Dr. Jane Goodall to be honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award by Artists for Peace and Justice Canada during the Toronto International Film Festival

Press Release

September 5, 2024

Dr. Jane Goodall, the renowned ethologist and environmentalist, and the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada (JGIC), will be making a special visit to Canada later this week. On September 8th, she will be honoured at the Artists for Peace and Justice Festival Gala, held during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

This exclusive event celebrates Dr. Goodall’s groundbreaking work and lifelong dedication to conservation and humanitarian causes, and this award is being given in recognition of her relentless advocacy and activism, her embodiment of global citizenship, and her unwavering commitment to nature. At 90, Dr. Goodall continues to travel nearly 300 days per year, inspiring hope through action and sharing her message with audiences around the world.

Notable JGIC Programs in Canada and Africa:

• Roots & Shoots: Empowers young people to develop projects that address the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, environmental inequity, and climate change. This program is open to young people in every province and territory, and more than 12,000 youth participate each year.
• Indigenous Micro-Grants Program: Helped equip Indigenous youth with resources and ensured young leaders could develop projects that addressed environmental crises within their communities. Last year, these micro-grants funded 13 Indigenous youth-led projects and supported more than 530 participants who engaged in environmental leadership activities.
• A.P.E. Fund: Provides funding to support the implementation of high-needs, youth-led Roots & Shoots projects that address the convergence of the biodiversity loss, environmental inequity, and climate change crises.
• Youth Advisory Council: Brings together young leaders from across the country and provides them with an opportunity to contribute to everything from programming to communications, undertake self-directed initiatives, and inspire other youth.
• Femmes en Action: Supports women farmers in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, ensuring they have the resources they need to become more resilient to climate change and its impacts, and helping them contribute to forest conservation initiatives and integrate nature-based solutions. This project aims to support 4,500 women and help improve food security, sustainable livelihoods, and living conditions.

Projects and programs like these are only possible because of the generous support of our donors. To ensure the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada can continue to support programs that protect animals, people, and the environment, and can continue equipping young leaders with helpful resources, Canadians are invited to donate online at janegoodall.ca.

An emphasis on youth empowerment and resilience is at the core of both the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada and Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ), and it is this shared mission that connects the two organizations. Since its inception, APJ has raised more than $35 million and built the first free high school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, allowing over 31,000 students to receive an education.

APJ is also honouring comedian, television personality, political satirist, and author Rick Mercer with the Canadian Changemaker Award during its Festival Gala. The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada congratulates Mr. Mercer on receiving this accolade, which celebrates his significant philanthropic contributions and advocacy for social change.

For more information or to join us in creating a better world for people, other animals, and the planet we share, please visit www.janegoodall.ca.

About Dr. Jane Goodall:
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and UN Messenger of Peace, is a world-renowned ethologist and activist inspiring greater understanding and action on behalf of the natural world. Known for her groundbreaking studies of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, Dr. Goodall has forever changed our understanding of our relationship with the animal kingdom. Her work extends beyond scientific innovations, encompassing a lifetime of advocacy through her international organization, the Jane Goodall Institute, which advances community-led conservation, animal welfare, science, and youth empowerment through its Roots & Shoots program. Jane is a global icon, spreading hope and turning it into a meaningful positive impact, creating a better world for people, other animals, and the planet we share.

About the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada:
Inspired by our founder, the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada is creating a more just and sustainable world through community-centred conservation work that empowers people, protects wildlife, and heals our shared environments in Canada and Africa. With over 60 years of fieldwork and success stories in our history, we strive to inspire hope and encourage everyone to embrace their power to make a difference.

About Artists for Peace and Justice:
Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) is a non-profit organization that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty around the world. APJ’s immediate goal is to serve the poorest communities in Haiti with programs in education, health care, and dignity through the arts. The organization is committed to long-term, sustainable development in direct partnership with the Haitian people. The model is simple: APJ believes in empowering local communities, fostering economic growth, and the power of education to change a nation. APJ counts esteemed individuals such as Penelope Cruz, Adrien Brody, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, and other international artists among its advisory board. For more information on this year’s gala event, please visit apjnow.org/events.

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