R&S summit celebrates 20 years of green campaigns in China

Officials from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), students and teachers from R&S groups all over China, R&S alumni, other NGO representatives and long-term R&S volunteers – in total more than one thousand people – met with founder of Roots & Shoots and renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall.

The 2014 Roots & Shoots China Summit was held Sunday in Beijing to celebrate Roots & Shoots 20 years of contribution to environmental education of Chinese youth. 

Officials from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), students and teachers from R&S groups all over China, R&S alumni, other NGO representatives and long-term R&S volunteers – in total more than one thousand people – met with founder of Roots & Shoots and renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall.

The summit was hosted by the Jane Goodall Institute China’s Roots and Shoots Beijing Office (R&S Beijing), and supported by Beijing Jin Ding Xuan Restaurants Co.,LTD and ConocoPhillips China Inc.

This year’s exhibition booths were decorated with recycled paper and the R&S 20th anniversary photo exhibition first was a highlight for the guests. These pictures portray the founding of the first R&S group was at Western Academy of Beijing, later spreading to another 25 provinces, municipalities and founded a 1,000 more R&S groups, it also witnessed the R&S growing to be the very few institutions which dedicated to youth environmental education. R&S groups from all over the country displayed their projects and achievements and gains from the past year for visitors and other students to see.

At the summit, R&S Beijing Executive Director Ms. Lei Chen Wong and Mr. Partick Haverman, Deputy Country Director of UNDP gave a speech respectively, reviewing the contributions R&S has done for contributing to youth environmental education in China for the past 20 years, and encouraged people to build a bright, green future together.

The highlight of the R&S 20th anniversary celebration was the stage performance. R&S groups across the country presented their carefully designed and rehearsed performances. One school, Beijing Qiyin Experimental School, a school for children with hearing disabilities, performed sign language song ‘The Color of Love’ . Students from R&S Chengdu Office performed some episodes from Qian Xun Bai Le that was staged on June in Sichuan Province theater, which raised money for toys for the children in Seda area of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. For the past 20 years, R&S has also collaborated with many organizations, with many of them participated at the Summit with various performances as well.

The Summit ended with children performed by dressing up as different animals, where they invited Dr. Jane Goodall to dance with them as well. Dr. Jane is 80 years old, but she is still works and travels across the world encouraging people to take action to protect the environment. She considers it as a responsibility that she must fulfill. At the R&S 20th anniversary celebration site, once again Dr. Jane’s vivid speech profoundly moved the audiences. 2014 not only sees the 20th birthday of the R&S China, but also the 80th birthday of its founder Dr. Jane Goodall. Children handpicked gifts for their idol Dr. Jane to express their deep admiration for her.