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Women.com presents

Jeanne McCarty
Director of 'Roots & Shoots'

September 13, 2000

Jeanne McCarty, of the Jane Goodall Institute, answers questions about her work as the director of 'Roots & Shoots', an environmental and humanitarian program for kids.

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Women.com: Hello and welcome to our chat with Jeanne McCarty of the Jane Goodall Institute, director of 'Roots & Shoots'. Join us and ask questions in this exciting hour to find out how your child can get involved in this environmental movement.

Jeanne McCarty: Hello, and welcome!

MysteryGirl: Jeanne, what exactly is Roots & Shoots?

Jeanne McCarty: Roots & Shoots is the Jane Goodall Institutes environmental and humanitarian program for young people based on the philosophy that every individual is important and every individual can make a difference. And from that philosophy groups of young people come together and analyze their local communities, identify issues that are important to them, and develop community service projects that address those issues. And each group does three projects a year. One that promotes care and concern for people, care and concern for animals, and care and concern for the environment. Groups are from pre-K thru university level and the projects that they do are as diverse as the groups.

MissMsClass: As a teacher, how can I get my 5th grade class started? Are there any books or resources you can recommend?

Jeanne McCarty: Certainly, the first step would be to look at our website at www.janegoodall.org to learn more about the program, or request an information pack by emailing roots-shoots@janegoodall.org if you are interested in joining or becoming a member. Send back the application either online or in the information pack with $30 per group membership fee and in return you will receive the Roots & Shoots manual that will help get you started. It includes information about recruiting members for your group incorporating Roots & Shoots projects into classroom curriculum. It also includes a list of useful online resources and books. Our new manual that will be out at the end of the year includes inserts for different community education centers such as schools, nature museums, zoos, as well as for groups that exist in families and neighborhoods. We also have a wealth of resources on the Bell South Education Gateway, which is located at K12.bellsouth.net. This site includes two online videos, one which is an introduction to Roots & Shoots, and one which is a lecture by Dr. Jane. Also on the site is a habitats curriculum that teaches children about animals and the environment and encourages them to take action in their local communities.

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