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JGI R&S Press Release: 1000 Schools

Dr Jane Goodall DBE today celebrated the 1000th UK school (Cranmer Primary School from Surrey) to join Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Education Programme.

Executive Director Tara Golshan said,

‘I am delighted that nearly a million children are now engaged with Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots programme which encourages children to implement practical positive change for people, animals and the environment. The future is in their hands, and by encouraging their involvement we give them the skills, hope and confidence to make it a better one.’

The Jane Goodall Institute’s education programme encourages young people to take positive action to create a better future for our planet and its inhabitants. Participants gain enhanced knowledge of the natural world and how human and animal communities are linked through the holistic approach of the programme. They are also able to take more informed decisions to reduce their environmental footprint and have greater respect for planet earth.

Our work’s holistic multiplier effect gives it uniquely broad impact. It creates informed citizens who take positive welfare actions for current and future generations, as well as directly benefiting young participants themselves, who develop confidence and leadership skills, and more formally the activities count towards a GCSE qualification.

‘Roots & Shoots is one of the greatest hopes for youth because it helps in so many ways. In addition, it is almost exclusively run by young members, teaching them independence….This programme has changed my life …’

– Rayan Asfari (age 15)

The possibilities for making a difference in their local and global communities are as varied as the youngster’s imagination and enterprising natures. All over the country children are building wildlife gardens, creating recycling zones at school and holding recycled fashion shows to help the environment.

Our Mission is inspired by Dr Goodall’s belief that we can all make a difference: To foster respect and compassion for all living things, promoting understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place.

We’re calling on young people everywhere to join our growing movement. To find out more please visit www.rootsnshoots.org.uk.

More information:

Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots programme is now in 127 countries around the world, and we’re very proud that the UK has one of the highest levels of participation. The Jane Goodall Institute UK has been running the programme since 2007, and it has grown astonishingly as our message of hope spreads through schools, and inspires young people across the UK.

The programme began in Tanzania in 1991 with 16 students and has grown to over 10,000 groups around the world. Our programme’s distinctive relevance is that it puts UK participants in touch with a global network of young people from diverse backgrounds, all of whom are taking responsibility for their future.

We can provide high quality photographs of young people participating in their projects, and Tara Golshan Executive Director, Education in the UK is available for interviews.

The Jane Goodall Institute:

With the first global office founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) continues Dr. Goodall’s pioneering research on chimpanzee behaviour—research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centred conservation and development programmes in Africa, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth education programme that has groups in more than 120 countries. The Jane Goodall Institute UK was founded as a charity in 1988 with a mission to prevent the extinction of chimpanzees through conservation, research and education. There are JGI offices in 27 countries inspiring and empowering individuals to take informed compassionate and effective action to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment through:

  • Primate Care and Research: including the study of the behaviour of wild chimpanzees, reporting and acting on findings and working to ensure their survival. As a result sanctuaries have been established to care for chimpanzees from zoos, laboratories and those orphaned as a result of the bushmeat trade.
  • Community Centred Conservation: In the last 20 years, the number of chimpanzees in the wild has fallen from one million to less than 200,000 due to the encroachment of man in Africa. JGI recognised the need for education about the ways in which man and nature can co-exist without harming poor communities and, as a result initiated the successful TACARE project in the Lake Tanganyika Catchment Area of Western Tanzania, now being rolled out across Africa.
  • Environmental and Humanitarian Education through the Roots & Shoots international youth education programme which aims to inspire young people to take positive action on the environment on behalf of all the planet’s inhabitants. Begun in Tanzania in 1991 with 16 students there are now over 10,000 groups in more than 120 countries. In the UK our programme has over 1,000 schools involved!

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