People of all ages gathered around blockades surrounding the entrance to the Tropicana Field stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida. They all held a child-like excitement as they anxiously awaited the arrival of world-renowned ethologist and conservationist, Jane Goodall.
When Goodall arrived September 14, the crowd was ecstatic and screaming her name. Despite the energy in the room, Goodall maintained her calm demeanor and took her time greeting the staff members with a heartfelt hug and kind wave.
Goodall was born in London in 1934 and decided from a young age that she wanted to work with animals. In 1960, she moved to Gombe, Nigeria for a field research opportunity.
While there, she immersed herself in the lives of chimpanzees to understand their complex lives like never before. Within a year she discovered that chimpanzees can use and make their own tools. This discovery made a lasting impression on our relationship with the animal kingdom. Even now, this research in Gombe continues to be the longest running study on wild chimpanzees.
Today she is the United Nations (UN) Messenger of Peace and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, which aims to continue her research and inspires further conservation efforts. Goodall also founded the Roots and Shoots program which is active in 50 different countries to inspire youth to get involved in hands-on projects.
Goodall now travels about 300 days a year spreading her message, and, as part of her 90th birthday, she came to St. Pete, Florida for the “Hope in Action” event. The day started at 10:00 a.m. with the stadium full of booths with over 50 organizations dedicated to improving Tampa’s local environment, and an itinerary full of events.
Over 1,000 youth were able to walk around to each of the booths and learn about the different ways they could make an impact in their communities. Later in the day they were invited to choose from a selection of different group activities, conversations, and lectures.
Attendees were inspired and the energy was high as many realized the ways they could make an impact and discovered new local opportunities.
As the day progressed there was a break in planned events before it was time for “An Evening with Jane Goodall.”
Those under 18 that attend the Youth Environment Summit were given the chance to sit in the green right in front of the stage while other families flooded the stadium stands.
The beginning of the evening was set forth with children parading with a giant Peace Dove Puppet made by Roots and Shoots members. Every year on International Peace Day, this dove is flown; it has been flown in communities around the world, and in the Tropicana Field stadium it introduced Goodall.
She took the stage and began to share her story. Despite sharing the experience with a large crowd, the speech felt more like an intimate conversation with Goodall over coffee.
Goodall once said, “I think the best evenings are when we have messages, things that make us think, but we can also laugh and enjoy each other’s company.”
This notion was felt in the entirety of her speech, she was humorous, genuine, and shared personal stories that could inspire all. She especially focused on the significance of the support her mother gave to get her where she is today.
Through the vessel of her life story, she inspired many to follow their own path and showed that everyone has a role to play in improving the lives of people, animals, and the environment. She showed that she still has hope for the future.
“People often ask me if I still have hope,” Goodall said. “My main reason for hope is all of you young people. What you are doing is making a difference. My other reason for hope is human intellect. It is completely stupid that the most intellectual creature to walk the planet is destroying it.”