Roots & Shoots USA

Home
United States
Washington D.C., DC
Roots & Shoots USA

Roots & Shoots USA is the Jane Goodall Institute's youth program. Welcome to the Roots & Shoots USA page!

Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots is a global movement of youth who use their voices and actions to help people, other animals, and the environment we share. Connect with global Roots & Shoots offices here: https://www.rootsandshoots.org/about-us/our-global-chapters/

Roots & Shoots is the youth program of the Jane Goodall Institute. Roots & Shoots is about making positive change happen — for our comm

unities, for other animals and for the environment. With tens of thousands of young people in over 50 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to create a better world. Young people identify problems in their communities and take action. Through service projects, 1-Click Actions, Challenges, and an community collaboration, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe.

06/16/2026

Meet William T. from Minnesota, one of the newest members of our Youth Council! 🦀🤩

🌊🐚 William is a young scientist who fights marine habitat loss by combining his love for nature with engineering. He works to protect Earth’s aquatic ecosystems through his project Build a Reef, which teaches youth how to design and create artificial coral reefs!

🪸🐠 With Build a Reef, William and his group members lead sustainability workshops focused on marine restoration, inspiring other young people to maintain and conserve our waterways. William emphasizes that his work is not only about immediate impact to habitats, it strives to provide others with tools to support their own conservation efforts. In 2024, he won third place in a national scientific competition for inventing an AI Smart Artificial Reef (AISAR)!

✈️🎣 Beyond Roots & Shoots, William is a high-school student who enjoys spending time outdoors and tinkering with remote control planes. He is also the co-founder of Fish Hut, a nonprofit that promotes environmental awareness and positive mental health through recreational fishing.

William speaks to what inspired his work, saying: “these experiences shaped my deep respect for nature and inspired me to take action to protect it.” 💚👏

Learn more about William and the rest of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Youth Council USA >> https://rootsandshoots.org/about-us/meet-the-rsyc/

📸: RSYC member William T.

06/04/2026

🎶🌷 "Each of us is a flower, growing in life's garden." This lyric from the popular children's song by singer-songwriter Charlotte Diamond sends a beautiful message about growth and diversity, and inspired one Roots & Shoots group's project in California!

🌈🫶 The LGBTQ+ Rainbow Club at an elementary school in San Leandro teaches students to embrace their differences while connecting with their community. Students wanted their school's campus to reflect that message, so when their school was renovated, they saw an opportunity to make that happen!

🤝🪴 The students and their adult mentors brought together adult educators, board members, and the communities at both their elementary school and high school for a big replanting effort. Together, they wanted to plant a rainbow of perennials that would grow and bloom under their care. In the words of music educator Lydia O., "Our students will learn to bed plants with kindness and gentleness, noting that each is unique, just like we are, and watch them (us) bloom throughout the year."

Now, local pollinators can thrive off of the bounty of flowers, and the school's colorful campus reflects more accurately the beautiful variety of people within! 👏✨

Learn more about this project >> https://rootsandshoots.org/projects/each-of-us-is-a-flower-growing-in-lifes-garden/

📸:
1: TrueCreatives
2: Roots & Shoots educator Lydia O.

05/31/2026

We're always thrilled to see people celebrating Dr. Jane Goodall in all different ways! This Roots & Shoots group decided to raise funds in her honor. 🌿👏

First, the students in an after-school program in Racine, Wisconsin learned all about Jane's life and work. Then they heard about her youth program and decided to do themed projects each summer as a Roots & Shoots group! 🌱🌟

For their first project, they recycled aluminum cans and donated their earnings to a local healthcare organization. When they heard that Jane had passed away in October, they wanted their next project to directly support her legacy. 🌳🌼

The students immediately started collecting loose change from their communities. After several weeks, they managed to collect over $200, all of which they donated to Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots. Educator Nancy S. who led this group said that "Dame Jane has had an indelible impact on the world. We will continue to raise her up as a shining example for all to exemplify." 💚✨

Huge thanks to this group for their support, and for celebrating Jane by taking action! Learn more about Roots & Shoots at rootsandshoots.org

📸: Nancy Smith

05/30/2026

Cleaning up New Jersey's Passaic River, one piece of trash at a time! 🐟🥤

🗑️🌿 Earlier this month, Roots & Shoots members from across northern New Jersey gathered together to honor Dr. Jane Goodall with a day of action. In 10 hubs across Chatham, Basking Ridge, Summit, Newark, Paterson, and Fairfield, participants got their hands dirty pulling discarded items out of the river and filling over 300 bags across all sites! A few of the discarded items they found included:

🪑 A kid's lawn chair
🚘 Old license plates
🛞 Car tires
🚤 An old part of a boat
🚽 A toilet

🧺☀️ To celebrate this inspiring day, the whole group gathered afterward for a free picnic. alum Jessie W. — who helped organize this day of action — and Sandra Lavigne from Great Swamp Watershed Association thanked everyone for their hard work. Jessie also spoke about her own Roots & Shoots journey, and invited local member Giuliana D. to speak about her current projects.

☔️ Over 100 people signed up, despite the fact that it was supposed to rain, and nearly 200 people showed up! Luckily for them, the rain held off until the end of the picnic, as if to thank them for caring for their local environment. 👏

📸:
1, 3, 4, 6: Great Swamp Watershed Association
2: Renee Shaloub
5: RSYC alum Jessie W.

05/29/2026

✨👏 Cleaning up Montrose Beach with our Chicago Roots & Shoots Basecamp!

🌱🏙️ Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots — our youth action program — follows 's belief that every person makes an impact every day. Through our network of Basecamps in cities across the U.S., we're multiplying that impact!

🌊⛱️ Recently, our Chicago Basecamp, led by Coordinator Alex Biswas, brought together local Roots & Shoots groups and partners like for a beach cleanup at Montrose Beach.

Over 30 people joined in on the event, collecting over 700 pieces of trash weighing a total of 32 pounds! 😱 They noticed that pieces of plastic and food wrappers were the most commonly collected items. 🌯🥤

Thanks to their efforts, Chicago's largest public beach is now safer for the people who visit, as well as the many migratory birds who nest here. 🪶💚

Learn more about our Chicago Basecamp and get involved >> https://rootsandshoots.org/groups-landing/chicago-basecamp/

📸: JGI/Eric Guzzetta

05/25/2026

Our San Francisco Bay Area Basecamp has been busy planting trees and building community with Friends of the Urban Forest! 🌁🌳

🏙️🌿 We know that access to nature is important for physical and mental health, but for folks who live in cities, this can be a challenge. Luckily, groups like Friends of the Urban Forest are connecting people to nature in their communities through planting and caring for San Francisco's trees and gardens!

🌳🤝 Building community through impactful projects is what Roots & Shoots is all about, so the SF Bay Area Basecamp joined forces for an event honoring Dr. Jane Goodall's birthday and the 45th anniversary of Friends of the Urban Forest. Together, we planted a diverse mix of climate-resilient urban trees, including bay laurel, southern magnolia, California lilac, and Sweet Pittosporum! These four trees were fondly named after characters in Jane's life — Mr. H, Tarzan, David Greybeard, and Rusty.

Over 75 community members participated in the day of planting, coming together to celebrate environmental stewardship. Throughout the event, community members signed a large birthday card for Jane, and Vice President of Roots & Shoots USA Mary Ford shared a few words about the importance of youth-led environmental action. The day felt incredibly joyful, and cemented the group's collective care for their city. 💚✨

Learn more about our San Francisco Bay Area Basecamp >> https://rootsandshoots.org/groups-landing/bay-area-basecamp/

📸: JGI/Zi Terrence

05/24/2026

Roots & Shoots Project Grant applications close TONIGHT! If you're still wavering on applying, get inspired by this group from Maryland who used a Project Grant to improve food security in their community! 🥗🌟

This group of teenagers used the Roots & Shoots 4-Step Formula to develop their project, which supported Small Things Matter's food programming. During Step 2, Observe, they used our community mapping resource to identify needs in their community. They quickly realized that many senior citizens did not have access to healthy food and lacked transportation options to reach free food distribution centers. 🗺️😞

If they couldn't get their senior neighbors to the food centers, this group decided that they just had to bring the food to them! As a team, they:

🧑‍💻 Researched which nutrient-dense foods to prioritize, as seniors tend to eat smaller meals

🥬 Found partners at nearby farmers markets who could donate unsold produce

🛒 Used a Roots & Shoots Project Grant to organize fundraisers to purchase supplemental produce

🚗 Packed and delivered these essential fresh foods to their neighbors at adult care centers

Together, they improved the lives of 150 seniors in their community by bringing them fresh, nutritious ingredients to support healthier eating habits. Well done, team! 👏👏👏

Magnify the impact of your community project with a Project Grant! Apply by 11:59pm ET TODAY >> https://rootsandshoots.org/take-action/find-funding/

📸: Roots & Shoots member Lana A.

05/23/2026

There's only ONE DAY left to apply for a Roots & Shoot Project Grant! Get inspired by this group in Illinois who used their Project Grant to create sensory-friendly theater kits! 🎭 ✨

Bailey M. is a big theater fan who volunteers for programs like The Penguin Project — a theater program for kids with disabilities. She realized that live theater can pose a lot of challenges for those with sensory needs; bright lights, loud sounds, and sudden surprises can feel overwhelming. Bailey spoke with the participants' families and project organizers, and everyone agreed that they could be doing more to help. 🤝🌟

For her Silver Award in Girl Scouts, Bailey decided to create sensory-friendly theater kits to make going to a theater performance more comfortable and welcoming. She applied for and received a Roots & Shoots Project Grant to buy the supplies, and with the help of her troop members, family, and theater staff, they put together kits that included:

🎧 Headphones and disposable earplugs for better sound control

📖 A laminated book of social rules at the theater

🪀 Multiple fidget toys and a wiggle seat for self-regulation

🕶️ Sunglasses to block out bright lights

🧼 Hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes for easy cleaning

The Penguin Project team will continue to use these reusable ‘Waddle & Watch’ sensory-friendly theater kits during performances and rehearsals. Bailey also shared directions, handouts, and project information so other Penguin Project chapters can create their own kits. Now, kids with sensory needs can feel calm and prepared, and get to enjoy the wonder of theater without worry! 💚👏

Fund your community action project by applying for a Roots & Shoots Project Grant by May 24! >> https://rootsandshoots.org/take-action/find-funding/

📸: Roots & Shoots member Bailey M.

05/22/2026

: Roots & Shoots Project Grants are open now! If you are looking for application inspiration, here is how one Roots & Shoots group in South Dakota used community mapping and a Project Grant to improve food access in their region. 🧑‍🌾🪏

🛒🚗 In Western South Dakota, many families face food insecurity due to financial constraints and long travel distances to grocery stores. When a group of students working with WSDCA mapped it out, they found that transportation barriers prevented regular grocery trips for many people, and there were too few programs teaching people how to use the resources available to them.

They decided to take action, by cultivating an edible garden and organizing a food production and preservation class for local children. Through this program, these kids learned how to:

🫜 Grow and harvest their own produce

🥙 Use what they harvest to prepare nutritious meals

🫙 Can, pickle, and otherwise preserve foods to last longer

The group also applied for and received a Roots & Shoots Project Grant, which they used to buy and distribute Safeway gift cards to participants. So far, this group has helped over 200 individuals grow and make healthy meals for themselves and their families, teaching them to ensure that food is always available to them. We can't wait to see what they do next! 🤩💚

Inspired? Apply for a Roots & Shoots Project Grant by May 24 for a chance at $250 to start, support, or celebrate your impact! >> https://rootsandshoots.org/take-action/find-funding/

📸:
1: Mehmet Uzut from Pexels
2+3: Roots & Shoots member Marissa N.

05/21/2026

Meet one of our newest members of the , Jenavive M. from Hawai'i! 🤩🌺

🌊🐚 Through her projects, Jenavive combines her talents as an advocate with her passion for the environment. Jenavive created and leads Hawai’i’s first youth-led conservation-focused working group! Named Oceans & Biodiversity, this Roots & Shoots group addresses literacy barriers by democratizing access to Hawai’i’s scientific and legislative processes.

🪸🎙️ One example is their Corals to Committees project, hosting podcast interviews and organizing hands-on field days where youth participate in ecological research to directly inform legislators and support state priorities. By bridging the gap between research and the legislature, Jenavive ensures that local youth are active, informed advocates for the protection of Hawai’i’s ecosystems.

🌿🧶 Outside of Roots & Shoots, Jenavive is in her first year of college, concentrating in Animal Ecology & Conservation. She is currently researching conservation bioacoustics for Southeast Asian endangered species and enjoys expressing her artistry through crochet and music.

🎶🎧 For fun, Jenavive says, “creating playlists, streaming Erroll Garner, and foraging vintage markets for Blue Note vinyls helps me to recenter.”

Learn more about Jenavive and the rest of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Youth Council USA >> https://rootsandshoots.org/about-us/meet-the-rsyc/

📸: RSYC member Jenavive M.

Address

1120 20th Street NW, #520s
Washington D.C., DC
20036

Website

http://www.rootsandshoots.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Roots & Shoots USA posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund
400 I Street, SW

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Washington D.C.?