ABOUT
How it all began
In 1991, Jane Goodall met with a group of local teenagers in Tanzania. They were eager to discuss a series of issues that deeply concerned them. Jane was impressed by their compassion, energy and desire to find a solution. It is thanks to these young people that Roots and Shoots was born.
Since then, the program has grown several groups and is now active in more than 60 countries around the world, with hundreds of thousands of young people involved.
‘It’s about rolling up your sleeves, getting there and doing it.’
‘Roots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation. Shoots seem very weak, but to reach the light, they can break open brick walls. Imagine that the brick walls are all the problems we have inflicted on our planet. Hundreds of thousands of roots & shoots, hundreds of thousands of young people around the world, can break through these walls. We CAN change the world.’
- Dr. Jane Goodall