This year, CAS Trips had the unique opportunity to bring together two schools for a shared journey of learning, Service, and cultural exchange in Zanzibar. One school traveled from the United States, while the other joined from Kenya, forming a diverse and dynamic group of students eager to engage with the local community. It was a chance to sit across from one another, share perspectives shaped by very different daily realities, and recognize the common ground between them.
Zanzibar added its own layers to that exchange. The island’s living mix of cultures, languages, and fragile ecosystems raised questions about belonging, responsibility, and the challenges communities face when balancing tradition with sustainability.
Program Design
The exchange combined three key elements:
- Cultural immersion – Students spent the first days experiencing everyday life in Zanzibar, engaging with residents, and building an understanding of the cultural context.
- Collaborative learning – Activities were organized so that students from both schools could share perspectives, learn from one another, and build bonds that extended beyond national or cultural boundaries.
- Needs Analysis Workshop – After several days of interaction, students participated in a structured workshop designed to gather insights from the community to inform future Service projects, ensuring that the community’s own priorities guide future exchanges.
Two Schools, Two Continents, One Shared Experience
The cultural exchange between the two schools gave the trip a depth that no single group could have created alone. Students ate together, worked side by side, and discovered new ways of seeing the world.
For the American students, it was an opportunity to understand Africa not as a place of abstract headlines but as their peers’ lived reality. For the Kenyan students, it was a chance to share their culture with confidence and to see how their own perspectives held weight in a global conversation.
Once the Needs Analysis was complete, the Service projects took on a new dimension. Wading into the shallows with seaweed farmers, students heard how rising temperatures and shifting tides threaten livelihoods that depend on the ocean. Later, snorkeling above the reefs, they saw with their own eyes what local scientists had described: a fragile ecosystem that can’t afford to lose any more ground.
Starting with Questions, Not Answers
On the fourth day of the trip, after students had already spent time engaging with the community and gaining a sense of daily life in Zanzibar, they gathered for a Needs Analysis Workshop. Rather than determining what they would do during this visit, the workshop was designed to shape the future. Students were asked to listen, identify potential needs, and brainstorm solutions, ideas that would later be shared with community leaders, who ultimately decide which projects should be prioritized for future groups to implement.
The Needs Analysis Workshop in Practice
For students from both the Kenyan Girls’ School Alliance (KGSA) and Pacific Ridge School in California, the workshop proved to be one of the most memorable elements of the trip. Organized to coincide with adult language classes at our local NGO partner, it brought together small groups of students with local learners for a structured exchange. Teams of students conducted interviews with six to seven community members each, while teachers joined a parallel “hot seat” activity, answering questions about life in Kenya and the United States.
The sessions were lively, with dialogue flowing easily and punctuated by moments of laughter and shared discovery. Yet beneath the surface, students were gathering important insights into challenges facing the community. After a fruitful conversation, each group presented its findings to the co-founder of our NGO Partner and a local teacher.
Student-led Insights for Future Collaboration
Key findings and proposals
The student presentations highlighted areas of both immediate and long-term importance for the community:
- Mental health support: One group recommended creating safe spaces where community members could openly discuss stress and well-being.
- Economic empowerment: Another group proposed using unused buildings as spaces for free English and vocational training programs, facilitated by volunteer teachers.
- Education access: Students identified opportunities for enhancing literacy and digital skills to improve employment prospects.
The presentations revealed the depth of student engagement. Crucially, these ideas were not immediate action points for the visiting students but proposals submitted to the community itself, who would determine their relevance and feasibility. As the NGO representative noted, the workshop served as a pipeline for meaningful, locally driven initiatives, where the community’s priorities — not external assumptions — set the agenda.
Building Capacity Beyond Zanzibar
While the Needs Analysis Workshop laid the groundwork for future Service projects in Zanzibar, it also had an inward impact. By practicing how to listen first and design solutions collaboratively, students gained a transferable skill set. Many left with a clearer understanding of how to identify needs in their own schools and communities, equipping them to take on leadership roles and create positive change long after their return.
As one student put it: “My favorite experience on this trip was connecting with the local students at the African Impact school. I loved being able to talk with the students and learn more about their experiences and perspectives. It definitely helped me gain a new understanding!”
Lessons Learned
This exchange demonstrated the power of integrating Needs Analysis Workshops into student travel experiences:
- They ensure that Service projects are grounded in community-identified needs rather than external assumptions.
- They create a pipeline of sustainable initiatives, carried forward year to year with continuity.
- They equip students with transferable skills that extend beyond the trip itself, strengthening their ability to contribute meaningfully in any context.
Student Perspectives
The impact of the Zanzibar trip extended far beyond structured workshops. Students shared a variety of reflections, demonstrating personal growth and intercultural learning:
As one student shared, “These past 9 days in Zanzibar have been an incredible experience filled with learning, laughter, and community. Coming into the trip, I was prepared for the eye-opening Service work we would be doing, but I took away so much more than expected.”
“From seaweed farming with the mamas to interviewing the local students, I discovered something deeper than the work itself—community. The most valuable part has been the people. Traveling teaches us that human connection transcends language barriers and shows us new perspectives on ourselves and the world.”
Students highlighted a range of experiences—from snorkeling with dolphins, scuba diving on coral reefs, and visiting Jambiani Forest, to spontaneously joining a beach dance party and learning about local livelihoods. Many emphasized the transformative nature of intercultural collaboration, especially in working alongside KGSA students from Kenya.
“It was amazing having a joint trip with KGSA girls from Kenya and PRS students from California. The intercultural exchange was so valuable. I hope this is the first of many experiences, and it would be great to host a trip in Kenya with CAS for PRS to visit KGSA.”
Service activities, such as seaweed farming and participating in the Needs Analysis Workshop, allowed students to see the tangible effects of their work while reflecting on sustainability and community impact. These experiences gave them insights into their own strengths, adaptability, and values—elements of global citizenship in action.
Teacher Reflections
Teachers also found the trip to be deeply rewarding. Suzy, the trip leader, received widespread praise for her guidance, care, and dedication:
“Suzy was our chaperone, and she was so great! She was very accommodating and kind. She made the trip a better experience.”
“The Zanzibar trip was life-changing. Suzy ensured every moment—from the airport to the villa—was safe and planned. Students were fully immersed in the culture, built meaningful relationships with locals, and gained a deep understanding of sustainability and conservation in Zanzibar.”
Teachers appreciated the balance of structured Service work with educational and recreational activities, noting that every experience reinforced learning while providing opportunities for reflection. They observed that students returned not only with memories but with greater empathy, self-awareness, and a sense of responsibility toward global communities.
“Participating in the CAS trip and studying the reefs in the ocean was incredibly motivating. I was able to identify different types of coral reefs, deepening my understanding and appreciation for marine ecosystems.”
Bringing the Trip to Life
The combination of Service, cultural exchange, and environmental education created a holistic learning experience. Students learned about the importance of marine conservation, engaged in needs analysis for community development, and formed lasting connections with peers from another continent. By working on real-world projects, they discovered skills and interests that might not have surfaced in a traditional classroom.
This immersion in community life encouraged reflection on global issues, such as sustainability, education, and economic development, while highlighting the interconnectedness of communities worldwide.
Why It Matters
This Zanzibar case study exemplifies the transformative power of experiential learning in fostering empathy, resilience, and intercultural understanding. In a world where international Service trips can sometimes risk being superficial, our framework in Zanzibar offers a different path. Through structured reflection and genuine cultural exchange, students began to see service not as a quick one-off activity, but as part of an ongoing relationship with the community. The experience provided students with tools they can carry into their future Service — whether in their home community or abroad.
This visit to Zanzibar made the stakes visible for the group: climate change threatening livelihoods, ecosystems under pressure, and cultural heritage at risk of being diluted by mass tourism. But the trip also showed what’s possible when young people approach those challenges with humility, curiosity, and collaboration.
As one student put it in their final reflection, “I thought I was coming here to give. Instead, I discovered how much I still have to learn.”
