Roots & Shoots Groups Paired With RESPECT Groups
The link between RESPECT International and the Roots & Shoots program continues to blossom as more RESPECT members join together with Roots & Shoots groups to share ideas and learn.
Roots & Shoots (R&S) is a program of the Jane Goodall Institute, an organisation that campaigns for, and undertakes, wildlife research, education and conservation.
The R&S program, a powerful, youth-driven, global network of more than 8,000 groups in almost 100 countries, has taken up an offer to pair some of these groups with RESPECT refugee groups. The initiative will provide a space for an exchange of ideas and action, which aims to promote solidarity, friendship and cross-cultural and environmental awareness.
Recent links in the scheme saw the Boys and Girls Church Army of Kitgum, Uganda, paired with the Okapi7 R&S group from New York; Laine Refugee School in Guinea paired with the Cahuilla Desert Academy R&S group in California, and Riberber Cultural Dance and Drama from Kitgum paired with the Wings R&S Group from New Jersey.
A further attraction of linking with an R&S group is that they provide a wealth of further resources. For example, all war-affected communities that are partnered with Roots & Shoots become R&S leaders, which enable them to access exclusive R&S website resources and receive a regular R&S newsletter.
We hope to report in the coming weeks and months about how the groups are benefiting from these links, and improving cross-cultural education. Hopefully, many other RESPECT groups will be keen to take the initiative to link with an R&S group overseas.
If you would like your group to form a collaboration, please contact Kelly Spence at kelly@janegoodall.ca or visit the Jane Goodall web site.