Goodall to Speak on Campus

October 22, 2003

By Rachelle Cooper

World-renowned primate biologist Jane Goodall will give a talk Nov. 5 at 9:30 a.m. in Peter Clark Hall. Goodall, who received an honorary degree from U of G in 1998, is coming to Guelph to honour young people from across southern Ontario who take part in the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots program.

Her talk is part of the first Canadian Roots & Shoots Festival, designed to bring together members affiliated with the organization's Ontario regional office in the Arboretum Centre to exchange ideas on how to take action in their communities to help people, animals and the environment.

"Since we opened our Roots & Shoots office at the Arboretum a year ago, we've generated quite a lot of interest among schools and community groups, but we're hoping that with Dr. Jane here, Roots & Shoots will really start to take off in Ontario," says Michèle Martin, the organization's regional co-ordinator for the province.

Goodall's talk, titled "Reason for Hope," will discuss how empowering young people to engage in community service is the key to sustained success. At 11:30 a.m., she will hold a book-signing in Peter Clark Hall. Many of her publications, including her most recent book, The 10 Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for the Animals We Love, will be available at the event.
She will spend the afternoon with Roots & Shoots members as they take part in activities at the Arboretum Centre.

Goodall founded the Roots & Shoots program in 1991 with some students in Tanzania, Africa, who wanted to create a platform for young people to contribute to their communities. Twelve years later, there are 5,000 groups in more than 70 countries.

The Guelph Roots & Shoots office opened in September 2002 to offer schools, teachers, youth leaders and youth groups a series of educational presentations addressing local and global biodiversity and social issues, as well as workshops encouraging young people to take action in their community.

Goodall received a PhD in ethology from Cambridge University in 1965 and has received more than 20 honorary degrees from universities and colleges around the world. She has done groundbreaking work on the life and sociobiology of chimpanzees and other primates and is the author of dozens of books and articles.

Her research is now the longest-running study of any animal in its natural habitat and has revolutionized the knowledge of primates, showing how strikingly similar to humans they are. In response to global habitat loss and the critically endangered status of many species, including chimpanzees, Goodall now spends her time lecturing, sharing her message of hope for the future and encouraging young people to make a difference in their world.

The recipient of hundreds of awards, she was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2002 and was recently honoured with the Dame of the British Empire title from Queen Elizabeth.

Tickets for the lecture are $17.50 for adults, $14.50 for those under 16. To order tickets, call 1-888-88chimp or Martin at Ext. 58736. For more information about the Roots & Shoots program, visit the website www.janegoodall.ca.