In the early weeks of every semester, BCL students quickly adapt to learning outside the confines of classroom walls. They embrace the idea that the place they live–the geography, history, and culture of the city they call home–is something worth studying. They spend purposeful time with community partners, asking open-ended questions, and engaging in daily cycles of reflection.

But there is another shift too: BCL students spend the day with the same group of people. This is a far cry from cycling between different groups in every class, and weaving through hundreds of peers during passing time. In BCL, our community is far smaller. And although at first this can be unfamiliar, it doesn’t take long for a random group to. become a cohort, and for a cohort becomes a community.

Long time is different than deep time. You can see a person every day for years and not feel connected to them at all. But when you share rich experiences with people, when you are awake and alive and learning together, depth emerges naturally. It doesn’t take long before a BCL group feels like they have known these people forever.

In BCL, students often hear teachers say that “we get good at what we practice,” and one of the things we practice is community. This is essential, since you can’t take healthy risks without trust, and. you can’t build trust without connections. From early icebreakers to shared Morning Meeting activities, from Fun Block to Circle, BCL’s investment in one another is deliberate. After all, if you want to build community, you need to practice community.

I think that the best and most rewarding communities require work and sacrifice. BCL community has not formed itself. As a group, we have put in work and effort to create a welcoming community that connects everyone from every corner. Every day has brought increased feelings of community to our group. One major reason I joined BCL was to meet new people, and that has been a massive part of the course so far! As a collective, the BCL crew has definitely become more comfortable with vulnerability.  People all around the circle stepped out of their comfort zones. 

• Jesse

While we were at the Burlington Surf Club, I thought about the idea of a “third space.” In my journal I wrote, “The yoga and atmosphere here has been very relaxing. After focusing on myself during the yoga, I felt much more connected to my emotional and mental self, as well as a physical improvement. I felt less tense.” Luckily…third spaces can be found all around us. While reading an article about third spaces from the BCL blog, I discovered this quote referencing the King St. Laundromat. “It’s a mundane, quotidian place, filled with people doing personal chores. But it is also a gathering place, and a place where people can feel safe and connected to their community.” One thing we can do immediately to build community is look toward places we already know, places that we might take for granted. Community is often hiding in these unsuspecting spots.

• Cal

Emily Garrett, our yoga instructor, asked us to forget all thoughts and focus on yourself and your body. We went through many motions and movements and by the end I physically, mentally, and emotionally felt better. In my journal I said “Before yoga my body felt sort of tense, however after the session I felt relaxed and comfortable. I felt connected with myself and my senses.”Something as simple as stretching and closing your eyes can so easily relax your body and send you into a state of relaxation. I think this is something everybody needs for themself, especially at a teenage age. 

• Eamon

In BCL, I learned about the four bodies of the self: Spiritual, Mental, Emotional, and Physical.  Each of the four bodies can either be in balance or out of balance. They had us make a list of things that we did in a day and reflect on which body had the longest list and how we can be more balanced in the future. I liked the activity because it made me realize that mental health is an area that needs more attention.

• Koleta

Before our day at the Surf Club I never knew…how out of touch I had been with my spiritual side. People assume that summer break will be all relaxing and happy. In my case, it was one thing after another, I didn’t get to sleep in, I didn’t get to slack off, I had to be on top of everything. I would go from a six hour shift to rushing home to get changed for whatever sport I had that day (soccer or frisbee) then straight to work or summer classes. It felt like everyday was repeating. I was missing the old me, the me that had the time to go hiking every day, the me that could go on a nice long run, the me that had time… But that’s the bummer of getting older – more commitments, more responsibilities, and less time for enjoyment. [According to] the Four Bodies slides, the way to balance my spiritual self is to “have gratitude, find connection to myself, find connection to others, and finally, connect with nature.” The exercise made me want to find that time to tap into myself, and fill those needs that haven’t been met in a long time. 

• Vera

We were close to the side of the lake, on a pavilion, and there was a nice chill breeze, sunlight and smells, which helped me be in the moment. Yoga is about being the moment, and being in nature helped me get into it. In my journal, I wrote, “It was very fun and relaxing… and I thought back to when I used to do yoga ten years ago. I went into this thinking that it would be difficult, given how long it had been since I had done it – more than ten years ago – but it was super easy.” It was surprising, because my mom has tried convincing me to start yoga again, but I thought it was something that I lost the skill of. But this experience showed me that it’s actually easy. 

• Skylar

During yoga I felt so much stress leave my body. I work a lot. Sundays-Thursday, right after school until nine. I got a lot of well needed deep breaths in, and it was nice to see everyone else participating. Thinking about the BCL themes, one of the main ones that was present is definitely Community. Over the past few days, our class itself has built its own community. And it’s so diverse – we have quiet people, talkative people, class clowns. I personally like the selection of students… And throughout the day at the Surf Club everyone included everyone with games and paddleboarding, especially our huge volleyball game that almost the entire class played. This experience made me feel very good about myself. I felt like I got very comfortable with other people. I hope in the future we have more bonding times like this. 

• Leahna

Back at the Old North End Community Center, BCL students were asked to bring in three “meaningful objects.” The objects were arrayed as a gallery; we did a round of observations; the objects were briefly introduced; and then students met in pairs to draw stories out of the objects. Students shared openly and listened actively. They explored the objects’ connections to significant people, places, moments, and memories. Listeners took rigorous notes, and asked whole-hearted probing questions. What began as a guided activity took on a life of its own, and as the allotted time for interviews came to a close, many pairs didn’t want the time to end.

I liked doing what felt like a little show and tell. When I was a kid in preschool that was always the thing I looked forward to the most – getting to bring something that was special to me and share with the class why I had brought it. I think that it was a little uncomfortable at first because many of the BCL people are not people that I am close with, nor do I usually interact with but in the end it was nice to talk to people I wouldn’t normally find myself surrounded by. I think everything that you do for the first time is going to be uncomfortable, it’s just a matter of how you carry yourself in that time. Yes, I was uncomfortable and awkward at first but when I let myself take those walls down and was more vulnerable, it was easier to dig into the deeper meaning of what the objects really meant to me. By the end of it I felt a lot more comfortable and felt braver after talking about something personal to myself.

• Lucy

Looking at all the objects on the table was interesting because I could tell it had a story, and working with a partner about one of our objects felt like we were building community because me and my partner got to know about each other that we didn’t know. My partner’s story was interesting to hear because learning about how he started his shoe cleaning business was different. The experience really wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt like we both were open to share our stories on our one thing and ask questions about it.

• Taelor

After reviewing my journal and reading the notes that I’ve taken about vulnerability, I believe vulnerability is a crucial part of personal growth. The reason I feel that way is that without allowing yourself to be vulnerable, there’s no room for you to grow from others, create real connections, and be a strong collaborative thinker. Thinking back on it, vulnerability is something that takes years to achieve. A child does not have the strength to put his emotions on the table. However, with time, we learn to understand self-awareness as well as accepting fears and strengths. In my journal, I wrote “Being nicer to ourselves allows us to be nicer to others. We let go of who we are completely to then  be able to fully embrace vulnerability.” 

• Emanuel

Along with water, food, and shelter, one of our greatest human needs is belonging. Deep in our source code, we crave mutuality; we are fueled by relationships. And yet often our culture and our systems make this natural need feel out of reach. Whether it is a school bell-schedule that shuffles individuals down hallways, or an economy that values productivity, or a culture of personalized phone algorithms, basic human connection can feel counter-cultural.

Luckily, the recipe is simple. According to Brené Brown, “connection requires vulnerability, and the courage to be authentic and genuine.” This is easier said than done, but it begins with createing the conditions for humanity. In BCL, this can be as simple as carving out time to sit with someone you’ve never talked to, and to spend meaningful time together.

At first, before we talked, I didn’t think I could have a conversation with him. But when we did, it wasn’t hard at all. The conversation was smooth and we got to learn more about each other. When we were sharing the stories it felt vulnerable because I know it meant a lot to him, and my object meant a lot to me, so sharing it with somebody you didn’t know that well was vulnerable. But hearing more about my partner’s story it made me realize more about them as a person.

• Anzal

It was uncomfortable at first but after a few minutes of talking it became very natural and the 45+ minutes kind of flew by. I thought that as we got more vulnerable with each other it actually got more natural. It was interesting to hear about her life, and about the things she did growing up, and it made me realize just quite how different everyone’s story can be. This really opened us up to have real conversations with people we might not know as well as our friends.

• Felix

I always thought of empathy as bad and sympathy as good but now after watching the video, I feel like empathy is much stronger,  because you not only have to feel that connection in yourself you have to go out and genuinely express it, which I think is beautiful. Growing up in a sympathetic family, kinda just sugar coating and silver-lining little things, I always felt defensive…I would take it as someone trying to baby me, when all they really wanted was to get a better understanding of my story. I feel like becoming a more empathetic person could help me, and really all of us in the world, from family to friends to even just people walking down the street. At the end of the video they said how [you shouldn’t try to] make them happy, but actually just make a connection… Just being in the moment with another person will always make a bond. 

• John

In Brene Brown’s talk on Vulnerability, one phrase that stuck in my mind was when she referenced a time when she had to step out of her comfort zone, and “call deep on [her] courage.” BCL has helped me to come out of my comfort zone and helped me call deep on my courage in several ways, one of the most prominent being sharing out in class. There are countless opportunities throughout the day for speaking in front of the group, whether it be during morning or afternoon circle, recapping news stories, thanking a community partner, sharing your thoughts on a topic, etc. These may seem small, but challenging myself to share even when my first thought might be to stay silent has helped me to grow more comfortable. I have also enjoyed our turn & talk parts of the day because it helps me to share on a smaller level first, often with someone I’m more comfortable with, then gives me a chance to share in front of the class afterwards. I don’t always choose to speak up, but when I do, each time it’s easier than before. 

• Harper

A week after pairs shared time together, we gathered in a circle in the sunshine for those stories to be shared with the larger group…only it wasn’t the object’s owner who shared the story, it was their partner. This was the reason that each “interviewer” took such rigorous notes: they were tasked with writing their partner’s story, relying only on what they had written in their journal. And as if this wasn’t enough, they were told not to share their outline or drafts with their partner before reading their story in the larger group.

Every time we do this activity, there is the fear that someone will phone it in, that their story will be slapdash or half-baked. And without fail, every story is beautiful, creative, and deeply felt — what Brené Brown might call “whole-hearted.” The silence between stories is reverent, and the shared laughter is buoyant. Time slows, and we are all connected.

Being vulnerable is not  a sign of weakness, but in Brené Brown’s words, ”our most accurate measure of Courage.” For me, this really resonated with Christie’s story about her time teaching little kids. She said on her first day she was a little intimidated and naturally didn’t want to share too much about herself or feel too vulnerable, but after having a moment of connection through vulnerability with a student, she realized that her fear of sharing stuff about herself was actually hindering her ability to make connections. Vulnerability helps build trust because people feel safe being their authentic selves, it also builds empathy because it reminds us that everyone has struggles. 

• Jamo

Community comes in so many forms. The gallery of meaningful objects brought about a sense of community in the classroom I had not felt before. The attentiveness of the silence while we were listening reflected just how meaningful this activity was to people. The one on one interviews built a sense of interpersonal connection. People in the classroom who had rarely spoken to each other emerged from this activity as friends. I wrote in my journal, “In my interview with Skylar, I learned layers about him that I find only come with deeper friendship.” 

Beyond the classroom community, BCL has pushed me to think about what takes a city from being a group of people living in the same place to being a community…BCL has explored the issue of public safety and homelessness in multiple facets…I read an article about an artist who does portraits of homeless people. In it, the humanity that she brings to these people is apparent. One woman started crying when she saw the portrait the artist, Noni Stuart, made of her. Stuart describes the subjects of her portraits having, “strength, wariness, vitality, vulnerability.” The experience of meeting with these people, getting to know them and eventually creating art about them is a very meaningful one for her. As she described it, “I come away from these meetings, and I feel like I’ve just been able to drink deeply at the well of humanity,” When thinking about community, it is interesting to reflect on it from a personal, classroom and city-wide level. It is very meaningful to learn about and build community on all of these levels. As I do it, I begin to see the ways they are all connected.

• Miranda