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Ideas We Should Steal: More Worker-Owned Businesses

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

November 12, 2024 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Democracy Brewing is a worker cooperative, which means worker-owners split the profits and have an equal say in business decisions that affect working conditions. Studies show that this type of business structure results in higher wages and household wealth for workers of color, and these workers also tend to stay in their positions longer.

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When Neighbors Choose How to Spend Philanthropic Dollars

Ryan M. Moser

August 06, 2024 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Kensington Community Resilience Fund supports local initiatives through participatory grant-making, a process where advisory committees made up of community members – who are deeply familiar with their community’s needs – help decide which organizations should receive a share of the funding. Since 2020, KCR has awarded $760,000 in grants to neighborhood programs.

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Portland Youth Exercise Power through Participatory Budgeting

Rebecca Jacobson

October 12, 2023 |

Reed Magazine |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Through Youth Voice Youth Vote, nearly 800 young people in Portland took part in a participatory budgeting process to decide how to spend $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding. The winning projects, including a paid internship program, expanded access to menstrual products, and a job resource fair, are now in the process of being implemented.

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In some Chicago wards, residents vote on how tax money is spent. Should all Chicagoans get a seat at the budget table?

Mariah Woelfel

August 03, 2023 |

Chicago Sun-Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In some wards of Chicago, residents are able to directly weigh in on city council spending and projects through an annual participatory budgeting process. Citizen input has helped bring a range of capital improvements to fruition, from public exercise stations in local parks to efforts to replace lead-contaminated water fountains in schools.

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Queens pols unveil winning participatory budgeting projects

Ryan Schwach

April 24, 2023 |

Queens Daily Eagle |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Through participatory budgeting, New York residents can propose and vote for community improvement projects through their local city council. In one Queens City Council district, more than 2,300 people aged 11 and up voted to allocate funding to five projects, including new trees and sidewalk guards, new X-ray equipment for the area hospital, and a hydroponic science lab for a local school.

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How Mass Bird Death In Philadelphia Catalyzed A Local Lights-out Program

Bridget Reed Morawski

March 16, 2023 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A light pollution mitigation pledge in Philadephia called Lights Out Philly asks building managers to agree to turn off their lights late at night during bird migration periods to decrease bird collisions with windows.

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Independent, locally focused unions are expanding workers' rights

Sravya Tadepalli

March 08, 2023 |

Prism |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

As unionization efforts have ramped up in corporate workplaces, employees in less traditional industries have also begun to form independent unions to advocate for their rights. For example, unionization efforts at video game company ZeniMax helped workers secure a pay adjustment, while an independent union formed at the Art Institute of Chicago secured the right for employees to have union representation in disciplinary meetings.

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This High School Gave Spending Power to Students

Asher Lehrer-Small

February 23, 2023 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Central Falls, Rhode Island

An elective course at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island allows students to research and propose improvement projects for their school, which are then voted on and implemented using earmarked funding for the program. The participatory budgeting process has helped revamp the school cafeteria, upgrade the library furniture, replace outdated bathroom mirrors, and more.

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How New York Is Giving Residents A Voice In The City Budget

Emily Nonko

December 16, 2022 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York City's Civic Engagement Commission has run two pilot projects implementing participatory budgeting, a process in which local residents help decide how local funding should be allocated. The latest pilot project allocated $1.3 million to 33 projects in "priority" neighborhoods, including youth sports programs and culturally-based mental health workshops.

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Beyond the US midterms: The Swiss answer to congressional gridlock

Imogen Foulkes Anthony Zurcher

October 26, 2022 |

BBC |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Switzerland

Switzerland has a long tradition of national referendums to decide issues ranging from retirement structures to vacation requirements to voting rights. Citizens can gather signatures — 50,000 or 100,000, depending on whether they want to reconsider an already-passed law or propose new legislation — to put their issue on the ballot.

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