Positive change for people, animals, and the environment: that is the mission that brings together so many students at ACS’ Roots and Shoots program, each with a cause that speaks close to their heart.
The 2023-2024 school year at ACS was an exciting one for our Roots and Shoots program. Delving into the relationship between visual art and sustainable practices through our participation in a local recyclable art competition and advocating for everyday recycling within our ACS community in support of Yalla Return, a recycling and rewards initiative in the Middle East, sustainability was a strong theme this year.
Looking at local challenges within the animal pillar of Roots and Shoots, our students began an animal sheltering project. A project that is still in progress, the Roots and Shoots students chose to take advantage of the power of collaboration to make long-lasting shelters a reality: in collaboration with the ACS Design and Technology department, students have begun the process of designing 3D printed animal shelters that could be used to support stray cats and dogs in Abu Dhabi.
And last but not least, this year’s Compassion Project and Eid Gift Campaign put ‘people’ at center stage. Moved by the needs of people in conflict-affected areas, our students carried out the “Compassion Project”, allowing students, staff, and community members from Elementary, Middle, and High School to donate non-perishable food items which would then be given to a local organization supporting people affected by war, displacement, and other humanitarian crises.
