Participatory budgeting (PB) is a democratic process where community members directly decide part of a public budget. Since 2012, the UIC Great Cities Institute has been implementing and researching PB in Chicago in aldermanic wards and in public high schools as part of civics classes. Over 30,000 residents have directly decided how to spend over $34 million in public dollars, co-creating and funding over 170 community projects.
PB can inform current pedagogy in a variety of ways including: • discussing the differences between representative democracy and direct democracy, and how the context for PB has shaped it in the US versus internationally; and • examining how public budgets and community priorities are determined in government.
This breakout session will include an overview of how PB has been implemented across the City of Chicago along with an interactive dialogue on ways to utilize PB Chicago’s experience and research for pedagogy.
Lake Forest College received a four year Mellon grant to produce student/faculty research into Chicago's at-risk history and create digital projects to share the results of the research. The College partnered with the Chicago History Museum, who now host the project atdigitalchicagohistory.org. Students researched in cultural institutions throughout Chicago including the History Museum and the Newberry. Students and faculty also explored area churches, neighborhoods, archaeological sites, and theaters for their research. Our projects encompassed a wide range of disciplines, and required learning different research methods as well as quick learning and experimentation with new technologies. Special attention will be given to the student research experience; without the students, the project would not have been possible.