The Burlington City & Lake Semester has always been focused on what’s right here. Burlington is the classroom; the city itself is the curriculum. And yet we are not an island. The fact is that every local issue is intimately tied to larger systems and forces. After all, the health of our lake depends on human actions throughout an international watershed; our consumption habits are tied to the global economy; and we can plan for local climate resilience, but just upstream is a worldwide crisis.

For years, BCL has reached beyond our local borders, and those international connections have recently borne fruit. The United Nations University published a book that highlights best practices in Education for Sustainable Development: Learning, Collaborating and Transforming: The 20-Year Journey of the Global RCE Network. The Burlington City & Lake Semester program is featured as an example of “Transforming Learning Environments.” (Find BCL in Chapter 3, beginning on page 32 — search for “Burlington” to find the section.)

This honor was many years in the making. The Greater Burlington Sustainability Education Network was inducted as a “Regional Center of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development” [RCE] in 2015. In 2021, BCL was honored by the U.N. University as a flagship program.

In a recent press release, BSD Superintendent Tom Flanagan wrote that “Recognition like this helps reinforce what we know to be true in our school district: we are committed to creating robust opportunities to make sure every learner is challenged, empowered, and engaged. I’m proud of the work being done in BSD, and I’m grateful for staff and students who have poured time, energy, and resources into BCL to create incredible learning experiences for students.” 

Jen Cirillo, Director of Professional Learning at Shelburne Farms, added that “Shelburne Farms, the University of Vermont, and dozens of other organizations have committed to educating for a sustainable and just future, realizing the vision of the UN Sustainable Development Goals… It is an honor to have Burlington School District as a partner in this work. We are thrilled to have the deep sustainability learning of BCL educators and students highlighted in a UN publication.”

The images and student voices that follow trace some of the history of BCL’s global reach.

France and Vermont have the same problem, but the problem is bigger in France. In fact 300,000 people don’t have a home, which is half of the population in Vermont. France is part of the European Union. The borders are more open, so refugees are leaving their countries because of war, climate change, lack of food and water, and fleeing to France for better opportunities. However, Vermont still has a complex problem. According to Cindy Reid, Development Director at Cathedral Square, “This is the first time I can ever remember the housing crisis affecting everyone, not just the low-income.” All experts in housing say that Vermont incomes aren’t high enough to buy a home. The same is true to rent an apartment. Employers need workers but there is no place to live.

• Angèle, a French exchange student (2022)

In 2019, the Greater Burlington Sustainability Education Network [GBSEN] hosted the RCE Americas Meeting–a multi-day event that welcomed 37 delegates from across the hemisphere. The Americas meeting “alternates between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, with the previous three meetings taking places in Posadas, Misiones, Argentina; Vancouver, BC, Canada; and Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil” [gbsen.org]. The theme of 2019’s meeting was Human Health and the Environment, and many events were focused on the relationship between a healthy ecosystem and human thriving. BCL students were active participants, and in several sessions students acted as conveners and facilitators.

The RCE Meeting was eye-opening. I have never worked with adults in this way and it definitely was a little uncomfortable to start but then once it opened up it allowed us to have conversations with these adults as adults. I felt like I was part of the discussion and I have never had that moment before.

• Liliana (2019)

Working with the visitors from across the Americas was a really interesting experience that I actually enjoyed. It was such an enjoyable feeling to have the older generation listen to us without making it seem like we were “just kids” or “didn’t know what we were saying”. I felt empowered by having my voice heard and my ideas listened to.

• Rubie (2019)

When BCL teachers heard that a group of Puerto Rican educators and community development professionals were planning to visit Burlington, they jumped at the chance to host them. The group was here to consult with GBSEN on how to apply for their own RCE status, but in a wonderful twist, they brought a full cadre of students. It was wonderful to compare our two places, and to make the world smaller by simply opening our doors.

I have enjoyed making these global connections because it has allowed me to think of these issues on a global scale. It is easy to think of just Burlington or just Vermont or just America but when you are looking at similar issues or situations in other countries or states or cities it makes the issues seem more important and relatable. It it also good to know that there are other people across the world working on similar issues and working on solutions

            – Ruby (2019)

Learning about the world gives us a different lens to consider as we look at our own town. Comparing Burlington to places around the world furthers our understanding of Burlington itself… Realizing that the content we discuss is globally relevant also makes it feel more important, and worth caring about. I also really like having perspectives from different places available to me, as I try to determine my own thoughts on a subject. It definitely has expanded my thinking further than if we had just focused on Burlington.

          – Maggie (2019)

In 2022, with the pandemic in the rearview, BCL once again opened its doors to the world. BCL8 hosted the first of three groups from Denmark. Thanks to Signe Daly’s connections to Skals Efterskole’s Skals International Project [SIP] (a year-long immersive program, similar to BCL), BCL established an active partnership with a like-minded Danish educational program. From 2022-2024, lifelong friendships were nurtured.

It was nice being able to talk about our home towns, the differences and similarities. I liked hearing an outsider’s point of view on Burlington, it helped to see all the things you might not see or think about when you’ve spent most of your life here.

– Sasha (2023)

It’s really fun to learn about how things are and how the learning is out there. Just having that experience with new people, it’s nice. 

– Mustafa (2024)