The Jane Goodall Institute Belgium is not your average animal welfare and nature conservation non-profit organisation. What sets us apart is our founder Dr. Jane Goodall, who not only gives us continuous inspiration but also cleared the path forward in the first place by showing us the way to make a real difference in this world.
The spirit of Dr. Jane Goodall is embedded in all that we do as her work is the foundation on which we build. Our mission is to get the next generation ready to create a better world by caring for the environment, people and animals. But we also want to encourage this generation to take action now and inspire people to participate and start small local projects on their own.
We are part of nature and part of a carefully balanced ecosystem. That’s also reflected in what we do. We stay connected to our roots and pull up our sleeves to get into the dirt and do the work. On the other hand, like leaves on a tree, we reach for the sky and aim to reach as many people here in Belgium as well as throughout the world with our projects in Africa and other Jane Goodall Institutes around the globe.
Through our ecosystem, and with Dr. Jane Goodall as our guide, we challenge ourselves to create real change and action. If you want in on the action, this is our manifest on how we can make this happen.
10 reasons you want to be part of the Jane Goodall Institute Belgium
Inspired Action
Be the Jane you want to see in the world. Dr. Jane Goodall showed us the way she created change. If she can do it, so can we! This means you need to be right here with us, excited to jump in and ready to tackle the projects we’re working on.
Green Innovations
With our Roots & Shoots initiatives we are working directly with the next generation of changemakers. These kids use technology in every aspect of their lives, so we want to meet them where they’re at. We are always looking for innovative ways to get people excited about creating a better world. We work with our partner atlasGO to plant trees while you meditate and are active on Trooper to raise money while you shop online for that next plant to add to your own home jungle (apes not included).
Strong Connections
Like an ecosystem in which species are interdependent, we value close collaborations and friendships between our volunteers, partners and co-workers. Each volunteer adds value to the team and we welcome you to bring your skillset to JGI or learn new ones with us. Join a group of like-minded people, each of whom have a green heart, and maybe meet new friends while you make a difference!
Holistic Approach
We greatly value organisations that focus on a specific subject, but we like to look at the bigger picture. Without forests, there are no chimpanzees or other wildlife. Without strong communities to protect the chimpanzees and their habitats, no conservation efforts will remain. We need each other. So for each project we look at the impact on the environment, the animals and the people – we practise what we preach! For example, all catering at our events is vegetarian, ideally vegan. Sometimes this creates more of a challenge… but a challenge is just what we like!
Inclusive Attitude
We are an organisation that is primarily focused on preserving chimpanzees and their habitats and on local conservation actions. Everyone is welcome to support us in our efforts, and we welcome anyone regardless of their nationality, gender identification, religion, sexual preference, …We stand against racism, war and any form of oppression. This may not be the main purpose of our organisation, but as humans it’s our responsibility.
Proactive Teamwork
We most definitely walk the talk. We encourage our employees, board members and volunteers to start local initiatives in their own communities with our “walk the talk” program. In this program we ask our team to present some local initiatives, so we can work together to make this happen. This can be tree planting, roots & shoots projects or fundraising for our African projects.The same goes for our personal lives where we aim to make compassionate choices. Our team and board members lead by example.
Positive Humour
We’re in the monkey business! Working on conservation and animal welfare means that sometimes we have to deal with harsh realities and witness a lot of negativity. But that doesn’t mean it has to be doom and gloom all the time. That’s why we value a positive mindset with a dose of humour on the side.
Global Mindset
We take action in our local communities, but we also have a worldwide impact with our reforestation initiatives, chimpanzee sanctuaries and conservation programs in Africa. We are part of the global network of Jane Goodall Institutes that help and inspire each other. We value the interconnectedness of our organisation and draw inspiration from other countries and their efforts in preserving nature.
Long term Vision
When a young chimpanzee enters our sanctuary, we commit to caring for it for the next 60 or so years. Thinking long term is not only a necessity, but it’s what we do. It’s reflected in our youth programs where we focus on the next generation to keep fighting for nature. Now, we don’t expect you to enter into a long-term commitment with us for 60 years – although that would be pretty awesome – but we do look for people who really embrace long-term thinking and want to build a steady relationship with our cause. No, we don’t need you to put a ring on it. 😉
Open communication
Although chimpanzees don’t have spoken language, they are really great communicators. We, however, need a bit more than non-verbal communication to be able to work together. We’ve created small teams to make communication easier and have regular meet-ups so we can check-in with each other. These meet-ups of course start with a chimpanzee greeting. Want to know what that is? You’ll have to join to experience it!
If you would like to become part of our team, check out our volunteers section.