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Bayview Glen Global Education: Whole Child, Purposeful Life, Better World (The Glen, Fall 2024)
from The Glen, Fall 2024
by Bayview Glen
At Bayview Glen, Global Education is not just a concept — it’s a mission It’s a mission to bring people together, to nurture understanding, and to inspire students to take meaningful action toward a more just and equitable world.
We envision Global Education as a powerful vessel that unites communities from all corners of the globe At the heart of our Global Education framework is the idea of “identity ” Every aspect of learning is viewed through this lens, as we create spaces where individuals feel safe, cared for, valued, and heard.
Our approach emphasizes critical inquiry, empowering students to enhance their intercultural skills These skills are essential as they learn to collaborate with others in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.
Through carefully designed programming, we offer students opportunities to build the intercultural competencies they need to become compassionate, knowledgeable global citizens and bold leaders We believe that by working together, our students can help make the world a better place — by caring for the planet, standing up for others, and respecting the unique differences that define each of us.
Our Global Education programme is committed to addressing global challenges with humility, compassion, and empathy, ensuring that our students are equipped to create a brighter, more hopeful future for generations to come.
Round Square:
As a proud member of Round Square, Bayview Glen is part of an international network of over 250 schools that collaborate and gather annually, both virtually and in person, to share, learn, and explore together Bayview Glen’s involvement in Round Square has provided our students with learning experiences in Kenya, New Zealand, Iceland, the U S , and many other countries around the world.
Most recently, four Grade 12 students and two teachers travelled to Bogotá, Colombia, to attend the Round Square International Conference themed “Blooming from the Past ” During their time there, students participated in homestays, connected with peers from around the world in Baraza groups, listened to inspiring stories of resilience from three keynote speakers, supported local farmers through service projects, and explored the stunning geography of Colombia Here are some of their stories:
“I became interested in attending RSIC Colombia 2024 after hearing friends gush about how much they had enjoyed last year’s conference in Kenya in October last year . I heard about incredible experiences they had there, such as them camping overnight in a national park Even though I knew I wouldn’t do those same activities in Colombia, what convinced me to apply were the aspects of the conference I knew would be the same — the opportunity to meet hundreds of people my age from all over the world, form connections and have interesting conversations, and experience and learn about a new country Finding out in March that the conference was happening in Colombia made me want to attend the conference even more because I had never been to South America before I was excited to be in a new landscape, in the Andes, and get to know this group of people and their culture The location of Colombia also gave me new motivation to learn Spanish, which is a goal I’ve had for years, but never really committed to This trip gave me a deadline to get a strong level in the language, because it was important for me to know it so I could better connect with locals and my host family.
I participated in a wide array of activities in our three days in Paipa, Boyacá with my Baraza group, which was a group of 14 delegates led by two host school students I had the opportunity to really bond with these people, because we spent so much time together My favourite activities were the dance workshop we did, wherein we learned a traditional dance from the Boyacá region, a beautiful hike in the mountains, and building a chicken coop to help a lovely farmer, who we got to meet In the evenings we heard interesting keynote speakers and then rejoined our Baraza groups to discuss how the topics impact our own countries The last evening we spent in Paipa we enjoyed a cultural evening, where schools could perform songs and dances highlighting their countries’ distinct cultures (Bayview Glen did not participate) The first and last days were spent in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, which far exceeded my expectations It’s a beautiful, vibrant, tree-filled, huge city, and I was allowed to explore it more thanks to the opportunity to do a homestay with a local family from one of the host schools We went out to a restaurant and met some of their friends the first night, and on the last night met up with the same people.
Meeting so many new people from all over the world allowed me to learn a lot about what life is like in other countries, through the discussions I had with them Several of the keynote speakers spoke about helping their country and community — one of them was a human rights lawyer who worked on the peace treaty in 2016 between the Colombian government and FARC, and another started a sex education after-school programme in a community with high rates of teen pregnancy . This programme has now spread all over the country Another speaker worked with a charity to get hundreds of bikes to a remote, desert community to stop children from walking four hours each day to and from school Hearing these talks made me realise how important trying to solve social issues and helping people is to me I’ve always been kind of set on doing art in the future, but now I’m thinking a lot more seriously about how I can incorporate helping others
- Olivia
Colombia really was a trip of a lifetime From building chicken coops out of mud, to exploring picturesque towns, the most memorable part of the trip, however, was meeting the people we shared this experience with The hospitality and generosity of the Colombian people, as well as the openness and friendliness of students from across the world, will make this a trip I will never forget
- Leila
Global Education Learning Experiences, 2024-2025
This school year, students in Grades 9-12 will have an opportunity to develop their intercultural skills and competencies through four experiential learning experiences These experiences were artfully curated for students to explore themes of wellness and wellbeing, dual narratives, and sustainability:
Defining Wellness: Athens, Rafina, Nafplio, Greece - December 13-20, 2024
Crossroads of Culture: Andalusia, Spain - January 24-February 1, 2025
Cultural Resilience: Paris, Avignon, Provance, France - March 1-8, 2025
History, Narrative and Culture: Northern Ireland & Ireland - March 22-30, 2025
Exciting Additions to Our Global Education Programme
As we expand our Global Education programming, I am thrilled to announce the launch of two exciting new initiatives: the Head of Global Education role on our Upper School SEC and the Global Education Learning Series.
The creation of the Head of Global Education position is a pivotal step in amplifying student voice within our global education initiatives, experiential learning, and future programming at Bayview Glen For the 2024-2025 school year, Sofia will take on this important leadership role Recognizing that global issues can often be complex and challenging, Sofia will work closely with two Co-Heads, Krrisha and Faith, along with a dedicated Global Education Committee This group of passionate students will help shape how student perspectives become integral to global education at Bayview Glen, ensuring we create spaces where everyone feels safe, cared for, valued, and heard— while having fun along the way!
In addition, we are excited to introduce the Global Education Learning Series, modelled after the university lecture series concept This initiative serves as a platform to highlight community celebrations, explore diverse perspectives, and address global challenges, all through the lens of student voices Though still in its early stages, the series is currently being shared through assemblies, with plans to expand to other formats such as lunch-and-learn sessions or after-school events.
These initiatives represent a powerful step forward in our commitment to fostering globally minded, empathetic, and engaged students I look forward to seeing the incredible impact these programmes will have on our community.
