Feel Good Friday - Roots & Shoots

As you’ve likely heard, Dr. Jane Goodall passed away this week at the age of 91. To honor her memory, today’s Feel Good Friday is highlighting the organization Roots & Shoots.

I first profiled Roots & Shoots in celebration of her 80th birthday in April, 2014. Time for a refresh on the organization and what they’ve accomplished.

Roots & Shoots is the Jane Goodall Institute's youth program. It began in Tanzania in 1991 when a group of teenagers approached Dr. Jane about concerns for their community and she encouraged them to take action. Inspired by their work, she shared their stories and Roots & Shoots chapters started to spread around the globe. This one-minute video explains the origin story and current state.

The mission of Roots & Shoots is “to empower young people to affect positive change in their communities.” Local chapters focus on projects that benefit the environment and improve the lives of people and animals. Examples of these youth-led projects include providing habitats for native pollinators such as monarch butterflies and rusty patched bumble bees, recycling used printer cartridges, and No Waste November, which encourages people to “mindfully notice and reduce daily waste”.

In 2024, there were 10,000 active groups in all 50 states and more than 75 other countries. In this one year alone 1,745,000 young people took part in programs and recorded over 420,000 hours of activities.

As they state on the website, by encouraging youth around the globe to use their voices and actions to help people, other animals, and the environment we share, “We are nurturing the compassionate leaders of tomorrow.” What a wonderful legacy for a wonderful human being.

If you’d like to get involved with Roots & Shoots and are under 16 years of age, you can become a member and create a project in your neighborhood or get started with some of these 1-click actions. 

The rest of us can support the work of Roots & Shoots by shopping for merch, making a donation to the Jane Goodall Institute and amplifying this work on social media. Sign up for the mailing list or follow Roots & Shoots on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Feel Good Friday - Cesar Chavez Foundation

Today we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month and the work of Cesar Chavez by highlighting the Cesar Chavez Foundation.

Created by Cesar Chavez in 1966 and headquartered in Keene, California, the mission of the Cesar Chavez Foundation (CCF) is “to carry on Cesar’s life’s work of uplifting the lives of Latinos and working families by inspiring and transforming communities through social enterprises that address essential human, cultural and community needs.”

Cesar Chavez was a labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the National Farmworkers Association which later became the United Farm Workers labor union. His motto, “¡Si se puede!” (“Yes, it can be done!”), guided him through his work as a community organizer and champion of social change, the environment and consumer rights. 

CCF is a self-sustainable fund. They raise money through various social enterprises that are then used to provide services to target underserved communities. Their current areas of focus include housing and economic development, education, multimedia communications, and preserving Cesar’s legacy. 

The Housing and Economic Development Fund builds and manages high-quality, service-enhanced, affordable housing for working families and seniors across California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. That includes over 5,000 multifamily units and more than 300 single family homes. The Education Fund supports after school and summer school programs as well as develops culturally relevant curricula for teachers to use. More than 110,000 students have been served through these programs.

Radio Campesina is the flagship program of Chavez Media. It’s one of 14 digital radio stations CCF operates across California, Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia and it reaches over 1.5 million listeners! Most of the programs are broadcast in both Spanish and English. 

Since they began, CCF has invested more than $860 million in underserved communities. What a wonderful way to continue the legacy of Cesar Chavez. His life and work is also being preserved at the National Chavez Center in La Paz estate in Keene, California, which you can visit seven days a week.

If you’d like to support CCF and the work they do, there are some unique ways to get involved. You can request a speaker to come speak at your next event or shop for merch to show your support. You can also raise awareness of this organization on social media. Follow the Cesar Chavez Foundation on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel. ¡Si se puede!

Feel Good Friday - Latinitas

We continue our celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month with a look at an organization that is inspiring confidence and empowering community, Latinitas.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, the mission of Latinitas is to “empower girls and their communities through culturally relevant education.” They focus on STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), digital equity, career exploration, and economic opportunity.

Let’s start with culturally relevant education. It’s designed to connect to the lives, identities and aspirations of the students and their families. The curriculum encourages students to engage with the topics and see themselves in the stories. Role models who are professionals with similar backgrounds inspire success and create an environment for girls to build confidence, develop leadership skills, and explore creative career pathways.

There are a number of educational programs that Lantinitas runs. Club Latinitas is an afterschool program focusing on technology, digital media, culture and identity, open to girls ages 9-14. During the summers, this age group can attend Camp Latinitas where every week there is a new theme such as architecture, engineering and fashion design. 14-18 years old can learn the programming language Python in eight weeks by attending the free, virtual program Code Chica. Families can participate in the multi-generational programming which covers digital literacy and workforce readiness. There are also a variety of one-day Chica Conferences where technology and media are used as tools to explore careers, and Latinitas Magazine, the first digital magazine made by and for young Latinas.

These programs are attended by approximately 3,000 girls across Texas every year. In the 2023-2024  year, there was an 87.5% growth in enrollment in Club Latinitas, 220  girls attended the Chica Conferences, Camp Latinitas had 3528 impact hours and the multi-generational programs had 1167 hours of impact.

If you’d like to help empower Latinitas across Texas there are many ways to do so. Texans reading this post can volunteer. The rest of us can make a monetary donation and amplify this work on social media. Follow Latinitas on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel.