We’re inviting all Syracuse residents to take part in a one-day online vote to choose which city-wide project will receive $150,000 in grant dollars to help increase childhood lead testing and awareness. The winning project will be announced live at a results party in the Salt City Market’s community room. All participants, voters and Syracuse city residents are welcomed to attend.
What Is Participatory Budgeting?
Participatory budgeting is a type of community engagement in which residents decide how to allocate funding through a process of democratic deliberation and decision-making.
This event is the culmination of nine months of work completed by Syracuse residents, community leaders and nonprofit organizations to design solutions that would be most effective in their neighborhoods. The Community Foundation’s participatory budgeting project invited residents most affected by the striking childhood lead poisoning rates in Syracuse – 10.49% as of 2021 – to decide how to spend LeadSafeCNY funding to address the need.
A series of evening sessions held from September through April supported attendees with dinner and childcare. Participants learned about childhood lead poisoning, generated ideas for solutions and collaboratively developed proposals for the community-wide vote. A total of 154 resident delegate participated in the design sessions.
Learn more about participatory budgeting!
EVENT DESCRIPTION:
We’re inviting all Syracuse residents to take part in a one-day online vote to choose which city-wide project will receive $150,000 in grant dollars to help increase childhood lead testing and awareness. The winning project will be announced live at a results party in the Salt City Market’s community room. All participants, voters and Syracuse city residents are welcome to attend.
DATE & TIME:
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
In-Person & Online Voting | 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM / Results Party | 6:00 – 9:00 PM
LOCATION:
Salt City Market Community Room
484 S Salina St,
Syracuse, NY 13202
HOW TO VOTE:
Public voting will take place Tuesday, May 2, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. An link will be available here the morning of May 2nd for those who wish to vote online. Participants must be a Syracuse City resident, and over the age of 16 to vote!
**Registration is not required to attend.
THE PROJECTS UP FOR VOTE ARE:
BABY B.A.C.K. INC.’s Block to Block Project:
Will use various outreach approaches such as canvassing, electronic billboard, social media and other messaging campaigns, to screen children for testing, educate and raise awareness around lead prevention, as well as coordinate street-to-street lead testing events in partnership with the Onondaga County Health Department for the 7,800 households in the 13205 zip code.
Syracuse Peacemaking Project’s Lead the Way Project:
Will collaborate with PEACE Inc., Families for Lead Freedom Now, and other community partners to 1) provide trainings to staff and community leaders on lead poisoning, barriers to accessing testing and care, and advocacy; 2) screen Syracuse families’ risk for lead poisoning; 3) connect families to lead testing and related aftercare services; and 4) empower residents to lead engagement efforts.
United Way of CNY’s Lyft4Free Project:
Will increase the number of children tested by removing transportation as a barrier to visiting the pediatrician’s office or the blood lab after tests have been ordered. Free roundtrip Lyft rides will be available to approximately 1,533 households with children ages 0 to 6 (approximately 2,300 children), particularly focusing on zip codes in the city of Syracuse with a low volume of testing or those that have high positivity rates.
Village Birth International & Sankofa Reproductive Health & Healing Center’s Lead Awareness Expansion Project:
Will partner with Doula 4 a Queen, zenG Wellness and Cafe Sankofa to use community-based doula care as an avenue of engagement and peer to peer community-led wellness. Doula-led education will be expanded to incorporate lead awareness and prevention into pre- and post-partum programming.
