Roots and Shoots

Roots & Shoots is a program of The Jane Goodall Institute. It was started by Dr. Jane Goodall in 1991 with 16 high school age children from Tanzania. Since then it has grown to more than 8,000 groups in 96 countries. The organization is devoted to empowering youth to do service learning projects helping the environment, animals, or the human community. Each group decides what projects they want to do and they are supported by the Roots & Shoots staff and international network. Jane remains an active part of the organization participating in many Roots & Shoots events and youth summits.

This youth-driven network fosters a fun, flexible and supportive environment where youths and adults alike come together to share ideas and inspiration, implement successful community service projects and participate in special events and global campaigns.

History

In 1991, 16 local teenagers met with Jane Goodall on her back porch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. They were eager to discuss a range of problems they knew about from first-hand experience that caused them deep concern.

Their discussion covered many topics that weren’t in their school curriculum including pollution in the city, deforestation in the mountains, the welfare of domestic animals and the future of wild animals including Dr. Jane’s threatened chimpanzees.

Goodall was impressed by their compassion, their energy and their desire to develop a grassroots style solution to problems. Although Dr. Jane was involved in their meetings, the project was carried out totally by the teens. This first–ever Roots & Shoots project was local: educating villagers about more humane treatment of chickens at home and in the region’s markets. It was a small program, but encompassed all the hallmarks of what makes Roots & Shoots so special even today: youth-driven projects fueled by knowledge, compassion and action. [cite web | url=http://www.hwachong.edu.sg/rns/ | title=Roots 'n' Shoots | year=2005-2007 | publisher=Hwa Chong Roots & Shoots ]

References

External links

* [http://www.rootsandshoots.org/ Roots & Shoots]