SHAWN MENDES FOUNDATION PONIES UP FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Shawn Mendes is all in on the kids leading the fight against climate change. The Island Records artist and his namesake foundation will make a grant to support the Youth Climate Finance Alliance, a fund built from the networks of Future Coalition, a national outreach program that coordinates youth-led activism.

The contribution from The Shawn Mendes Foundation will directly support public training sessions and provide financial support to a cohort of 50 activists completing more in-depth training.

Mendes plans to join actions led by the alliance and attend the virtual training sessions to further his understanding of climate finance. “Compensating young people for the climate activism work they're doing through the training is so important,” he says. “We can’t wait to save our planet tomorrow; we need to defend it today—and there is no better group leading change than young people."

He also had a few things to say about HITS as a unique category of pollution, but that's another topic entirely.