The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation awarded the Montana World Affairs Council a three-year grant of $120,000 this month to continue the development and expansion of global education for Montana youth, regardless of where they call home.

The global affairs nonprofit will receive $40,000 annually for the next three years. The organization brings international awareness to students across Montana with a focus on rural, remote and reservation schools.

“This grant will have a transformational impact on our ability to expand international affairs programming for students from across Montana and especially those in more rural and remote communities,” said Janet Rose, executive director of the council.

This fall, in additional to global education programs, the council will travel across the state to meet with school administrators, teachers and students to promote the education programs available to them at little or no cost.

The council's Global Education Initiatives, including Academic WorldQuest and Council in the Classroom, provides youth with an opportunity to explore global issues, politics and policy, and various cultures.

“We feel it enriches their lives and helps them understand our differences as well as our similarities in positive ways,” Rose said.

The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation provided the three-year grant.

“The wide array of perspectives and content-rich programs offered by the Montana World Affairs Council on international affairs gives Montana youth the foundation they need to understand the leadership role they can play in national and international affairs and, in the 21st Century, this knowledge-base is absolutely critical” said foundation director Mike Halligan.

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