
During her stay, the tree planting campaign of the Austrian Fire Brigade Youth was presented and honoured.
A special moment with Jane Goodall
On 24 October, over 400 young people, including around 30 members of the Fire Brigade Youth, awaited Jane Goodall in Salzburg. Before the world-famous chimpanzee researcher shared her "reasons for hope" and talked about her impressive life, Austrian "Roots & Shoots" groups and the Fire Service Youth presented their projects at the "Market of Opportunities". Some of these groups then had the chance to present their initiatives on stage and receive a certificate in return. The tree planting campaign organised by the Austrian Federal Fire Brigade Association was also presented by Salzburg's fire brigade youth members. 36,000 trees were planted throughout Austria - one for every member of the youth fire brigade.
"This morning was very moving. Meeting Jane Goodall in person, talking to her and learning more about her eventful life was a unique moment," emphasised Fire Brigade President Robert Mayer, adding:
"She inspires people of all ages to get active, and her energy at 90 years old - travelling 300 days a year to motivate others - is impressive. This encourages us as a fire service to continue to make a significant contribution to protecting our environment and promoting healthy coexistence."
New project: Wonder.world.bees.pasture
A new, exciting project awaits the Roots & Shoots groups and young firefighters in 2025: "Wunder.Welt.Bienen.Weide". The project was presented for the first time in collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute Austria and BeeWild. The aim is to make the importance of bee pastures for biodiversity tangible. New teaching materials, creative action plans and interactive webinars will be available from January 2025. These will offer children and young people the opportunity to learn more about the protection of bees and their habitats in a fun and practical way. This will also be the theme of the Fire Service Youth Week 2025 around Easter.
Courage and hope for the next generation
In her speech, Jane Goodall encouraged the young people and praised their commitment. She encouraged them to continue to stand up for the protection of the environment, in line with the motto: Every day is an opportunity to make a difference. She also talked about her childhood and her mother, who always encouraged her to believe in her dream of a life among wild animals in Africa and to work hard for it. Jane Goodall emphasised how important young people are as bearers of hope for the future.

