What is Roots & Shoots?

The Roots & Shoots Program is the Jane Goodall Institute's Education Program for young people. It inspires practical positive action for people, animals and the environment by developing an understanding of how important a healthy planet is to human survival.

With tens of thousands of young people in almost 100 countries, the Roots & Shoots network branches out across the globe, connecting youth of all ages who share a common desire to help make our world a better place.  

It is fun, flexible and creates a supportive environment where young people come together to share ideas and inspiration, and undertake successful community service projects and participate in special events and international campaigns.

What Makes the Roots and Shoots Program Unique?

Caring and Compassionate Leadership

Roots & Shoots is guided by the founding principles and extraordinary vision of Dr. Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist, environmentalist and humanitarian. Her firm belief is that young people, when informed and empowered, when they realise that what they do truly makes a difference, can indeed change the world.  This belief is at the very heart of the program. The program, dedicated to inspiring tomorrow's leaders today, not only motivates young people to learn about pertinent issues facing our local and international communities, but helps them actually design, lead and implement their own projects as a means of solving them.

Flexible and Fun

The possibilities are endless with Roots & Shoots! The flexible model allows for customization of projects to meet group needs. With Roots & Shoots, there are no rigid requirements and no limits to the imagination.

Roots & Shoots at CIS

The key to CIS being part of the Roots & Shoots program in its own unique way is to promote the ideal of sustainability, to foster an understanding of environmental awareness, and to develop a 'green' conservation mentality.

The success of CIS undertaking the Roots & Shoots program is to continue to develop a meaningful link between the school itself, Copenhagen Zoo and the community; locally, nationally, and internationally.  Roots & Shoots meets once a week at lunch time, and is led by Faye McAuley, MYP Science teacher and MYP 1 advisor.

A Roots & Shoots meeting

Previous Roots & Shoots Projects at CIS:

• Lake Clean-Up, 21 March 2009: Forty students PYP 4 - DP 2 (Grades 4-12)covered a distance of 8 km around the downtown Copenhagen lakes.  Using nets made of reused and recycled materials, they collected 5 industrial-sized bin bags of rubbish.
• Sponsored march, 7 June 2009:  Forty students met at Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, armed with home-made banners from old sheets, bamboo, and willow branches.  They walked 3 km to the Copenhagen Zoo, marching to the beat of the drum, while singing the Roots & Shoots anthem!
• The Roots & Shoots held a trashion show Saturday April 24, 2010 in the PAC at CIS.  The event turned out to be a great success.  It was lots of fun to watch students and teachers strut the runway in hand-made fashion made of recycled and reusable materials. This event will surely be done again in the future.
• The Roots & Shoots have run a campaign in January, 2011 in which they surveyed students, parents, and staff about how they commute to CIS. They offered suggestions about alternative means of transport such as trains, buses, bicycling, and carpooling in order to reduce the amount of automobile traffic related to the running of CIS.

 Lake Clean-Up                                                         Sponsored March