Long Beach Youth To Call The Shots For Proposed Summer Programs

LONG BEACH, CA — City officials are calling on Long Beach youth to submit ideas for consideration as part of its fourth annual participatory budgeting process, “where youth vote on how to spend public dollars on youth summer projects.”

Youth Power Participatory Budgeting Long Beach will be done in three phases, with the first being idea collection from Dec. 1 through Jan. 6, city officials said in a news release.

“Long Beach is proud to continue investing in youth leadership,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a written statement. “Through the Youth Power Participatory Budgeting process, more and more young people are learning the power of collaboration and civic engagement while leading the development of programs that make a lasting difference in their city.”

Youth Power Participatory Budgeting Long Beach is spearheaded by the health department’s office of youth development and partners with The Nonprofit Partnership and Invest in Youth Coalition, anchored by Khmer Girls in Action, officials said.

During last year’s cycle, the city received more than 400 project ideas, nine times more than the year prior, officials said. From those submissions, the youth steering committee selected 24 ideas, which were turned into proposals that appeared on a ballot, the city said. Nearly 2,000 people voted, leading to the selection of 11 projects.

Some of the programs funded during last year’s cycle include a youth science camp, sports camp, life skills camp and a farm-to-table program, according to the city.

“The Youth Power Participatory Budgeting process embodies our vision of community health, where young people have both voice and influence,” Health and Human Services Director Alison King said in a written statement.

For the first phase of the process, the city said there will be four idea collection sessions, where anyone between the ages of 12 and 26 can submit an idea.

The dates and locations of the sessions are:

• Thursday, Dec. 4, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Doris Topsy-Elvord Community Center at Houghton Park (6301 Myrtle Ave.)
• Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Youth Movement and Education Center (2217 E. 6th St.)
• Thursday, Dec. 11, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center at Admiral Kidd Park (2125 Santa Fe Ave.)
• Tuesday, Dec. 16, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Whaley Park Community Center (5620 E. Atherton St.)

During the second phase in January and February, “youth steering committee members will select ideas from the pool of submissions and match them with interested Long Beach community organizations,” officials said.

Once projects are selected, they will move into “the project development phase in March, where youth and community organizations will collaborate to turn them into full proposals for the voting ballot.”

The final phase is when youth throughout the city will be asked to vote on which projects should receive funding, officials said.

Voting, which will be open for those between the ages of 12 and 26, “will be available online or in person at designated voting sites such as teen centers, libraries and high schools,” city officials said.

Winning proposals for the summer 2026 projects will be funded through Measure US, the city said.

“A total of $500,000 will be allocated through this process for projects ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, which will be voted on by youth who live, work, or play in Long Beach,” officials said.