Sign a birthday card for Jane at VISTA's 10th Anniversary!
“People frequently approach me with an anecdote about how Jane Goodall inspired them as a child,” states Bonnie Eaton, VISTA gardener and local coordinator for Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots youth program. “Her passion and perseverance were very influential to budding young scientists, particularly young girls.” And on April 3rd, the world will observe the 90th birthday of Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, renowned ethologist, conservationist, UN Messenger of Peace, and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI).
Throughout this milestone year, the global icon will continue to spread her message of hope through action, with scheduled events planned in the United States from mid-March through early April. Her advocacy in 2024 will also span multiple continents, from North America to Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe. Locally, the Tampa Bay Basecamp of Roots & Shoots will provide opportunities for fans to learn more about Roots & Shoots and wish Jane a happy birthday at various festivals throughout the Tampa Bay area, including VISTA’s 10th Anniversary Celebration on April 13.
At just 26 years old, Jane followed her passion for wildlife to Gombe, Tanzania where she began her groundbreaking research of wild chimpanzees. Her revelatory observation that chimpanzees make and use tools rocked the scientific landscape and forever redefined our understanding of the relationship between humans and the animal kingdom. Emerging from the forest as a prolific scientist, she built a lifetime of advocacy particularly through her global organization the Jane Goodall Institute, founded in 1977.
Today, Dr. Goodall continues to be a trailblazer. Her efforts advance community-led conservation through JGI’s “Tacare” approach which empowers local communities to own the process of sustainable development and conservation. Through “Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots,” JGI’s international youth program, she empowers young people of all ages in more than 65 countries to create positive change in their communities. The Tampa Bay Basecamp of Roots & Shoots opened in September and provides support to local youth to create projects benefiting animals, people, and the environment.
While in the United States this spring, Dr. Goodall will visit Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York to share her insights for her 90th birthday and her reasons why we must each act now, to build a better tomorrow.
On average Dr. Goodall travels 300 days (about 10 months) per year, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees and other environmental crises. Support garnered during the U.S. events will help fund Dr. Goodall’s comprehensive approach to conservation, which includes forest restoration and protection, animal rights advocacy, community-led conservation, and youth empowerment.
Dr. Goodall is the author of numerous books including her most recent hardcovers, “Local Voices, Local Choices: The Tacare Approach to Community-Led Conservation,” and “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Time.” Her life is the subject of numerous television and film projects, including the IMAX film “Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope,” which is currently playing in select theaters across North America. She is the inspiration behind the Emmy-winning children’s series “JANE,” streaming on Apple+, and National Geographic Society’s immersive museum exhibit “Becoming Jane” which is on display at the Natural History Museum of Utah through May 2024 before heading to the Durham Museum in Omaha, NE.
For more information about Roots & Shoots in Tampa Bay, contact Bonnie Eaton at beaton@janegoodall.org
Learn more at janegoodall.org and rootsandshoots.org. Follow @JaneGoodallInst and @RootsAndShoots.