“Hope is Action” – The 20th ISS Mary Anne Haas Women’s Symposium Celebration, with Dr. Jane Goodall

Apr 4, 2022

“We have to roll up our sleeves and crawl under, climb over, work our way around all these obstacles […] And as we go, we take others with us. We inspire them because we are enthusiastic and determined, and we won’t give up until we inspire others to join us. That’s the way hope is action.” – Dr. Jane Goodall

On March 17, 2022, we were thrilled to welcome hundreds of attendees to share in active hope and learn from Dr. Jane Goodall, who joined us at a special webinar to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ISS Mary Anne Haas Women’s Symposium and founder Mary Anne Haas’s 96th birthday.

Enjoy the experience by watching the full Hope and Women’s Leadership recording and reading a few excerpts from Jane’s many wise words. Then, dive even deeper into the work, vision, and legacy of these two incredible women!

11th graders at an all-girls school in Asuncion, Paraguay watching the webinar

Watch the March 17, 2022 webinar recording

Jane’s Reflections on Gender Equity

“I love this saying from a chief I met in Latin America. He said, Jane, in our tribe, we see ourselves as an eagle, and one wing is male and the other wing is female. And only when the wings are equal, will our tribe fly.

That’s what this Symposium is all about, isn’t it? Women are not saying women are better than men, not saying men are better than women. Agreeing that men have certain qualities, women have other qualities. All of us have a little bit of both. And what we want is equality. What we want is to fly high.”

Reflections on Hope

“I’ve decided that the human race is at the mouth of a very, very long and dark tunnel. And right at the end of that tunnel, there’s a little star shining very far away. That’s hope. We can’t just sit at the mouth of the tunnel and hope that the star will come to us. We have to roll up our sleeves and crawl under, climb over, work our way around all these obstacles that lie between us and that star: like climate change, loss of biodiversity, poverty, corruption, war, all these things.

We’ll get there. And as we go, we take others with us. We inspire them because we are enthusiastic and determined, and we won’t give up until we inspire others to join us. That’s the way hope is action. Without hope we give up. Because if you don’t hope that what you’re doing is going to make a difference, why bother? You wouldn’t be teachers or administrators in international schools if you didn’t think that the hard work you are doing is actually going to make a difference. We’re here to help children have a good start in life, right?”

On Roots and Shoots

“The future of our children has indeed been compromised. We have been stealing it probably since the Industrial Revolution as we destroy the planet and as our numbers grow. But was it too late? Is there not a window of time during which if we get together, we can at least slow down climate change, which is today an existential threat? Slow down the loss of species?

[…] Roots and Shoots was the program where I, with 12 high school students in Tanzania, got together and decided there was something we could do. They came from eight different schools. We decided the main message was, every one of us makes an impact every single day. And unless we’re living in dire poverty, we have a choice as to what sort of impact we make, which is why we have to alleviate poverty. Each group, because of the interconnection of all living things, would choose three projects: one to make the world better for people, one to make the world better for animals, one to make the world better for the environment that we all share.

What started with 12 high school students from eight schools is now in 65 countries around the world, and growing. It has members in kindergarten, even some in preschool, very strong in university, everything in between. And right from the very, very beginning in Tanzania, international schools have played a really major role.”

Roots and Shoots, Malaysia

The ISS team expresses our deep appreciation to Jane Goodall for sharing her wisdom, work, and hope with our community. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Mary Anne’s 96th birthday, and to honor the landmark anniversary of the ISS Mary Anne Haas Women’s Symposium’s 20 years.

Liz Duffy, ISS President, reflected: “The 20th anniversary celebration was an uplifting tribute to two pioneering women, Jane Goodall and Mary Anne Haas, who have made a world of difference over many decades. I hope that all of us following in their footsteps will strive to live up to their distinguished legacies by supporting and promoting equity in international school leadership, recognizing our shared humanity, and stewarding the precious planet we and so many other species call home.”

Mary Anne Haas and the 2018 ISS Women’s Symposium cohort

About the Symposium

Every June from 2002 up until the pandemic, two to three dozen women would gather in Princeton, New Jersey, USA to expand their leadership skills, learn from each other, and develop a community of current and aspiring women leaders. In 2020, we moved online and have organized three virtual leadership series each year, facilitated by women and focusing on topics of importance to international women leaders.

When Mary Anne first started the ISS Women’s Symposium 20 years ago, only about a quarter of international school heads were women. Thanks to the Women’s Symposium and other efforts to cultivate, promote and support women leaders in international schools, today, about a third of international school leaders are women. While we applaud that progress, we know we can still do better as a sector. Altogether, we estimate that over 700 women have benefited from the symposium over the past two decades; we look forward to supporting many more in the years still to come.

Hope is Action

As we consider what we can and will do to carry on the legacy and work of Jane Goodall and Mary Anne Haas, here are a few places to get started:

Plus, take inspiration from these attendee reflections:

ISS Women’s Symposium padlet resources

How do you feel after attending this event?

Sometimes world events can be demoralizing, but always after a lesson from JG the world is put to right as we envision ourselves making a difference individually and collectively. -Maddy Hewitt, NESA Executive Director

Jane Goodall is a pioneer in her field and an inspiring human. I loved getting to listen to her speak and hear her stories. Inspirational! -Holly Bredemann, Curriculum Coordinator, Achieve Xiamen International School

What wisdom did you hear that you would like to pass on to others?

We are part of the natural world. If the next generation will see the natural world around us as a pivotal part of our lives as opposed to a resource only, we will treat our world with more respect. -Benton Brown, Assistant Dean, School of Education, Utah Valley University

When Jane spoke of the background she came from, and the changes she has seen, it made me realize that much has been done in her lifetime. But the biggest piece of wisdom I heard was the fact that her mother encouraged her – never told her no – left a big impression on me. What the older generation says to the next generation is so vitally important. -Laura Light, AAIE Executive Director

What can and will you do to continue the legacies of Jane Goodall and Mary Anne Haas?

I can spread the information to other schools of how to implement Roots and Shoots. I am going to help start a school in Congo, and it will include conservation education. -T.K.

I can and will support other women on their leadership journey. -M.F.

I can model my love for the world for my students and I will continue to work towards bringing more student agency to my new public school position. -S.A.