Our National Youth Leadership Council is a group of passionate young Australians who are dedicated to making positive change for animals, people and the environment. During the COVID-19 crisis, we asked them to share their thoughts, advice, and reflections. Read more below to get inspired learning how our youth leaders take on crisis and give back.
Rebecca Walters (VIC)
“My name is Rebecca Walters and I am a member of Roots & Shoots National Youth Leadership Council. Through studying Ecology and International Studies at University, I aspire to learn about addressing complex global challenges through local connections and communal action.
“The complex challenges our world is facing can evoke fear in many of us. However, I see hope in curiosity and creativity. Last year when helping deliver a Roots & Shoots upcycling workshop turning old T-shirts into bags, something happened that truly exemplified this reason for hope. The Year 3 and 4 students started turning the offcut shirtsleeves into headbands and dangle earrings by lopping pieces over their ears.
“They may have thought they were just having a bit of fun. Yet, in those moments of fun, they showed curiosity, creativity, and resourcefulness to give new value to offcut material.
“It was a reminder of the importance of fun and creativity when thinking of differences we can make for the good of the environment and each other.”
See what Rebecca is up to on Instagram at @rebecca.walters_
Want to know more about the NYLC and to get involved? Contact the team on youth@janegoodall.org.au
JGIA acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands and pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present.