Feel Good Friday - Jane Goodall Institue

I recently saw a photo of climate activist Greta Thunberg with primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall and it made me realize, although I have written 347 Feel Good Friday blogs to date, not one has been about the Jane Goodall Institute! At least not until today.

Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) website gives a great summary of their work: "We are a global community conservation organization that advances the vision and work of Dr. Jane Goodall. By protecting chimpanzees and inspiring people to conserve the natural world we all share, we improve the lives of people, animals and the environment. Everything is connected - everyone can make a difference."

Not surprisingly, the main focus of JGI is protecting chimpanzees and their habitats. Field research continues in Gombe, where Dr. Goodall first started her work in 1960. JGI also uses science and technology to help local communities identify their needs and develop conservation action plans which they can implement.

Specific projects include efforts you might not expect such as: rehabilitating and releasing 18 mandrills since 2008, scholarships for over 300 girls in Tanzania to complete their educations, and helping people construct beehives and learn how to produce and harvest honey to sell. There are many more projects which you can learn about at this link.

Another major program of JGI is Roots and Shoots, founded in 1991 by Dr. Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students. It's a youth service program with a mission "to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for people, other animals and the environment." Hundreds of thousands of young people in 120 countries are working to solve the problems they've identified in their communities.

What impact is all this work having? There are over 3 million acres of habitat covered under conservation action plans, 290 chimpanzees and gorillas are receiving care in the sanctuary, and over 5,000 Roots and Shoots programs are in place creating positive change right now.

YOU can also create positive change! Donate some money, encourage a young person (under 16) to start a project with Roots and Shoots, become a chimp guardian or shop for merch.

Stay in the loop by liking the Facebook pages of JGI and Roots and Shoots and following both organizations on Twitter @JaneGoodallInst and @RootsandShoots. "Everyone can make a difference."

Feel Good Friday - Roots & Shoots

photo credit: Jane Goodall Institute

Yesterday Dr. Jane Goodall turned 80 and Feel Good Friday is celebrating her birthday by spreading the work of her Roots & Shoots organization!

We all know Jane Goodall for her work with chimpanzees and the recent video of a rescued chimp who hugs her before returning to the wild. 

But what is Roots & Shoots and how did it get it's name? The ever-optimistic Dr. Goodall explains the name in her own words in this 1:11 min video.

Their website explains the purpose of the organization. "Roots & Shoots is the youth-led community action and learning program of the Jane Goodall Institute. The program builds on the legacy and vision of Dr. Jane Goodall to place the power and responsibility for creating community-based solutions to big challenges in the hands of the young people. Through the program, young people map their community to identify specific challenges their neighborhoods face.  From there, they prioritize the problems, develop a plan for a solution, and take action."

The best part about this is the encouragement for people not to become overwhelmed by every environmental issue that's going wrong but instead focusing on steps we can all take to make a change for the better. She said it best herself in a quote I recently discovered, "What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

Since it's inception in Tanzania in 1991, Roots & Shoots has expanded to 130 countries with over 150,00 members! Whether you join a project or donate money, Dr. Goodall's birthday wish, which she shared on a live broadcast Google+ hangout, is that the work being done by Roots & Shoots continues with or without her.

As always, you can keep up with this remarkable woman by liking Jane Goodall on Facebook or following the Jane Goodall Institute on Twitter @JaneGoodallInst. I hope I'm half this awesome when I'm 80.