The Shanghai branch of Roots & Shoots was founded as a volunteer organization in November, 1999. Five years later, in November, 2004, Roots & Shoots was granted a Non-Profit Organization status by the Shanghai Municipality Government.
Goals of Shanghai Roots & Shoots:
● To expand Roots & Shoots to local schools in Shanghai in a sustainable way and monitor the activities therein.
● To work with a JGI-Shanghai Board of Directors who can guide our progress and assist our efforts.
● To secure corporate and grant funding to sustain the facility/staff/efforts of JGI-Shanghai.
● To maintain official government recognition and legal registration in China.
Mission Statement of Shanghai Roots & Shoots:
The Jane Goodall Institute-Shanghai believes that the future is in the hands of the world’s young people. The program is committed to the understanding and preservation of wildlife and our living world through the education and empowerment of our youth. It aims to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs, and to empower and inspire individuals to take action to make a positive difference in our world.
Goals of Roots & Shoots Program:
● To implement positive change through active learning about, caring for, and interacting with the environment.
● To demonstrate care and concern for all animals.
● To enhance understanding between individuals of different cultures, ethnic groups, religions, socio-economic levels, and nations through our global communication network.
● To help young people develop self-respect, self-confidence, and hope for the future.
Roots & Shoots activities focus on the three areas of the program:
- care and concern for the environment
- care and concern for animals, and
- care and concern for your community
Roots & Shoots in Shanghai
The number of schools with active Roots & Shoots groups in Shanghai has increased from three in 1999 to 320 in 2014. The JGI-Shanghai office has grown (to include ten full-time staff members) to accommodate and support this increase in school groups. We provide encouragement, training, project management training, networking, environmental materials, speakers, and a website to help the students achieve success in their project work. The R&S office coordinates major citywide projects every year, to promote environmental education and action for the whole city of Shanghai. In addition, the Shanghai office is supporting an outreach effort for four neighboring provinces. This involves assisting new R&S groups in these areas, and giving them the same level and quality of support that the groups in Shanghai receive.
