Our Model for Engaging Youth

Our simple yet holistic approach maximizes youth engagement because projects are driven by the interests and abilities of the participants. Kids are encouraged to develop projects that matter to them. The type of projects vary, based on age, interests and community needs, but the common thread across Roots & Shoots service projects is our methodology:

Knowledge: The basis of responsible action. The more a child knows about the community, the better he or she can decide what needs to be done to improve issues of concern.

Compassion: The engine of your project. Compassion, concern and a desire to make a difference energizes young people to tackle problems they see.

Action: The result of learning and planning. Youth-led groups take action through service projects that show care and concern for people, animals and the environment. While our easy-to-implement model increases youth engagement, our growing global network reinforces it. Roots & Shoots participants become connected to a much larger group of people committed to making a difference in the world around them.

Helping People, Animals and the Environment
This broader definition of community helps young people begin to see the important connections that exist among all living systems. Our model ensures that projects address real issues and are grounded in the needs of this broader community. As children become more and more involved in Roots & Shoots projects, they are learning a method of engagement that will be applicable throughout their lives. And, they are learning the importance of including animals and the environment around them in their service to the local community and the world.

The Right Model for Any Group
The Roots & Shoots model is not a pre-packaged project or a step-by-step process. Instead, our model engages youth in community projects they care about. Kids and adults participate in group projects together, finding never-ending ways to educate and inspire one another and build a better future. Our model provides educators, parents and group leaders with a flexible and proven way to engage youth in projects that can accomplish great things.

Here's how our model can work for you:

• Our model helps educators to initiate new projects and adapt projects they may already be doing.
• Educators can use our model in many different settings and across many age segments.
• Group leaders can use our model to initiate or enhance community service projects.
• Any type of group, ranging from after-school clubs to religious organizations, can use our methodology to enrich their efforts without competing with them.
• Our model can be used with any subject, whether curricular or extracurricular, to unite interdisciplinary concepts with community service projects.

Our tools and resources, as well as our online information, can help you at every stage along your group's quest to make the world a better place for all living things.

Only if we understand, can we care;
Only if we care, will we help;
Only if we help, shall all be saved.
                                        

- Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE