This event has passed, but you can stay involved in participatory budgeting in Portland!

If you signed up for the event, we have your email and will be in touch. If not, send us an email at info@healthydemocracy.org, and we’ll keep you in the loop about future developments.

Watch video recordings of the fabulous speakers at this event on our YouTube page.

Thanks for your support of PB, and we’ll look forward to being in touch soon!

Bringing Participatory Budgeting to the Portland Region

Registration Required!
Location: Rosewood Initiative, 16126 SE Stark St., Portland
Date/Time: April 14, 2018 – 9am to 3:30pm
Cost: Free, with lunch provided (child care & interpretation available upon request)

Sponsor: Healthy Democracy
Host: Rosewood Initiative
Co-Sponsors / Funders: City of Portland, City of Gresham, Oregon Community Foundation, Metro, Multnomah County

Participatory budgeting is one of the fastest-growing municipal democratic reforms in the world. In North America is has now spread to major cities such as Toronto, Chicago, New York, Boston, Oakland, and Seattle. Participatory budgeting has also successfully emerged as a new way of governing in smaller towns and cities, from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Vallejo, California.

But what is Participatory Budgeting (PB), how does it work, and how is it different from other forms of governing? What are the potential benefits for increasing government accountability, making participation more meaningful and equitable, and building trust and community? What can we learn from other cities as we experiment with PB in the Portland metro region?

Join us 9am–3:30pm, April 14th, 2018 for "Bringing Participatory Budgeting to the Portland Region," a one-day community forum to explore these questions. We will learn from PB innovators with experience in Seattle, Oakland, and Boston and discuss the possibilities for our communities. This event is co-hosted by Healthy Democracy and the Rosewood Initiative and will occur at the Rosewood Initiative (SE 162nd & Stark). Funding for the event is provided by the City of Portland, the City of Gresham, the Oregon Community Foundation, and Metro.

The event is free and lunch is provided, but registration is required. Space is limited, so we ask participants to commit to the entire event – from 9am to 3:30pm, April 14 – and notify us of any cancellations as soon as possible.

When

April 14th, 2018 from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Location

Rosewood Initiative
16126 SE Stark St.
Portland, OR 97233
United States

Show large map

Contact

Phone: 503-841-6865

Mobile: 503-334-9455

Email: info@healthydemocracy.org

Schedule

Download PDF schedule here

Guest Speakers

	Dr. Brian Wampler, Professor of Political Science at Boise State University’s School of Public Service	Brian has published two books, Participatory Budgeting in Brazil: Cooperation, Contestation, and Accountability (Penn State Univ. Press, 2007) and Activating Democracy in Brazil: Popular Participation, Social Justice and Interlocking Institutions (Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 2015). His extensive research on democracy, participation, civil society, and institution building has been published in a variety of academic journals and funded by the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright Program, the Ash Center for Democracy at Harvard University, the World Bank, and Boise State University. Brian’s research and teaching focus on Latin America, and he has lived and conducted research in Brazil, Mexico, and Spain. He lives in Boise, Idaho with his family.
	Becky Scurlock, Former Co-Chair of the Seattle Youth Commission	Becky is a former Co-Chair of the Seattle Youth Commission and member of the steering committee for Seattle’s Youth Voice, Youth Choice program. During her time on the Commission, she helped design Youth Voice, Youth Choice and managed projects to address youth homelessness in Seattle. During high school, Becky also started and led Youth Powerhouse, an organization that helps young people start projects to address social issues they care about. Currently, Becky is taking a gap year to work and travel in Europe before attending the University of Chicago this fall.
	Jess Juanich, Former Member of the Seattle Youth Commission	Jess is a sophomore at Seattle University double-majoring in Public Affairs and Political Science. He is currently taking coursework in politics, public policy, and urban planning. Jess was a former co-chair and member of the Seattle Youth Commission from 2014 to 2017. During his time, he sat on the Education and Participatory Budgeting Committees, where he worked with other commissioners to put students on hiring committees for the Seattle Public School District and talked with a representative from the Seattle Public Schools’ Department of Equity and Race Relations to develop solutions for inclusion, equity, and diversity in schools. He also had the opportunity to be a part of the inception of the Your Voice, Your Choice program, which helps to provide funding for community improvement projects. In his spare time, he likes to make music covers with friends, play basketball, and vlog about his travels on YouTube.
	Amy Nguyen, Community Programs Strategic Advisor at the City of Seattle	Amy is the program manager for the participatory budgeting program Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks & Streets at the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON). Her experience in policy analysis, nonprofit management, and community organizing spans New York City, New Orleans, and Seattle. Before joining DON, Amy served as a Legislative Aide for a Seattle City Councilmember, advising on policy issues related to planning, land use, parks, utilities, immigration, and civil rights. Prior to her time at City Hall, Amy worked as the Program Manager for APACE (Asian Pacific Islander Americans of Civic Empowerment) and was responsible for developing programming to increase access, electoral participation, and civic engagement in the diverse AAPI communities. In the past, she managed delivery of the free statewide legal hotline for the Louisiana Civil Justice Center in New Orleans and worked as the Project Manager for the Emmy award winning documentary Herman’s House, which looked at solitary confinement, race, and the meaning of livable spaces. Amy received a Master’s degree in Urban Policy and an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from the New School in New York. She loves hand-pulled noodles, Octavia Butler, videos of red pandas, place and space, pretending to be Salvador Dali, making pasta, ginkgo leaves, and fantasizing about open mics.
	Honorable Jamal T. Fox, MPA, Property & Business Development Manager, Portland Parks & Recreation; Former Greensboro (NC) City Council Member, District 2	Jamal is the Property and Business Development Manager for Portland Parks & Recreation and Commissioner with the Oregon Commission on Black Affairs. Fox’s professional experience ranges from private sector to politics to education to government. In 2013, Fox was first elected to the Greensboro City Council representing District 2 as the youngest ever elected in Greensboro, NC. In 2015, he was re-elected to the Greensboro City Council and served through 2017. Prior to being elected, Fox worked for three years at the City of Greensboro in the City Manager’s office and the Department of Planning and Community Development. He is also a former North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University Political Science Adjunct Professor, Social Studies and Leadership Teacher with Guilford County Schools, community advocate, youth mentor, and political leader in North Carolina. Fox was born in Fredericksburg, VA, and raised in Greensboro, NC. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Capella University. Fox’s philosophy is to always believe in yourself, your dreams and to always strive to make a difference in the lives of others.