Roots & Shoots is turning 30!

Join us in celebrating 30 years of Roots & Shoots by taking on the issues that matter most as part of a massive movement of compassionate changemakers, just like you! Roots & Shoots inspires young people to believe in their own voice and abilities, growing connections, and respect across all identities.

What is Roots & Shoots?

Young people are not just the future, they are the present and are shaping tomorrow, today. As we face the greatest challenges of our lifetime, disease, existential threats like the Climate Crisis, the Sixth Great Extinction, disease, prejudice and violence, young people in Roots & Shoots are not only resilient, but they are also tackling these issues head on by innovating and turning hope into action across every continent.

In 2021, we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, a program of the Jane Goodall Institute. Roots & Shoots inspires young people to believe in their own voice and abilities, growing connections and respect across all forms of identity and experience. As we reflect on the global impact of this extraordinary and singular youth movement, we look to the horizon and continue to empower the young people creating the roadmap of a better future for all.

Jane-with-Kids | Roots and Shoots Australia

The Story

It all began on Jane Goodall’s front porch in Tanzania, when a group of students told her they felt powerless thinking about the problems all around them. Jane encouraged them to use their voices and ideas to address the issues they saw, head on. Roots & Shoots was born. Today, Roots & Shoots is a world-wide movement of thousands of passionate young people making big impacts – and it continues to grow. Whether it’s natural disasters, homelessness, pollution or even climate change, Roots & Shoots youth are taking on challenges and creating real positive change across the globe.

Roots & Shoots youth have been changing the face of change for 30 years, by following Jane Goodall’s example of being bold, kind, and doing good every single day. Across every continent, in over 65 countries worldwide, the Roots & Shoots movement includes hundreds of thousands of individuals and world-changing projects for people, other animals, and the planet we share ranging from taking on homelessness, climate change, biodiversity loss, injustice, and pollution while changing legislation, convincing corporations to make sustainable change, and inspiring even more people to take action.

The Future

As the Roots & Shoots youth movement grows to the millions, it’s making big impact through the power of every individual to make a difference, and the collective power of individuals. Recognized by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations as an innovative and effective way of engaging youth, Roots & Shoots gives everyone a way to make a difference in their own way, every day.

Roots & Shoots changemakers have already done incredible things over the last 30 years, already changing the world! But this year is going to be HUGE: this is your chance to be part of something extraordinary and help create the roadmap of a better future for all. Join us as we do 30,000 projects making a difference for people, animals and the environment in 2021 and beyond!

Watch Dr. Jane Goodall’s message to launch our 30th Anniversary celebrations:

rootsandshoots.org.au | #HopeActChange #RootsandShoots30

“Thank you for giving me the strength to carry on:” Dr. Jane Goodall’s Rally of Hope for 2021

Dear Supporter,

For many of us, the holidays are a time for reflection. As we look back on 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic will occupy a central role—it caused so much suffering and death around the world. But it also provided many examples of selflessness and altruism—hope for a better world. We were also given proof that nature is resilient if we give her a chance, that if we get together we can create a better relationship with nature, a better world for all.

Thanks to you, hundreds of chimpanzees who may not have survived are getting a chance to thrive. We are fighting to end the illegal bushmeat and pet trades by working collaboratively with local communities, NGOs and governments. We’re coming to the aid of chimpanzees in sanctuaries, helping to provide ways of protecting them from COVID-19. We’re providing communities in Africa with the information and tools to protect their own environment, understanding it is for their own future as well as for wildlife. We provide micro-credit programs, scholarships to keep girls in school during and after puberty, workshops that provide information about agroforestry, permaculture, water management and so on. And we are empowering thousands of young people around the globe through our Roots & Shoots program, encouraging them to choose and act upon projects to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment. Most of all, we’re demonstrating what is possible when our brains work in harmony with our hearts to make the world a better place for all.

As I reflect on how we persevered this year, I am filled with gratitude for your support, because you and our other supporters are proof that a better future is possible. Together, let us continue to spread hope throughout the world, and build a better future. I wish you a healthy and safe holiday season, and I look forward to your continued interest in and support for our work in the months to come!

Warmly,

Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE
UN Messenger of Peace
Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute

 

 

 

 

 

Coronavirus: Dr Jane Goodall’s Message of Hope in the Face of COVID-19

 

Dr. Jane Goodall shares her thoughts in this time of hardship, sharing hope, information and an update about her life at home in UK:

“Hello, this is Jane Goodall.

“I want to share my shock and sadness as I track the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus around the world. This pandemic is affecting people everywhere.”

“I’m thinking of those who are sick, and their family and friends, of the doctors and health care practitioners, who are working selflessly to care for their patients. And of the scientists around the world working desperately to find a vaccine or cure. Then there are those who have been laid off work, as the financial crisis deepens and the effect this pandemic is having, on so many industries, especially the transport sector and tourism sector. The sheer scale of all this is terrifying.

“Right now the best way to slow down the spread of the virus is what is called social distancing. I chose to follow the advice of my doctor and friends and remain grounded at home in the uk, just events on my North America were being cancelled. It is frustrating, but i must stay healthy: I have so much more to do before I die!“

“Moreover this social distancing is a way not only to protect myself, but others. You might feel fine yourself, but you could be infected without showing the symptoms, and then you could infect others. Especially those who are vulnerable. So if you possibly can, do join me in keeping away from public places. Try not to get close to others, and if you do meet a friend, don’t shake hands, although an elbow bump is permissible. And don’t forget to wash your hands.”

“There is one silver lining to this dark cloud. This pandemic has reopened the discussion about the hunting, eating and trafficking of wild animals. COVID-19 is one of those viruses that have crossed the species barrier and jumped from animals to humans. Evidence suggests that the host in this case was a bat, or possible a pangolin, for sale in the wet market of the Chinese city of Wuhan, where live animals are sold for food.

“The SARS pandemic originated in the wet market in Guangdong. The terrible AIDS pandemic came from viruses that jumped from monkeys and chimpanzees sold for meat in Central Africa. Chimpanzees and humans are closely related, we share 98.6% of our DNA, so avoiding contact with them protects them from human infectious diseases, as well as us from theirs. So we must act: not only to protect ourselves, but also the great apes and other species as well.

“Thankfully the Chinese government has reacted swiftly and imposed a ban on the trafficking, breeding and selling of wild animals for food, right across the country. We must hope that this ban is permanent and subsequently must include wild animals used in China for other purposes, especially traditional medicine.

“This would set an example to all countries where wild animals are exploited for food, research, medicine, for their skins or for trophies hunted by the wealthy, such as rhinos for their horns, elephants for horns, and others for heads stuffed and hung on the wall. in other words: countries all around the world. This would at least eliminate one cause of future pandemics.

“At times like this we see the worst and best in human nature. Since the coronavirus began the spread around the world, there have been hundreds of reports of hate crimes against the Chinese and other people of asian origin. And there are reports of people who have stolen masks and hand sanitisers from hospitals.

“But, there are far more stories of people caring for the sick, donating masks where they are needed, ensuring the housebound have sufficient food, reaching out (without touching) to those who are discriminated against.

“So many people during these dark days, are showing the best of human qualities: compassion and altruism. Let’s all use the gift of our lives to make this world a better place, especially at this time.

“Together we shall get through this really difficult time, and we shall have learnt what is truly important in life: family, friendship, love and, above all, our health. “

See the latest from Jane on facebook.com/janegoodallau and janegoodall.org.au/news