September 30 – M
esa recently distributed grants of up to $5,000 to young people who designed, produced and governed urgent climate solutions in the city.
The funding came from the Youth Climate Action Fund, launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which provided technical assistance and micro-grants of $50,000 for every 100 mayors to activate tens of thousands of youth ages 15 to 24 to tackle climate change.
The goal of the program is to empower young people to bring sustainability projects to their own community, such as a school or neighborhood.
“I am proud of these students who took the initiative to thoughtfully identify a climate problem in Mesa and develop a solution to address it,” said Mayor John Giles. “Meaningful climate action requires innovation and commitment at every level, and young people are good at thinking outside the box.”
The winners are BASIS Milieuclub. Dobson High School Future Farmers of America, Dobson High School National Honor Society, Dobson High School Orchestra Council Club, Heartwood Montessori, Mesa High School Environmental Science Club;
Also Mountain View High School Gardening Club, Mountain View High School, Sonoran Photo Voltaic Lab, Mountain View High School Student Council, Red Mountain High School Girl Up, Westwood High School Future Farmers of America and Greenlight Solutions.
Greenlight Solutions is a nonprofit organization founded by a group of Arizona State University students to educate and empower the next generation of sustainability leaders.
The application was open to youth who live or attend school in Mesa or whose initiatives directly benefit the city.
According to Mesa, the number of youth and youth involvement in each project varied.
However, groups were required to have a minimum of three members and each group had at least one youth leader. Many of the applicants engaged a larger student group, such as the student council or environmental club, to complete their proposed project.
The grant winners were recognized last week at a celebratory event where they could network with fellow recipients and meet city experts.
Cities that successfully disburse micro-grant funding may be eligible for up to $100,000 in future funding.
