From Montana to Tanzania

In Tanzania, Bozeman High School (BHS) students are helping local students strengthen their leadership abilities through structured debate, public speaking, and collaborative dialogue. What began as a connection between two educators has grown into an international partnership that is empowering youth, strengthening educators, and advancing Montana State University’s (MSU) land-grant mission in meaningful ways.

The story begins with Godlove Wilson, a Tanzanian English teacher selected to participate in the six-week-long 2022 Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (FTEA) Program hosted by the MSU Office of International Programs (OIP). Since 2010, more than 360 teachers from 70 countries have participated in the program at MSU. In addition to teaching participants about leadership, classroom methodology, and English, the program connects participants with members of the community by placing them in both of Bozeman’s high schools to work with local teachers and students.

Wilson was partnered with Adam Thane, head coach for BHS speech and debate team. Wilson spent a week in Thane’s classroom observing, teaching, and engaging with students. After this transformational experience, the two remained in contact, and in 2023, their connection resulted in the first Pan-African Speech and Debate League, a three-week speech and debate camp hosted by Wilson in Tanzania.

Wilson explains, “A brief speech and debate classroom observation sparked an organic meeting between two visionary teachers, leading to an intercontinental program that fosters intercultural exchange and develops students into critical thinkers and effective advocates across Africa and America.” Since then, each summer, 10 to 15 BHS speech and debate students have traveled to Tanzania to meet with students and teachers from across Tanzania and nearby countries to focus on speech and debate skills because, as Thane explains, “There is nothing better for fluency, right? Because you have to listen, you have to understand, you have to respond.”

"I want to make my time there useful and not just be a tourist in Africa."

Over the course of the three-week camp, students and educators engage in an intensive, collaborative learning experience. Daily sessions include workshops on speech writing, debate structure, judging, and tournament organization. BHS students work side by side with Tanzanian students to practice and apply these skills. Bozeman sophomore Willa Bamburg spoke on behalf of participants: “I want to make my time there useful and not just be a tourist in Africa.” Early in the program, participants come together for joint planning sessions where they are introduced to debate topics, form teams, and begin learning how to research and develop arguments under the guidance of both Tanzanian and Montanan coaches.

As they work together, students learn about each other’s perspectives, experiences, approaches to communication and problem-solving. The program concludes with a student-led speech and debate tournament, where participants compete and take responsibility for organizing, judging, and running the event. The program’s impact on Tanzanian students is substantial. One student remarked, “Being active in the program helped me to stand up and speak. The program helped me to discuss and use my skills and knowledge to address challenges and create positive change in my community.”

The program is designed to help Tanzanian students and teachers build the capacity to continue speech and debate activities independently. Thane explains, “This is just training the trainers, and then they go out and do things in their home schools.” Which is exactly what they do. For Jumanne Bakari Tungu, a Tanzanian English teacher, the value of the program is clear: “Watching young people discover their voices and engage confidently in global conversations has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.”

This coming summer, the partnership will deepen further through active engagement by MSU staff members. Staff from OIP have been invited to travel to Tanzania to participate alongside BHS coaches and students. While there, the MSU team will collaborate with a network of East African Fulbright TEA alumni through sessions focused on professional growth, networking and long-term impact. This experience will be a valuable opportunity for MSU staff to highlight how local programs are expanding opportunities for students and teachers across their communities.

“There is nothing better for fluency, right? Because you have to listen, you have to understand, you have to respond.”

The experience is transformative for Montana students as well. By working directly with their Tanzanian peers, BHS participants develop cross-cultural communication skills, adaptability, and a deeper understanding of global issues. Many report that the experience has shifted their academic and career trajectories, inspiring them to pursue studies with an international perspective.

For MSU, this work reflects the purpose of a land-grant university. By extending knowledge beyond campus boundaries and supporting partnerships that respond to real-world needs, MSU continues to serve communities both locally and globally. The collaboration in Tanzania demonstrates how education, when shared across cultures, creates meaningful opportunities for Montana students while also contributing to student success abroad.

As the program continues to grow, its impact is measured by participation and in the perspective gained by students on both sides of the exchange. As Bozeman junior Gabby LeQuesne explains, “You get to bring a little bit of what you value in your culture and teach it, and then you get to learn about what others value and experience their day-to-day life.” Through sustained engagement and shared purpose, MSU and its partners are helping to shape a generation of young leaders on two continents by preparing them to communicate, collaborate, and lead — and it all started with an unexpected and impactful partnership in a Bozeman High School classroom.

Janelle Rasmussen is the Director of Training and Development and Special Programs, MSU Office of International Programs (OIP); Kevin Bratsky is the International Training and Development Coordinator, MSU OIP; Godlove Wilson Shami is an English Teacher and Co-creator of Pan-African Speech and Debate League; Sally Mudiamu is the Dean for Global Engagement and International Programs, MSU OIP.