Roots & Shoots

"What children are learning through Roots & Shoots and other such programs is that they have a voice...There aren't nearly enough schools playing a strong enough role in this learning, partly because teachers are so busy these days. This passion for test, test, test, which tests only the parrot-like retention of facts, has negatively affected teachers' ability to care for individual children. Yet one of the most powerful ways Roots & Shoots has grown is through dedicated teachers, teachers who get it. Once children see the positive impact of their actions, it is like an addiction: It feels good, and if you feel good once, you want to do it again. The harder it is and the more you work, the better you feel." 
Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots is the youth-led community action and learning program of the Jane Goodall Institute. The program builds on the legacy and vision of Dr. Jane Goodall to place the power and responsibility for creating community-based solutions to big challenges in the hands of the young people. Through the program, young people map their community to identify specific challenges their neighborhoods face. From there, they prioritize the problems, develop a plan for a solution, and take action. This is interesting.
-- read "Kid Power: The Roots & Shoots Program" by J. Goodall Edutopia