About Roots & Shoots

Be Bold, Be Kind, Do Good.

What is Roots & Shoots?

Roots & Shoots, a program of the Jane Goodall Institute, is a global movement of youth just like you who are empowered to use their voice and actions to make compassionate decisions, influencing and leading change in their communities.

You Have the Power to Create Change.

The time is now to speak up and take action on issues that matter most to you. Together, we can create and influence the change that is needed in your community and our world.

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The Full Story

In 1991, local youth gathered on Jane Goodall’s front porch in Tanzania and expressed how they felt powerless against the problems in the world around them. As the students told stories and offered ideas, Jane realized the solution was right in front of them: their power to create change. The Roots & Shoots program was born.

Roots & Shoots provides the resources to encourage and motivate young people to take action on issues that matter to them. Today, the tools and support offered through the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) program empower youth in all 50 states and over 60 countries to use their voices and ideas to address the issues that matter most to them in their communities. Through Jane’s hopeful message and the Roots & Shoots model, youth around the world are encouraged to put their ideas into action. Since 1991, millions of students have taken on the challenge of making the world a better place for people, other animals and the environment we share. Roots & Shoots youth are not only the future–they are the present– and they are changing the world.

No matter the issue, being a part of Roots & Shoots means choosing to be a change-maker and making the difference YOU want to make.

Roots creep under the ground to make a firm foundation. Shoots seem new and small, but to reach the light they can break through brick walls.

- Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace
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About Roots & Shoots

We are nurturing the compassionate leaders of tomorrow.

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