KooDooZ To Encapsulate Some Of Dr. Goodall's Educational Campaigns And Existing Roots & Shoots Initiatives For Kids Online

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) Santa Monica, CA - September14, 2010 - On Sunday, September 19, 2010, local members of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots will host their annual International Day of Peace event at the Santa Monica Pier. Last year’s festivities attracted more than 10,000 people and a similar crowd is expected this year. Attendees will gather to promote peace and enjoy a Peace Parade featuring Giant Dove Puppets made from recycled materials. There will also be arts and crafts, games, exhibits featuring eco-friendly organizations and local nonprofits, and much more.

Children will be able to take part in Passport to Peace, an exciting and educational activity that enables participants to “travel” between booths featuring eco-friendly and peace-related exhibits and to take part in fun activities while learning important lessons along the way. Organizations and companies scheduled to exhibit at Passport to Peace include the Skirball Cultural Center, the Roots & Shoots California Youth Leadership Council, USC Anthropology Department, Urban Arts Crew, Tree People, the Ocean Institute and KooDooZ.   KooDooZ, a cause-based social networking site for fifth- through tenth-grade students, will showcase activities with Trash for Teaching recycled materials and highlight other activities children can take on in the name of peace.  “As part of our work with Roots & Shoots, KooDooZ will seek to educate kids about the important roles they can play to foster respect and compassion for all living things,” said Lee Fox, KooDooZ founder. “The core idea is to encapsulate Dr. Goodall’s educational campaigns and existing Roots & Shoots initiatives as online challenges on our system.”   KooDooZ employs the “SMARTER” approach to humanitarian goal setting. SMARTER is a mnemonic for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant (also realistic), Timely (also time-bound), Evaluated, and Rewarded (also reflected upon). The KooDooZ business model is to partner with nonprofits and social enterprises, building or integrating cause content in the form of “challenges” that kids can take on for service and educational credit.   A UN Messenger of Peace since 2002, Dr. Goodall established Roots & Shoots International Day of Peace in 2004 to encourage Roots & Shoots members and other interested individuals to promote peace in their communities and around the globe. Roots & Shoots members and friends craft Giant Peace Dove Puppets from reused materials and fly the Doves in their communities to symbolize their commitment to peace. In past years, Giant Peace Dove Puppets have flown in almost 100 countries in city parks, backyards, convention centers and even refugee camps. Held high by young hands, the Doves have spread their wings everywhere, including the Coliseum in Rome, a monastery in Mongolia, the base of Mount Fuji and even the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.   “With the Peace Doves, we remind everyone of the truth they sometimes forget—that peace is possible. We celebrate all that is free and noble in the human spirit. And we celebrate all that so many people have done throughout the year—and will do next year—to create a better world,” said Dr. Goodall.   About Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Founded in 1991 by Dr. Jane Goodall and a group of Tanzanian students, the Roots & Shoots program is about making positive change happen-for our communities, for animals and for the environment. With hundreds of thousands of young people in more than 120 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth of all ages who share a desire to create a better world. Young people identify problems in their communities and take action. Through service projects, youth-led campaigns and an interactive website, Roots & Shoots members are making a difference across the globe. For more information, please visit www.rootsandshoots.org.   About the Jane Goodall Institute Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall's pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior-research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots, the Institute's global environmental and humanitarian youth program, which has groups in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org.   About KooDooZ® Corporation: KooDooZ ("Kü - Düz") is a "cause-based" social networking site designed to cultivate youth social entrepreneurs by “challenging” them to achieve specific philanthropic goals. In partnership with nonprofits, educators and profit-for-purpose organizations, each challenge is authored with easy-to-follow methodologies and anticipated times to complete. By sharing these challenges with friends and family, kids can virally garner support for the causes they care about most and earn credit towards the President’s Volunteer Service Award for those tasks that meet volunteerism, community service and service learning standards. For more information, visit www.KooDooZ.com.     KOODOOZ8927