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Kickoff & Idea Collection


SPB Sponsor:

The steering committee learns about the SPB process, decides on its committee name, develops process goals, parameters for ideas, and plans to engage the broader student body in each phase of the process. The steering committee shares the SPB budget with the rest of their school and helps fellow students discuss school needs and brainstorm ideas for projects. Sometimes schools collect ideas in large assemblies, classroom discussions, at tables during lunch, through social media or online surveys, by walking around campus and asking, and/or in other creative ways!

 

Conduct SPB Kickoff

At this initial meeting, students will be guided through a mock SPB process in lightning speed! This kickoff activity might be led by SPB Sponsors or Coordinators, school or district leaders, and/or SPB Advisors. Students will:

  • Learn about the history of PB and pioneering work of SPB in Arizona
  • Understand and practice each phase of the SPB process
  • Discover their important role in leading the SPB process on their campus
  • Learn about their school or district’s specific process guidelines and parameters

Engage the Steering Committee in Finalizing Process Design

Once the steering committee has been assembled and the kickoff has been completed, SPB Sponsors will host weekly or bi-weekly meetings with the steering committee throughout the SPB process. At the first meeting, the steering committee reviews and finalizes the process parameters established in the Design the Process Phase and helps the SPB Sponsor to determine meeting guidelines and steering committee goals. The SPB Sponsor might also lead the steering committee through an activity to choose a team name.

  • What additions need to be made to the process parameters established in the Design the Process Phase? What questions do we have?
    • Review the process parameters (e.g., timeline, budget, project guidelines) with the steering committee and discuss questions and/or additional parameters needed for your school’s process.
    • How will we recruit new members to the steering committee if needed? How often will we meet? Where will we meet?
    • Ask the team to discuss options - write down what they say on flipchart paper.
    • Then, ask them to think about the considerations of each & write on the flipchart.
    • Discussion: Are we reaching a consensus on steering committee recruitment and meeting time and place? Any areas of difference or disagreement? How can we reach a decision that works best for everyone?
    • Try to synthesize the discussion and come to a decision that works for all students on the steering committee.
  • What do you want SPB to accomplish at your school?
    • Write down, draw, or voiceover ideas to be added to sticky notes and post them on flipchart paper.
    • Discussion: What are the themes people see in these? Anything missing? Any areas of difference or disagreement?
    • Try to synthesize the discussion around 2-3 major themes. Ask the group if how you’ve described major goals is accurate and capture the discussion. If so, write it down on flipchart paper.

 

Conduct Outreach

The steering committee is responsible for introducing SPB to their fellow students. At times, students may need additional support from SPB Sponsors in preparing to conduct outreach. Some ideas for introducing SPB to the student body are listed below:

  • Show this awesome video at an all-school assembly or during broadcast announcements.
  • Create posters with pictures of funded projects from previous cycles or other campuses.
  • Conduct an SPB Tour – where steering committee members visit classes to show the SPB video (linked above), present to fellow students about the process, and answer questions about how to get involved.

 

Collect Ideas

During idea-collection, steering committees will solicit ideas about how to spend the allocated district funds from the entire student body. Sometimes steering committees collect ideas through surveys, social media, at tables during lunch, classroom discussions during class periods, by walking around campus and asking, or large assemblies. There are many possible avenues for collecting ideas - BE CREATIVE! Here are some ideas to get started:

  • Large idea collection assemblies: Invite the student body to a central location on campus to submit ideas.
  • Classroom discussions: Have the steering committee conduct short presentations in classrooms to explain the SPB process to their fellow students and collect ideas using paper or online surveys.
  • Tabling at lunch, sporting events, extracurricular events, etc.: Have the steering committee set up a table in a common area on campus to invite students to submit ideas using paper or online idea collection surveys.
  • Social media: Use the school’s social media platforms to tell students about the SPB process and how to submit their ideas.
  • Online Surveys: Use online tools like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey to collect ideas from the student body electronically.

Tips for Kickoff & Idea Collection:

  • Use Remind App, Class Dojo, or school announcements to remind students about meetings and events (if available).
  • Provide food/snacks for students at steering committee meetings (if resources are available).
  • Keep steering committee meetings inclusive by implementing “open meeting laws” and encouraging students to invite their peers to join.
  • Partner with your fellow teachers to collect ideas from every student on campus. For example, you may ask a Special Education teacher to help collect ideas from students with disabilities.
  • Use an online survey to easily collect and organize ideas from the student body.

For facilitating steering committee meetings:

Understanding SPB

Intro to School Participatory Budgeting Lesson Plan.pdf

Worksheet 1 School Budgets.pdf

SPB Vocab Words Lesson Plan.pdf

SPB Vocabulary Words Definitions.pdf

SPB Vocabulary Words Poster.pdf

SPB Vocabulary Word Sheets.pptx

Budget Representation Lesson Plan 1.pdf

Worksheet 1 School Budgets.pdf

Budget Representation Lesson Plan 2.pdf

Worksheet 2 Budgeting Areas.pdf

Participatory Democracy 101 Classroom Discussion & Activity

SPB Kickoff

Intro to SPB $20 Decision Making Lesson Plan.pdf

Intro to SPB Space Shuttle Lesson Plan.pdf

Epic Space Shuttle Mock Proposal Development Form.pdf

EPIC PB Activity: Video 1

EPIC PB Activity: Video 2

EPIC PB Activity: Video 3

Name Your SPB Process Lesson Plan.pdf

 

For collecting ideas from the student body:

Classroom Idea Collection Middle Secondary SPB Activity.pdf

Outreach Blurb and Idea Collection Survey.pdf

Classroom Idea Collection Elementary SPB Activity.pdf

Elementary Idea Collection Survey.pdf

SPB Brainstorm Ideas My Dream School (K-4).pdf

SPB Brainstorm Ideas Outdoor School Space (K-4).pdf

 

Social Studies lessons and activities to support learning during the SPB process:

SPB Kickoff-Political Symbolism (3-6).pdf

SPB Kick Off Political Symbolism (7-12).pdf

SPB Brainstorm Ideas-How do Political Parties Generate Platforms (9-12).pdf

Kids Voting AZ Access Instructions.pdf

SPB Kids Voting AZ Lesson Plan 1.pdf

SPB Kids Voting AZ Lesson Plan 2.pdf

 

Proposal Development