Three Roots & Shoots stories from India, France, and Uganda show just how many different forms “making a difference” can take — from turning degraded land into pollinator habitat, to growing native trees seedling by seedling, to five months of mentorship that ended in a room full of applause.
In India, a Roots & Shoots group spent the past year turning unused and degraded spaces into living habitats for pollinators. Through their Butterfly Gardening and Pollinator Habitat Creation initiative, participants created safe, pesticide-free habitats using native host and nectar plants on school campuses and in community spaces.
Through hands-on activities, learners designed and maintained small butterfly gardens, providing food and shelter for butterflies, moths, bees, and other beneficial insects. The impact on local pollinator species was direct: native plant installations supported caterpillar development, adult feeding, and breeding cycles, helping stabilise pollinator presence in areas where habitat loss had reduced insect diversity. Over time, the gardens grew into micro-corridors, enabling pollinators to move between green spaces and strengthening local biodiversity networks.
Beyond the ecological impact, students developed empathy towards insects and a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between plants, animals, and human wellbeing — with many continuing habitat care well beyond the project period.
In April this year, the Jane Goodall Institute France held the second edition of the Roots & Shoots Academy Student Prize at the Climate House, celebrating outstanding student projects on the environment, human-animal relationships, and social justice.
Several hundred projects applied, with six selected in November 2025 for five months of tailored mentorship from experts across the Jane Goodall Institute France’s network. Hosted by Master of Ceremonies Aïna Queiroz, the evening, held in partnership with the Yves Rocher Foundation, awarded €5,000 and €1,000 prizes to two standout projects.
Beyond the prize money, all six teams now join the “Roots & Shoots Academy”: a community of exchange and mutual support, with access to the wider network — a connection that will carry on long after the evening’s applause has faded.
In Uganda, students have been doing the full work of growing indigenous trees in their school compounds and surrounding community areas: soil preparation, seedling positioning, watering, mulching, protecting young trees from threats, and monitoring tree health.
The project reached over 300 students in 2025, with discussions on deforestation, climate change, and biodiversity woven directly into the practical work. The native trees planted contribute to carbon sequestration, restore degraded land, create wildlife habitat, reduce soil erosion, and help moderate local temperatures.
A butterfly garden in India, a night of celebration in France, and a school tree nursery in Uganda are three very different projects — yet each one brings Dr. Jane Goodall’s vision of “making a difference” for animals, people, and the environment to life in its own way.
If you feel motivated by these stories, you can be part of this global movement. Find your local Roots & Shoots office and take action today, by joining a group or starting your own. Together, we can build a more compassionate and sustainable world.
Image Credits: R&S India / JGI France / R&S Uganda
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