Roots & Shoots

Roots & Shoots is a program of the Jane Goodall Institute. In 1991, 16 local teenagers met with Dr. Jane Goodall on her back porch in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, eager to discuss a range of problems they knew about from first-hand experience. Their discussion covered topics that weren't in place in their school curriculum, including city pollution, deforestation in the mountains, the welfare of domestic animals and the future of wild animals including Goodall's threatened chimpanzees.

Goodall was impressed by their desire to develop a grassroots style solution to problems. Although she was involved in their meetings, the project was carried out 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 today: youth-driven projects fueled by knowledge, compassion and action.

Today, the Roots & Shoots network has tens of thousands of members in close to 100 countries, working on local and global community service projects. Many of the original members are still involved, finding new projects and ways to make a difference.

References

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

Dr. Jane Goodall sent the roots and shoots pledge to Forest Ridge Elementary in Keizer Oregon.