Every time a BCL semester begins, there is a lot for students to adapt to. For the first time ever, students start their day at a vibrant community center; real-world experiences are the common text; and much of the experience is collective, and collaborative. Topics and themes are open-ended, complex, and messy. And no one is anonymous. This shift is significant, but it doesn’t take long for students to seize the opportunity to learn in a new way – and to take a more active role in the dynamic city they call home. 

In the early days, we focus on building community, establishing new routines, and grounding in both place and time. We also practice the mindsets that help our learning flourish, including systems thinking and active inquiry.  It might not feel like conventional school, but soon it’s familiar. It doesn’t take long before we are off and running. 

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For several semesters, our first community partner has been Judy Dow. Judy is an artist, an educator, a community organizer, and a historian – and we invited each one of these perspectives to inform her tour of the Old North End. We began where North Avenue meets Convent Square. For decades, before the New North End existed, this neighborhood was the geographic and cultural margin of the city. We heard stories about the orphanage and the Waterbury asylum, abductions and escapes, Intervale fires and muskrat pelts. We learned about the moonshine still that was hidden in the attic of the yellow house on the corner, only accessible through a light fixture – and the neighborhood kids who shuttled the product, wrapped in paper bags in their bike baskets. We heard stories of resilience, and stories of oppression. There were Irish cops and Francophone firemen. And there was the truancy officer, who chased down the “Franco” kids. There was commerce and creativity, adaptation and survival. It was an vibrant portrait of mid-century lives, in a corner of Burlington whose buildings still hold memories. It was life from another time, recounted in the present tense. 

The first walk with Judy was very personal and captivating for me, as we were able to listen and essentially observe what many people who lived in the margins had to go through. I really learned more about the history of Burlington in the hour-long walk than I did in the majority of social studies or history classes I have taken. It was also very interesting to hear about the darker side of Burlington history, as I had zero idea that there was such an oppressive period in our city’s history.

• Remy

I found many things meaningful with our walk with Judy Dow, but I really found her story about her father and grandfather very fascinating. Her perspective about the entire neighborhood was very insightful and meaningful to hear. After seeing what Judy had to say about the history of Burlington, it helped me see the city and everywhere else in a different light. I started noticing small details that may go unnoticed by others.

• Gus

I was really intrigued with the intensity and harshness of Burlington over the years. Only living in Burlington for a year, I see the hardships it faces but only to a degree. Hearing about how involved the city was in eugenics was shocking. It put a different perspective on my view of Burlington seeing how “progressive” the town advertises itself as.

• Sophie

Judy’s personal and interesting stories were very meaningful. It was fascinating to hear from someone who has actually lived through these experiences. I was very compelled by how well she was able to seamlessly switch through time periods of her own life… I loved hearing about her story of the house that was a distillery during prohibition and how the moonshine coming out of there took so long to find. It is interesting how things that are illegal in a certain time period – such as moonshine – hold much more value as opposed to when they are legal. Her stories were also extremely emotional and [I learned] things I did not know about before.

• Ale

It was all interesting, but the thing that stuck with me was the Vermont Eugenics Project. I’ve lived here all my life, and I’ve never heard about that. That’s crazy that this was happening in Vermont, and in Burlington. As a broader question, I’m now curious about connections between Burlington and WWII. What other dark history does Burlington have?  

• Winslow

What was meaningful to me was Judy talking about her Grandma and the pain her father felt after getting the news about his mom who he didn’t see for years. When Judy would tell her stories they felt relevant and important, like something I wouldn’t want to forget.

• Quinten

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While Judy painted a picture of life at the city’s margins from the late 1800’s through the 1950’s, Neil Preston helped us understand Burlington today. To say that Neil has an interesting job is an understatement. Every day, he works on the front lines of a crisis that continues to expand. When he began in his role, there were 70 chronically unsheltered people in Burlington. Today, there are over 350–and there are still only two Urban Park Rangers. Every day, Neil works with anywhere from 15-30 people struggling with homelessness, hopelessness, addiction – and sometimes all three. He knows them by name, and he walks a fine line, building relationships and providing support, while also wielding “soft power.” To Neil, those living at the margins are people, with a story. Through his eyes, we came to understand how our neighbors’ suffering is increasing, and playing out in civic space. And we reflected on what it means to be living in a time when the margins are intensely, unavoidably visible. 

It was interesting walking with Neil. The most interesting thing I noticed was when we saw the housing, and noticed where the homeless people reside in the parks. It kind of let me know about the privilege that I have that I did not realize I had.

• Gaston

I found it interesting how while we were with Neil he had multiple interactions with homeless people which were all extremely positive. These interactions gave me a better insight into what homeless people look like vs. people dealing with addiction, not that addicts are bad people. I also found it cool, the different ways Neil relocates homeless people and the aid that they can be provided with.

• Max

This walk was very interesting because I got to see real in-person connections with homeless people. It was cool to see him talking with people he has met before and even by coincidence, see him do his job on the fly. The only part that I found to be weird was that he doesn’t have very much power to remove these people from the streets. He described what he had as being “soft powered”. I found it weird that he could only ask and try to help people get off the streets but could not do anything physical and instead had to rely on the police department to take care of actually getting the people off the streets.

• Joshua

One thing that really stuck with me was when Neil was talking about moving the homeless and relocating them. [When he does this, he has to say] “this place isn’t for you.” They usually respond back with “Where do I go?,” and he can’t really give out an exact location. I am privileged in the fact that I have a house and clean water and don’t have to worry about where I am going to sleep tonight or if my stuff will still be there when I come home, but others in Burlington do have those worries. Today’s walk really opened my eyes to a whole new perspective.

• Sienna

I thought he was really an awesome person. This is not an easy job at all and it is really motivating seeing someone do a job to better our community immensely, and obviously not for the paycheck at all. The coolest part of this walk to me is how much Neil Preston really knew about the homeless people in our community and how much he cared for them. He showed that knowledge when people would walk by with all their belongings on their back and he said hello with their names. In my mind I always would steer clear of homeless people for safety or whatever and I think that put a sour taste in my head, so this was a more personal perspective.

• Jo

It was really interesting, how he told us about the news of the EEE infection and how the people he works with are very exposed to the outside world – much more than we because we have homes we can live in. If homeless people are sick right now, all the people in the hospital would have trouble with them because they all already dealing with a lot of people coming in right now. How can the government or Mayor deal with this, and can they do something about it?

• Lazizi

I think it was super cool to see a job that I didn’t know a lot about, and see that these two Park Rangers are really trying to help the homeless communities and not just trying to kick them out. On our walk he said “Hi”  to many people who seemed to really like him. I think I am taking away a more empathetic view. I find myself thinking more about Burlington’s people, and not just thinking of it as a city. Getting real world interactions like this definitely makes all the difference.

• Miles

The walk we just did with Neil was a moving experience for me. It was not about the past history of Burlington or the future but it was about what is happening right now, and why we cannot just overlook it. My dad works in the affordable housing business and he says he sees a lot of these problems just walking and biking to work and he talks to some of these people about their experiences and tries to get these people help. I think we need more people like Neil in Burlington.

• Quinn

There are a lot of flaws in Burlington and in this state, but there’s also hope. There’s people working to better our city, and it makes me wish I could do more. Maybe with more people knowing about these details, more people will volunteer. These experiences are very different from the normal school stuff I’ve done before, but I’m glad to get more involved instead of being stuck at a desk.

• Pramudita

My perspectives on Burlington have changed after hearing the input and stories told by the community partners. My perspective on Burlington’s past, and how Burlington is handling societal issues in the present have changed. Going into the future I’m now going to be more aware of the present problems with insufficient housing. I’m also walking away with a better understanding of equity, equality, and belonging, and what they mean in our community.

• Glenna

Now when I walk around Burlington I’m going to assume less about my environment and try to see different perspectives before trying to solve an issue. It’s really important that in a place like Burlington that has many different groups of people, and that everyone’s voice is heard and respected. Sometimes people go through really hard times and those people need help and it’s Burlington’s job to help them.

• Quinten

From these walks my perspective has changed for the better. I am realizing I need to be more involved with my community. I also need to put more thought into the homeless people and the ones that are struggling. It’s really not all drug abuse that has put them in these very difficult situations. I feel I need to look at the world with such a more positive outlook…and if I want to make a difference I need to. be more involved.

• Jacques