New Yorkers have one last chance to decide what to spend $5 million on

June 25 is the last day in New York to vote for the ideas of the People's Money project. This is a new city program that distributes grants totaling $5 million to various community initiatives. Even schoolchildren and immigrants without status can vote here.

In the language of officials, the People's Money program is called "shared budgeting", that is, when all New Yorkers aged 11 years and older, regardless of immigration status, can decide how to spend $ 5 million from the city budget to make the city a better place to live. .

This idea itself is not new - for the first time such a project was launched in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre in 1989. So the local authorities decided to fight poverty, as well as to increase the civic activity of local residents. Since then, more than 11 such votes have taken place in states, cities and counties around the world.

On the subject: From City Council deputies to judges: who and why New Yorkers will choose on June 27

In New York, the project has been running since 2011, but this year, for the first time, all five boroughs in the Big Apple are participating. It works like this: first, people submit their ideas, they are selected, and the finalists go to the voting stage. This year it runs from May 10 to June 25. You can vote on the website www.nyc.gov/pb. To see projects in your area, you need to enter your postal code. For convenience, the site works in different languages, including Russian.

From self-defense programs to chef training: what exactly do we vote for

The projects submitted for voting this year are very different. Most of them are in the educational field.

For example, residents of Manhattan can vote for a program that will teach schoolchildren where and how to get a job without a college degree. Or vote for a project that will help sort out the city's housing lotteries. Or choose an art program for schoolchildren.

In Queens, citizens can vote for funding for various courses - first aid, childbirth preparation, self-defense. Or choose lectures for schoolchildren about healthy eating. Or vote for multicultural festivals and night markets in the area. You can also vote for the money to go to a project that helps new immigrants pursue careers in America.

Among the Brooklyn ideas is teaching older people computer literacy, and young people how to fill out tax returns. Immigrant women will be taught how to cook and even how to work in vegetable gardens.

On Staten Island, money can be allocated to combat postpartum depression, help with employment, and even a local program that involves improving communication between residents of the northern and southern parts of the island.

In the Bronx, among the ideas that are being voted on are cleanup programs, lectures on healthy lifestyles, music and creativity lessons, as well as economics courses for young people.

The city will allocate an average of $50 to $300 for the implementation of the winning projects, depending on the complexity.

“More than 4000 ideas were submitted for the competition. They were considered in district committees. When deciding which projects would make it to the finish line, we had to answer many questions, including this one: can it be done with the budget we have? All projects are designed for a year, but people will see the results in their community in the very near future. And this is one of the components that makes this process unique! Because often when people participate in civic engagement, they don't always see the results of what they voted for.”, says Sara Said, chair of the Citizen Engagement Commission.

Teenagers and immigrants without status can vote

Unlike classical elections, all residents of the city can participate in this vote, regardless of immigration status. Even schoolchildren. Voting is available for children from 11 years old. This was done in order to accustom New Yorkers to democracy from an early age.

“Our mission is to educate and energize voters and show New Yorkers all their entry points to democracy,” explains Citizens Engagement Commission Chief Democracy Officer Kathleen Daniel. - I like to tell New Yorkers that democracy is the food we all cook together so that we can sit down at the feast together. So for a fantastic meal, the whole New Yorker family needs to get together and take part in the cooking."

To vote, go to the website www.nyc.gov/pb, enter your zip code and phone number, then select one of the projects you like. And hurry - voting is available until June 25th.