PB at Sullivan High School

In the Spring of 2015, PB Chicago teamed up with Embarc and Mikva Challenge to introduce the Ideal School Project, a participatory budgeting initiative for students at Sullivan High School.  Sullivan – located in the Rogers Park neighborhood – serves 575 students in grades 9 through 12.  Principal Chad Adams and the local school council agreed to designate $25,000 to be spent based on student input through a participatory budgeting (PB) process.
An eight-week curriculum to guide students through the steps of the cycle was implemented, culminating with a vote in the final month of the school year.  Participants developed 3 project ideas for the ballot.  In June of 2015, 378 students - 70% of the student body - voted for their preferred project.  The winning project was a new recreation room for students. 
Photos courtesy of Mikva Challenge
"Throughout the whole participatory budgeting project I have learned that you have to be a great leader, show respect and be proud of whatever it is you're doing. When coming together with others as a whole you have to have patience and positive attitudes. An advice that I would give to any students that are participating in the project is to make good decisions and be mature and to always remember YOUR VOICE MATTERS."

-Shabora Jefferson, Embarc Chicago,  Ideal School Participant






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Sullivan High School
6631 N Bosworth Ave,
Chicago, IL 60626
773.534.2000
info@sullivanhs.org
http://sullivanhs.org