Today we're launching Who Decides?, a 12-week Youth Civic Bridge research series about the people and systems that make the everyday decisions shaping young people's communities. Housing, transportation, public safety, elections, technology, parks, environmental health, and more: someone is deciding how each of these works, and it's rarely who you'd expect.
Every week for twelve weeks, we'll publish two short articles. On Tuesday, Simply Explained breaks down how one decision-making system actually works, who holds power inside it, and where the real choices get made. On Friday, By the Numbers uses public data to examine how that same system's effects differ from one community to the next.
The two tracks are designed to work together. The Tuesday piece gives you the map of who's in charge. The Friday piece shows you what the numbers reveal once those decisions play out on the ground, and where the gaps between neighborhoods show up.
By showing who holds power, what the numbers say, and how young people can participate, Who Decides? turns complicated civic systems into information that is clear, relevant, and actionable. You don't need a background in policy to follow along, just a reason to care about how your community works.
Here's the full 12-week schedule. New articles drop every Tuesday and Friday.
The 12-Week Schedule
| Week | Tuesday: Simply Explained | Friday: By the Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Local Government | Who actually decides what happens in your community? | Which level of government spends the most money where you live? |
| 2. City Budgets | Who decides how your city's money gets spent? | How much does your city spend on police, parks, libraries, housing, and transportation? |
| 3. Housing | Who decides what kinds of housing can be built in your neighborhood? | Can young people afford to live in the community where they grew up? |
| 4. Public Transportation | Who decides where buses and trains go? | Which neighborhoods have the best and worst access to public transportation? |
| 5. Parks and Public Space | Who decides where parks, sidewalks, and recreation centers are built? | Do all neighborhoods have equal access to parks and public spaces? |
| 6. Public Safety | Who decides how public safety money and responsibilities are divided? | What does your community spend on policing, fire services, emergency response, and prevention? |
| 7. Environmental Health | Who is responsible for keeping your air and water clean? | Which neighborhoods experience the most pollution, heat, or environmental risk? |
| 8. Voting and Elections | Who decides when, where, and how people vote? | How does youth voter registration and turnout compare across communities? |
| 9. Public Meetings | Who gets to speak before local government makes a decision? | Who actually participates in city council and other public meetings? |
| 10. Technology and Privacy | Who decides how local government uses surveillance, algorithms, and personal data? | What surveillance technologies does your community use, and how much do they cost? |
| 11. Public Information | Who decides what government information the public can see? | How transparent is your local government compared with neighboring communities? |
| 12. Youth Power | Who represents young people before they are old enough to vote? | How many meaningful opportunities do young people have to influence local decisions? |