Newark Will Let Local Youth Decide How To Spend $50,000 In City Funds

NEWARK, NJ — Telling young people that they are “decision-makers” is empowering, but backing up that statement with cash is even better. That’s the philosophy behind a new program in New Jersey’s largest city.

On Tuesday, the city launched its Gen Green program, which is taking place under the Newark Office of Sustainability, Resilience and Community Transformation.

The idea is simple: set aside $50,000 of city funds – and let residents 23 and under decide how to spend it.

According to city officials, the program is the first “youth-led participatory budgeting process focused on sustainability” in the country.

The goal? To make the city a more environmentally-friendly place to live. Here’s how it works:

“Gen Green will enable young people to shape the future of their wards by surveying and voting on sustainable community improvement projects – think eco-art installations, new plantings, community gardens and more. This initiative aims to capture the valuable feedback and vision of our local youth for enhancing their communities.”

Newark’s Gen Green is divided into five phases, each with a timeline:

1. Ideation and Outreach (September-November 2025)
2. Proposal Development: (December 2025-January 2026)
3. Voting: (February-March 2026)
4. Announcing winning proposals: Earth Day Press Conference (April 23, 2026)
5. Project implementation – (May-December 2026)

Over the past three months, the Gen Green team has been visiting Newark schools and afterschool programs to brainstorm project ideas, making trips to Thirteenth Avenue School, Eastside High School, Central High School and a local Boys and Girls Club.

The team is working to turn these ideas into proposals that will be put on a ballot – and eventually offered to the city’s youth for a public vote.

“Through Gen Green, young people are not just participants: they are the decision-makers,” Mayor Ras Baraka said.

“This innovative program puts Newark’s youth at the center of the city’s sustainability agenda – right where they should be – giving them real power to decide how the city invests in environmental projects that impact their neighborhoods and future,” Baraka said.

“A sustainable Newark isn't a future idea, it's a necessity that needs to happen now,” Gen Green youth fellow Roselyn Muniz agreed.

Gen Green is partially funded by a grant from Brooklyn-based nonprofit Participatory Budgeting Project.

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