When Norman Kearney first introduced the concept of "participatory budget" to Hamilton's Ward 2 last year, he had bit of a hiccup.

"Everyone struggles to pronounce those seven syllables. We need a new name," quipped Kearney, who spearheaded the project in which residents, instead of the councillor, decided how city funds were allocated in the ward.

Kearney, a 26-year-old Hamiltonian, convinced his councillor to let residents decide how to spend the $1 million discretionary budget in the ward.

"What participatory budgeting does is bring those resources back to communities that pay them, so that ordinary people — residents in their communities — have a direct say in how some of that money is spent," He explained in an interview with CBC Radio this week.

Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of the first vote on the participatory budget in Hamilton. Although the initiative is still at its infancy, it has already seen some results in the city.

Norman Kearney, 26, is a McMaster University graduate who now studies political economy at Carleton University in Ottawa. (Supplied)

For example, the Multicultural Festival, which took place on Saturday at Pier 8, was an idea that emerged from the 2013 participatory budget. The one-day festival celebrates diversity with food, cultural performances and music.

"Participatory budgeting can be very exciting, because think of the ownership that you feel when something that was initially just an idea in your head is now an amenity in your neighbourhood that you walk by," Kearney said.

Since then, Kearney has moved on to start another grassroots movement. People's Platform, a community-based initiative, aims to change the way residents participate in the electoral process ahead of Hamilton's municipal election in the fall.

Four regional forums were held across Hamilton in early August to allow residents to contribute to the creation of a platform for candidates to potentially adopt.

About 100 residents attended roundtable discussions at community centres in Hamilton's downtown, west, east and mountain areas on Aug. 9. They brought forward issues that concerned their neighbourhoods and then voted on the top issues based on priorities.

Listen to Norman Kearney's full interview with CBC Radio by playing the audio above.