Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Youth Council USA

# Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Youth Council USA Roots & Shoots is the Jane Goodall Institute's youth service program, and the Roots & Shoots Youth Council USA (RSYC) is its selective national leadership cohort. Council members are drawn from across the United States, serve a defined term, and spend it deepening their own community projects while acting as ambassadors for the wider Roots & Shoots network. Recent members' projects have ranged from food drives and natural hair workshops to water pollution testing and coral reef restoration. ## What You'll Do - Expand the community service project you are already leading, with support and structure from Roots & Shoots staff - Complete trainings in public speaking, community mapping, and service learning - Mentor other Roots & Shoots members and collaborate with council peers nationwide - Represent Roots & Shoots as an ambassador at national and international events and conferences, including the annual Youth Council Summit ## Who Should Apply Young people ages 14-21 who are current US residents and who are already implementing a project to solve a problem in their community - either as part of a local Roots & Shoots group or through another service organization. Applicants should be able to describe what they have built so far, not just what they intend to do. ## Outcomes Council members finish with formal leadership training, a national platform for their service project, mentoring relationships across the Roots & Shoots network, and connections the Institute describes as friendships and networks that last a lifetime. Membership in Roots & Shoots itself is free, and the Institute also publishes project funding opportunities for members.