THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 22, 2026 Page 5 Malden joins Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Climate Action Fund Special to The Advocate M ayor Gary Christenson announced that Malden will join Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Youth Climate Action Fund, which will provide capital and capacity to support mobilizing young residents ages 15–24 in designing and delivering climate solutions aligned with the City of Malden’s Climate Action Plan. Malden joins the Youth Climate Action Fund alongside 300 city halls. The scaleup, tripling the program’s reach since its launch in 2024, builds on results across 34 countries, where 98 municipalities delivered tangibly for residents and improved trust in city hall — helping a new generation believe in government again. As part of this program, Malden will host an innovation competition, inviting young people’s ideas for climate solutions, selecting the strongest proposals and funding them with $50,000 and technical assistance from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Malden will then assign staff to support implementation from start to finish, helping young residents lead in carrying their plans through to completion — creating public space, strengthening infrastructure, mitigating disasters and building resilience. Municipalities that move quickly to deploy their initial funding will receive an additional $50,000 to support more youth-driven projects and expand participation. “The City of Malden is honored to be one of 300 municipalities around the world to join this prestigious and competitive program,” said Mayor Christenson. “The capital and capacity provided by the Youth Climate Action Fund will allow us to partner with our young people to make our collective climate goals a reality. To our Malden youth, stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks about how you can get involved in this exciting program.” “The Youth Climate Action Fund is helping city halls around the world work alongside hundreds of thousands of young people to take action on city climate challenges and improve their communities,” said Bloomberg Philanthropies CEO Patricia E. Harris. “They are showing how local government can be a partner on issues youth and residents care deeply about – and they are building trust along the way. We look forward to expanding on these efforts and inspiring a new generation of civic leaders.” At a time when participation in public life has thinned, the results from the first wave of Youth Climate Action Fund cities point to a new approach. Survey research of the program’s youth participants showed that their trust in local government leadership rose from 61% to 83% — a 22 percentage point increase while confidence in their own ability to address environmental challenges increased from 65% to 90%. Nearly three in four youth said their city hall values their input on climate policy — one of the issues they care most about. Participating local governments also changed how they work. More than half established new, formal structures, such as youth councils, advisory boards and participatory budgeting processes, to sustain young people’s engagement; 43% embedded youth input into long-term strategies and policies, while roughly 40% created dedicated staff roles. Nearly all report plans to expand the effort. To date, more than 300,000 young people across five continents have taken part in the Youth Climate Action Fund, working with their city halls to create over 1,600 green spaces, plant over 1.8 million plants and 235,000 trees, develop nearly 5,000 gardens, launch 268 composting stations and collect more than 405,000 pounds of trash and recyclables — producing visible improvements in their communities and bettering quality of life for residents worldwide. As part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ longstanding work to strengthen local state capacity through its Government Innovation program, the Fund also provides municipalities and their mayors with a model that extends beyond climate galvanizing partnership with stakeholders citywide to advance progress on pressing problems and opportunities for the people they serve. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org, sign up for the newsletter or follow on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Facebook and X. OBITUARY Eleanor A. McCauley Eleanor was a life-long resident of Malden until her later years. She then moved to Derry, NH to live with her sister Ann and her brother-in-law Joseph Nerden. From there life brought her to Virginia Beach, VA to live with her daughter Mary and son-in-law Timonthy Thomas where she passed away at age 98. Eleanor graduated from Malden High School in May of 1947. She then entered the Army in 1952 making her a Korean War Veteran. She was the mother of Mary Kathleen Thomas of Virginia Beach, VA and her husband Timonthy. Michael Louis McCauley of Titusville, FL and his wife Dorothy (Dody). Eleanor was sister to Ann F. Nerden of Salem, NH and her husband Joseph, David A. Doucette of Hamlin, NY and his late wife Judie, Louis A. Doucette of San Antonio, TX and his wife Kathleen and Philip E. Doucette of Jacksonville, FL and his wife Deborah. She is also survived by Donna B. Doucette of Watertown, MA. Wife of her deceased brother Eugene F. Doucette. She was Grandmother to Tina M. McCauley and Kimberley A. Kirk both of Titusville, FL. and Jonathan M. Thomas of Palm Harbor, FL and his wife Jessica. Eleanor was also Great-Grandmother to Jordan T. Kirk of Titusville, FL. Eleanor is also survived by many nieces and nephews including Daphne A. Curran of Derry, NH and her husband Kevin. Funeral service were held at the A. J. Spadafora Funeral Home, Malden on Wednesday May 20th. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Interment of ashes will be in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. “WE’RE STILL HERE!” Since 1947 MALDEN AUTO BODY Book online: Maldenauto.com 49 Robin St., Everett, MA 617-389-3030 * Maldenab@yahoo.com Over 79 years of exceptional service! Massone Family Owned & Operated
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