How would you spend $2 million of the city’s money? This question kicked-off Boston’s first city-wide participatory budgeting process, “Ideas in Action,” creating a new avenue for resident voices to shape our neighborhoods.

Following a series of city-sponsored workshops, independent community meetings, and online submissions, we collected an impressive 1,238 project ideas from residents for our first year. We narrowed the list to 14 final proposals that invest in everything from economic opportunity and youth development to health, safety, and equity.

Boston residents now have the chance to vote on their top five choices.

Voting is open until Feb. 15 through our “Ideas in Action” website, Boston.gov/participate. You can also vote in-person at City Hall or get help voting online at any Boston Public Library branch.

I urge everyone to review the full list of projects, share it with your friends and family, and vote today on where you’d like to see us invest $2 million.

The participatory budget voting requirements are as follows:

All Boston residents age 11 and older, regardless of citizenship, are eligible to vote; and

Voting is limited to one vote per resident.

Later this month, the proposals with the most votes will receive up to $2 million in funding. My team at the Office of Participatory Budgeting will then work with City Departments and our External Oversight Board on awarding projects, with the goal of implementing them in spring 2025.

This unique opportunity comes at a time when record numbers of people nationwide report feeling distrust toward the government. According to the Harvard Kennedy School’s 2024 Youth Poll, trust in major public institutions has fallen by up to 50% over the last decade.

Participatory budgeting provides an opportunity to combat this mistrust by bringing residents into the process. We are asking residents to come together and connect with local government in a meaningful way that puts their “Ideas in Action.”

Originally developed in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1989, participatory budgeting is a civic engagement process that empowers community members to decide how to spend part of a city’s budget. The Brazilians’ idea was to “democratize democracy” by bringing more equitable participation to bear on public spending, particularly for marginalized communities.

Since its development, the process has been adopted by more than 1,500 cities worldwide, including our neighbors in Cambridge and Somerville. They have already implemented practical ideas that come from the community and benefit their residents and neighborhoods.

I was honored to be named the inaugural director of the Office of Participatory Budgeting for Boston. As a native of Ecuador who made Boston my home several years ago, I understand the challenges many immigrants and newcomers face in accessing government due to mistrust in public institutions, civic apathy, and language and cultural barriers.

That’s why we have worked to ensure that this engagement happens in partnership with local community groups and is multilingual and accessible to our residents in every neighborhood of Boston.

The Office of Participatory Budgeting provides an official point of entry for Boston residents to contribute to the City’s budget process. The more than 1,200 creative ideas we received from fellow Bostonians has helped to shape and prioritize the 14 project proposals that have made it to the voting phase.

Now, we’re asking you to make your voice heard by voting. Help us put these “Ideas in Action.” I hope you vote today for your top five projects online at Boston.gov/participate, at City Hall, or at your local Boston Public Library Branch.

Renato Castelo is director of the Office of Participatory Budgeting in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University and has nearly 15 years of experience in civic engagement.