Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots is a youth program that was founded and developed by Dr. Jane Goodall with the help of 12 students during her time in Tanzania. The program aims to inspire youth of all ages to take action on topics that impact humans, animals, and the environment. The free educational program by the Jane Goodall Institute has now reached more than 60 countries and has thousands of young members around the world. In addition, the program is being taught in hundreds of schools globally.
Having experienced the tremendous positive impact of this program in the US and abroad, Dr. Anna Katogiritis initiated a Greek translation of the Roots & Shoots material while she was still in veterinary school in the US. In addition, she translated two of Dr. Goodall’s books in Greek (“the Eagle and the Wren”, and the “Young Chimpanzees of Gombe”) pro bono. These books were published by the Patakis Publishing Company.
Determined to raise awareness about chimpanzee conservation across Greece, and to inspire young people to take meaningful actions, she developed Dr. Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program in the country, as the National R&S Greece coordinator in 2016. Following Dr. Goodall’s successful visit to Athens that same year, Anna co-founded Dr. Jane’s office in Greece in March 2017. The office was registered as a not-for-profit organization with the name: Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Greece. Anna directed the office pro bono for 5 years.
During her time as the “National R&S Coordinator” and then director of the office, Anna organized and led two successful Dr. Goodall tours in Greece. The first was in December 2016, where Dr. Goodall visited the country and gave a speech at Megaron Plus in Athens in collaboration with the Patakis Publishing Company, Megaron Plus, and the British Council. During that same tour, Dr. Goodall visited ARCHELON and was also able to interact with students of all ages at the Athens Community Schools.
The second tour occurred in 2018. Dr. Goodall returned to Greece and visited Athens, Thessaloniki, and Crete for multiple successful events. Dr. Katogiritis coordinate all of these events and collaborated with the following institutions and NGOs: the UK Embassy in Athens, the British Council Greece, Science & Communication, Pallas Theater, Save a Greek Stray, Thessaloniki Film Festival, the Natural History Museum of Crete-University of Crete and Pinewood the American International School of Thessaloniki.
The organization (Jane Goodall’s R&S Greece) offered multiple seminars to educators, participated multiple times in the Athens Science Festival, introduced the program to schools, and partnered with NGOs for various events.
Throughout her time as the director of the office, Anna recognized the invaluable contribution of the dozens of volunteers that helped significantly in developing Roots & Shoots in the country. Without their support and hard work, the idea of bringing the program to Greece would not have flourished.
Anna continues to support the initiatives of the Jane Goodall Institute through her work, as she travels around the world offering pro bono veterinary services to sanctuaries in need. Anna is always ready to help JGI and Dr. Goodall with any ideas and requests that they may bring to her attention.
Instagram: @RSGreece
Facebook: @RootsandShootsGreece
Instagram: @RSGreece
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Dr. Anna Katogiritis is a Greek- American small animal and wildlife emergency veterinarian. She considers herself a global citizen, as at any point in time she may be found saving lives in different locations around the world. Anna is a passionate animal advocate with over 20 years of experience in animal welfare practices. She has worked with organizations such as the Jane Goodall Institute and offers consulting and pro bono services for companies, organizations and animal sanctuaries globally. 
