Raise Your Voice, Cast Your Vote!
March 30, 2023
New Yorkers, it’s time to get out and vote! In select city council districts, voting for participatory budgeting is open until April 2nd, and NY Sun Works is on the ballot. Residents of the city age 11 and up are eligible to help allocate $1.5 million toward local community projects, with some districts placing a special focus on climate justice initiatives this year. Everyone of age who lives or goes to school in a participating district is eligible to vote, regardless of citizenship or voter registration status, so please spread the word.
NY Sun Works Hydroponic Classrooms are on the ballot in the following City Council Districts:
District 25: PS 89Q The Jose Peralta School of Dreamers
District 33: Dock Street School and Brooklyn Frontiers High School
District 36: LAUNCH Charter School
District 39: PS 130 The Parkside School and PS 118 The Maurice Sendak Community School
Participatory budgeting is a unique way for NYC communities to speak up, embody their values, and be the change they want to see in their neighborhoods. This year, support for NY Sun Works hydroponic classrooms is on the ballot in multiple districts across the city, and we need your support in showing the need for quality climate education programs. While climate resiliency efforts have made great strides in New York over recent years, there is always more work to be done, which is why it’s so important that sustainability-minded city dwellers make their voices heard.
While effecting sustainable change is of vital importance, participatory budgeting also presents New Yorkers as young as 11 years old with the chance to get involved in real-life political activism. Initiatives like ours wouldn’t be possible without support from government officials at all levels, but the New York City Council has played a vital role in the rapid expansion of our climate education program. Through casting their vote, students take a stand for their right to a sustainable future, a skill that will serve them well in embodying the change they want to see, especially as they approach the legal voting age for general elections. It can also help instill them with the confidence to take a stance on controversial issues, form strong opinions, and participate in discussions surrounding topics that impact us all.
It takes a village to change the world, and New York City is much more than just a village. By combining our voices, New Yorkers can ensure our elected officials know that climate education matters. And what’s more, we can see to it that programs that align with our values receive the funding they need, while introducing the young climate leaders of tomorrow to the sustainability issues facing us today.
