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Marina Spindler Gov 3.0 Project Participatory Budgeting Youth Lead the Change Boston, MA NYU Wagner | May 16, 2014. What is happening ?
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Marina Spindler Gov 3.0 Project Participatory Budgeting Youth Lead the Change Boston, MA NYU Wagner | May 16, 2014
What is happening? Participatory Budgeting has landed in Boston with an innovative twist: youthwill directly decide how to spend $1 million of the city’s capital budget.
The Power of Participatory Budgeting • A different way to manage public money, and to engage people in government • Boston’s Youth Lead the Change • Is the first youth-driven Participatory Budgeting process in the United States • EVEN BETTER…RESULTS ARE BINDING!
main CHALLENGE MAKING DEMOCRACY FUN How? BY Engaging BOSTON youth in the process through Social media and ICT tools
Theory of Change: CWRF Listening Measurement Karma Banking Engagement Research on Social Media platforms indicate PB Youth Lead the Change is in the Walk Stage (Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly: Kanter & Pain “Measuring the Networked Nonprofit”)
What We Know : Fact 1 “Everyone loves democracy - except for most of the time, when they hate it” Josh Lerner, Making Democracy Fun
What We Know : Fact 2 “The average teen now exchanges over 5,000 texts per month” Bob Filbin, Crisis Text Line
THE POWER OF TEXT MESSAGING • SMS communication can give greater credibility at trust to government actors by offering the youth and disenfranchised an opportunity to engage in decision-making and make their opinions heard. • However, SMS it is only a tool… • Without proper funding and an effective communications strategy, the process could lose steam and cement apathy in already disenfranchised youth. • The City of Boston allocated half as much money for the implementation of PB as the City of Vallejo did its first year. For the PB campaign in Boston to succeed long term (beyond 2014), it must live up to the expectation of “making democracy fun.”
What is the rush? Vote takes place IN June To ensure the PB process is successful in capturing the minds and hearts of Boston youth,data from the CityofBoston.gov and other affiliated web and social media sites has been gathered to analyze engagement patterns, measure the campaign’s success to date & offer suggestions on how to: 1) Build trust with PB volunteers and participating youth 2) move citizens up the ladder of engagement and encourage youth throughout the city to vote in June
PB BOSTON DASHBOARD Participatory Budgeting List (Followed 92 people and institutions that displayed interest in PB, youth and community organizing in Boston. Goal is to listen to what they are saying and invite them to engage with PB Youth Lead the Change) #youthleadthechange(Since start of feed (May 9) mentions are unrelated to Boston PB initiative. Spike expected after project proposals are submitted & shared)
WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN? Grown ups are talking People like videos (482 plays. BostInno generated half the views)Facebook still rules (Mayor Marty, Press Pass TV, Boston Youth Zone) @MASSCreative and @MattapanUnited generated more traction than @BostonYouthZone, @YouthLeadtheChange Instagram and Citizinvestorare underutilized
What must be done? • Designate someone in charge of PB Youth Lead the Change communication strategy. Listen to those who support you and STRATEGIZEon how to include those who are missing from the conversation: • Center for Teen Empowerment Inc • YMCA of Boston • Junior Achievement (Northern New England) • Jump$tart Coalition (Massachusetts)Early Investors • Youth Transition Task Force • Boston Youth Sanctuary • Youth Enrichment Services • Catholic Charities of Boston (Youth Program) • Media in general (Boston Herald, Boston Globe) • Note: Internet search did not generate news linking these organizations to PB or YLC
Karma Banking Do not let the conversation die down Thank youth and other supporters for following and/or sharing news about proposed projects Highlight news/issues that supporters care about (dilapidated Library Building, parks in need of improvement, etc)
Engage Ask supporters about the projects they like the most (direct them to main depository: citizinvest) Cross-promotion on all platforms using only one hashtag #youthleadthechange Invite them to post/tag their photos from Idea Assemblies or project meetings on Instagram and facebook More importantly, don’t let it sound like work. Make it fun!
Measure Measure all over again. Monitor which messages got the most attention and post similar ones Evaluate if you are reaching your target audience (more teens, less grown ups) Analyze your data across all platforms Match measurement tools with objectives
PB Youth Lead the Change can RUN… and FLY Build trust with PB volunteers and participating youth (not just grownups) move citizens up the ladder of engagement and Give PB a fair chance by getting youth to the voting stations in June
Risks? Costs? Without buy-in • $1 M will be spent well but without the support of those we promised to include: disenfranchised youth • True support and momentum for PB will be lost in Boston