals to fund. It’s not a simulation. The money is real.

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Votería: How One Latino Organization Uses Culture to Engage Voters

Maria Esquinca

March 30, 2016 |

Latino Rebels |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, El Paso, Texas

Equal Voice Network looked at low voter turnout rates in El Paso and decided that just registering voters wasn’t enough. The coalition developed a creative way to increase education and engagement in local issues: a game. Votería is a play off of Lotería, a traditional Mexican pastime similar to bingo, with updated images and text explaining key current issues and political figures.

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Why Philadelphia Should Lower the Voting Age to 16

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

March 22, 2016 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Takoma Park, Maryland

In Takoma Park, Maryland, the voting age for local elections is 16. Lowering the age has increased turnout among youth—and studies show that the sooner people start to vote, the more likely they are to be lifetime voters.

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Smart African Politics: Candidates Debating Under a Tree

Tina Rosenberg

November 10, 2015 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sierra Leone

Voters tend to know a lot about presidential and local candidates but little about those in between. In Sierra Leone, an organization hosted, filmed, and then projected the debates in villages, increasing voters’ knowledge of the candidates and issues, and changing the way people voted.

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Students get piece of the action after seeking a say in budget

John Fensterwald

May 05, 2015 |

EdSource |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Jose, California

In response to youth calling for greater say in how California schools spend money, Overfelt High School allowed students to decide how to spend $50,000 of the school’s discretionary funding. Principal Vito Chiala reflected that the step was both nerve-racking and rewarding. “You have to trust the community to set priorities,” Chiala said. “The projects showed wisdom.”

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How Would Students Spend the Principal's Money?

Matt Cohen Daniel Schugurensky

March 11, 2015 |

Zócalo Public Square |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Phoenix, Arizona

When Bioscience High School put students in charge of a portion of its discretionary budget, nearly the entire student body participated in deciding how to spend the money. The experiment in participatory democracy unfolded so well that the school principal agreed to fund all three of the most popular project proposals, even though the sum slightly exceeded the originally allotted budget.

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How to Topple a Dictator (Peacefully)

Tina Rosenberg

February 13, 2015 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Serbia, Belgrade

The Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies provides a "blueprint" for peaceful and democratic revolution, busting myths about the process of nonviolent revolt and helping dissidents in countries around the world to accomplish political goals, such as fighting corruption or protecting the environment.

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It Takes a Village

Kirsi Jansa

February 11, 2015 |

Sustainability Pioneers |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United Kingdom, Balcombe

Two towns are fighting back against fossil fuel companies. From fossil free energy fairs in Pennsylvania to a solar energy co-op in the UK, citizens are relying on the idea of community power to unite in favor of renewable energy. In the UK, the creative financing structure of the co-operative REPOWERBalcombe will generate both financial and environmental returns.

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A Grass-Roots Drive for Clean Elections in Karnataka

Ankita Rao

May 15, 2014 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Karnataka

B. Godihal is one of the thousands of communities in Karnataka that have worked to hold clean elections, stirred by a confluence of awareness campaigns by nongovernmental organizations and rising public frustration with candidates’ broken promises.

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TurboVote Aims to Make Voting as Easy as Renting a DVD

Josh Dzieza

December 13, 2013 |

NationSwell |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

TurboVote allows users to fill out voter registration forms online and then mails them the paperwork to sign along with a stamped envelope addressed to the user’s local election office. The site also sends email and text reminders for mailing deadlines and polling place locations to its over 200,000 registered users. TurboVote partners with 68 universities, where many students are first-time voters and/or need to register at a new address. Students at partner universities receive the forms for free (otherwise it costs $1.60 per form) and popup windows on university websites remind students to register.

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