“Goosebump moments.
Powerful young voices.
A message of hope.”
HOPE
An Inspirational Moment
Some songs arrive quietly.
Others arrive like lightning.
HOPE began at the iconic Barbican Centre in London, where We Are The Voice children's environmental choir was invited to open the World Design Congress — a major international gathering exploring how creativity, imagination and design can help shape a more sustainable future for our planet.
The theme of the Congress was Design for Planet.
Two thousand delegates filled the auditorium as the children of We Are The Voice walked silently onto the stage to perform their original song My Earth.
There was no fanfare. People were still talking, still arriving, still finding their seats.
Then the music began.
A hush fell across the hall.
And when the final notes faded, the applause was extraordinary. That goosebump moment set the tone for the entire Congress and reminded the hall of something the choir leaders have always believed: young voices can move people powerfully and emotionally in ways that facts and statistics alone sometimes cannot.
Then Dr Jane Goodall appeared on screen to deliver the opening address to Congress.
Her words about hope, compassion, courage and the power of young people resonated deeply with choir founders Dr Niamh Clune and Aleisha Shimizu. That same evening, inspired by her message, they knew that the choir’s next song would become a musical love letter to Jane and everything she stood for. That song became HOPE.
Created We Are The Voice — an award-winning UK children’s environmental choir — HOPE brings together powerful young voices, original music and environmental storytelling to inspire connection, imagination and positive action for the future.
The project brought together children from local schools alongside We Are The Voice choir members for a large-scale studio recording and music video production celebrating courage, kindness and collective hope in challenging times.
They were deeply honoured when the Jane Goodall Institute endorsed the song and invited them to share it to mark the 35th anniversary of the Roots & Shoots programme.
The choir's launch event featured Jasmina Georgovska, Director of Outreach for Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots UK programme, who spoke about Jane Goodall’s life and legacy and the importance of helping young people find their voice for the natural world.
We Are The Voice has performed at events including COP26, the Barbican, Disneyland Paris, RHS Flower Shows and the Houses of Parliament, using music, imagination and storytelling to help children see themselves as part of Earth’s unfolding living story.
Because HOPE is about more than a song.
It is about courage.
About choosing imagination over despair.
About young people discovering that even small voices can help shape the future.
Watch the HOPE video on YouTube
