Investigating young people’s involvement in participatory budgeting

Abstract

It is widely believed that assisting young people to participate in community affairs is a potent way to contribute to both youth and community development. One way in which youth can become involved in their communities is through participatory budgeting (PB) processes. This study investigates young people’s understanding of, and experience with, the PB process organized by Toronto Community Housing in Canada. The findings of our qualitative study suggest that some youth understand the primary purpose of PB to be the betterment of the community as a whole; that motivation to become involved can be enhanced through appropriate identity-formation and adult support; and that youth can serve as a litmus test for the fairness of the deliberative practices associated with PB.