National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC)
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National Youth Leaders and National Staff at the 2008 Youth Leadership Initiative Training and Orientation retreat.
From Left to Right:
Top: Idessa, Ethan, Shawn, Mitch, Bryan, Dave and Jacqueline (staff)
Bottom: Amy (staff), Emily, Julie, Nicole, Chelsea and Elan (staff)
About the Council
The National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) is comprised of representatives from each of the regional councils. The NYLC brings together the various regions and helps make sure that each council knows exactly what the other councils are doing. The NYLC also serves as an advisory board to ensure that Roots & Shoots and the Jane Goodall Institute remain youth driven. Finally, the NYLC designs and helps to implement the Roots & Shoots National Youth Campaign
Meet the CouncilBryanHometown: Ventura, California
Bryan became involved in Roots & Shoots after traveling with other R&S youth leaders to Tanzania and is now the chairperson of the ReBirth the Earth: Trees for Tomorrow Campaign. Bryan is excited to give back to the Roots & Shoots program and wants to work on events, like R&S Day of Peace where groups can meet, exchange ideas and offer assistance to each other.
Chelsea
Hometown: Babylon, New York
Chelsea started a Roots & Shoots group at her high school in 2004, after learning about the program from the Jane Goodall Institute's website. Her all-time favorite projects are beach clean ups. She attends Hunter College.
Dave, 2007-2008 Youth Leadership Fellow
Hometown: Cape Cod, Massachusetts
David became involved with Roots & Shoots at his middle school and then started a group at his high school. He first became passionate about saving the world by spearheading a local "Green Hotels" campaign to help hotels become eco-friendly. In 2005, David became a founding member of the Roots & Shoots New England Youth Leadership Council. He has traveled to Peru and Tanzania with the Roots & Shoots Youth Leadership Immersion Program.
Emily
Hometown: Asheville, North Carolina
Emily first became interested in Roots & Shoots and the ChimpanZoo program at the age of 13, when she read Dr. Jane's book A Reason for Hope.. She's been involved with several R&S groups for the past five years and now runs a group with middle school students. Emily is a student at Warren Wilson College, studying conservation biology. She also plans to go to grad school to pursue a career in primatology.
Ethan
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Co-leads a Roots and Shoots Club that has helped out with a number of projects that have helped out his community, the most recent being a fund raiser for the Roots and Shoots campaign, Rebirth the Earth: Trees for Tomorrow , that raised over $1,000. Besides Roots and Shoots Club, he has participated in many other extracurricular activities at his school including baseball, bowling team, a member of Red Cross and Key Club, and being a Netaid Global Citizen Corps Leader. In past years he has also worked as an apprentice and intern at the Lincoln Park Zoo and has been a day camp counselor at a local park. Recently, he has joined the Roots and Shoots Great Lakes Youth Leadership Council and dreams of going to college and of becoming a wildlife biologist.
Idessa
Hometown: Chicago, IL
My name is Idessa Butler and I am a 16 year old 10th grade student at Al Raby High School. Currently I take honors course that challenge my intelligence and that will help me go further into life. I also participate in the academic decathlon and the Great Lakes Youth Leadership Student Council.
Julie
Hometown: Bellaire, TX
Mitch
Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska
Mitch started a Roots & Shoots group at the Lincoln Public School's Science Focus Program and has involved the group in a number of projects from cleaning up of the Lincoln Children's Zoo to raising money for different Roots & Shoots campaigns. Mitch has been influential in brainstorming ideas for Discovery Communication's new channel called Planet Green. In his free time, Mitch enjoys training harbor seals at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.
Shawn, 2007-2008 Graduate Fellow
Hometown: Elyria, Ohio
Shawn started a Roots & Shoots group at the College of Wooster in Ohio after seeing Dr. Jane on tour in 2004. One of his favorite projects was creating a nature-themed meditation room for students to use. Last year Shawn graduated with a degree in Psychology and plans to pursue graduate studies in Environmental Education. He has worked at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo where he completed his senior thesis studying visitors opinion regarding zoo animals and their lives in captivity.
Here is how to apply! Think you're ready to become a leader? Download a Youth Leadership Council Application. Then, mail or e-mail your completed application to:
David Chase
Youth Leadership Fellow
the Jane Goodall Institute
4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 600
Arlington, VA 22203
Email Dave
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