ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Young Allentonians were celebrated Thursday night for their dedication to climate-action.
A short ceremony at Bucky Boyle Park honored several groups who completed projects funded by the city’s Youth Climate Action Fund.
Allentown launched the initiative last spring after getting $50,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies to fund youth-led climate microgrants.
The city gave $5,000 grants to eight of 14 applicants.
“Grassroots [action] is the answer for the next four years."Maddie Davidson, Allentown sustainability intern and Youth Climate Action Fund project leader
Crystal Alonso-Colon, now a junior at Building 21, led a project to repaint her school’s outdoor basketball court last year. That reduced the heat-island effect and made it more comfortable for her classmates to use.
Alonso-Colon on Thursday night said kids are enjoying the rehabbed space, but she’s excited to see its cooling effect in the heat of summer.
Maddie Davidson, a senior at Muhlenberg College, developed a program promoting tree education and stewardship for students at Muhlenberg Elementary.
Amidst her project last fall, Davidson flew to Bloomberg’s CityLab event in Mexico City. There, she and two other Youth Climate Action Fund winners highlighted the initiative for hundreds of mayors from around the world.
Davidson, who’s now a sustainability intern for the city, told LehighValleyNews.com that she felt “intense imposter syndrome” and gratitude while representing the United States and Allentown at the global symposium.
Seeing the impact of other small projects on display in Mexico City and in Allentown underscored the value of local action as federal climate initiatives are rolled back under President Donald Trump, she said.
“Grassroots [action] is the answer for the next four years,” Davidson said.
Allentown accepting applications
Bloomberg Philanthropies offered $50,000 in Youth Climate Action Fund grants to 100 cities whose mayors attended COP28, the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, in late 2023.
Almost all those cities — including Allentown — got $100,000 more this year to deepen the Youth Climate Action Fund’s reach.
“We need to empower young people to take charge and take responsibility for their future."Mayor Matt Tuerk
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk said Thursday night that he hopes to see even more “ambition” and “creativity” from the second round of applicants and grant winners.
Tuerk noted Allentown is “one of the youngest cities in the commonwealth” and said population trends will further drive down its average age.
“We need to empower young people to take charge and take responsibility for their future,” he said.
The city plans to fund at least 17 projects this year, with grants to be worth $1,000 to $5,000.
Projects must be based around one of six key climate priorities identified by the city’s Vision 2030 plan: physical health, connected communities, environmental stewardship, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, community empowerment and collaboration and green infrastructure.
Each group must have at least three people ages 15 to 24 who will lead their project, as well as a sponsoring organization, like a nonprofit or public agency.
City officials will prioritize applications submitted by March 16, but the submission window does not close until April 6.
