Collaboration for Change (CfC): Join the Dots Participatory Budget

Overview

Collaboration for Change (CfC) and partners invite organisations to be part of their first, and totally digital, Participatory Budgeting (PB) process called, Join the Dots and support ideas that can 'Create Connections'.

'Creating Connections'

• You could Create Connections by bringing new folk together to work on an idea for the common good and then, together, bid for funds for you to deliver that idea

OR

• You could work on an idea that itself will Create new Connections and bring folk together for the common good.

Participatory Budgeting

Participatory Budgeting (PB) is all about people deciding how to allocate part of a budget. It is a way for citizens to have a direct say in how funds are used to address local needs.

There are 3 stages to PB:

1. Idea: You think of an idea under the theme of ‘Creating Connections’, turn your idea into a project and apply using the on-line bid form.
2. Voting: The bids are put on their website and voters browse through them and decide which projects they want to vote for.
3. Allocation: The projects which receive the most votes get the money to make them happen.

Find out more about Participatory Budgeting and have a look at examples of successful bids from previous PB exercises. These had different themes but they'll give you an idea of what is possible.

Who can submit a bid?

• Are you 8 years old and over? If you are aged between 8 and 17 years you will need an adult signature to support your idea.
• Individuals or groups can submit an idea.
• Groups do not have to be constituted.
• A maximum of 2 bids can be submitted from each individual or group.
• Schools can submit an idea if they are clearly supporting young people in having control of the idea.
• The money can be used to top-up resources already secured to deliver your idea.

The criteria

• Does your idea fit with the theme ‘Creating Connections’?
• Do you support the CfC Declaration for the Common Good.
• Are you based within the island of Ireland?
• Can you deliver your idea with £500/€-equivalent, or less?
• Can you deliver your idea by 30 April 2022?
• Is your idea safe and legal (remembering COVID restrictions)?
• Will you share your experience and the outcome of your project at a Celebration Event?

About the Voting Process

Voting will open on-line at 24 November 2021.

Voting will be open for 2 weeks, closing on 6 December.

More information will be shared about the voting process once they are open for voting.

Winning ideas will be announced by 8 December, at the latest, via email and on the CfC website.

What happens

Your idea will be checked by the Design Group against the criteria listed above. If they need more information from you to decide if it meets the criteria they will get in touch.

Any information you give them will be used during the assessment and life of your project (if successful) to administrate, evaluate and for their own research purposes. They may give copies of all or some of this information to individuals and organisations they consult with when checking the bids, administering the programme and monitoring and evaluation.

The delivery of all ideas will need to follow the current public health advice to prevent the spread of COVID-19 which can be found here.

The process ends with an online Celebration Event in May 2022. Even if your bid isn't successful, they will ask you to come along and share your experience; and if your bid is successful, you can share your experience and the outcome of your project.