Global Citizenship in Education: Podcasting From the Terai of Nepal

Course Description:

In a world where divisiveness and disaster frequently dominate headlines, Go Global VT provides a unique opportunity to find connections and build community. In partnership with Vermont Public, we will travel through Nepal and create individualized podcasts that reflect our experiences. Participants will create recordings that provide a backdrop to compare and contrast how different cultures approach global issues. Students will have the opportunity to focus their projects on one or more United Nations Sustainable Development Goal and tailor the project to support their particular professional content area. Prior to traveling, students will receive direct instruction on travel preparation, cultural competency & humility, in-roads for building curriculum that centers on global citizenship, and the creation of digital programming. Recording equipment and workshop time will be provided to ensure that all are comfortable with this equipment. 

This course provides multiple and varied hands-on, field-based experiences. We will spend time in and travel by 4x4 vehicle between Kathmandu, Aanbu Khaireni Municipality, and Chitwan District, exposing participants to multiple ecotypes and cultures. Students will meet with local residents and experts to explore the lived experience of the Nepali people and creative ways that Nepalis are addressing universal issues like waste management, changing economies, climate change, conservation, education, cultural preservation/adaptation, and food systems. Throughout the course, the group will visit UNESCO cultural sites, view wildlife in Chitwan National Park, visit schools in the foothills of the greater Himalayas, farms, and other places where people create and generate a living for themselves. A rough itinerary is provided further down this page for reference; a specific itinerary will be created with our community partners in Nepal once course participants have identified the critical questions they would like to explore. This course is adaptable to the professional needs of teachers of all content areas. To culminate, participants will generate audio samples through narration and sound collection throughout the trip and combine them to create a reflective podcast/audio story capturing their experience, which serves their instructional needs.

This professional development course can either be taken for recertification hours or graduate credits at an additional fee. The course syllabus can be viewed below.

Cost:

$4600 + $145/credit

Course Syllabus:

What's Included:

Airfare

Travel insurance

Visa

Permits and fees

Meals

Shared accommodations

Ground transportation

Licensed guide as needed

Course instructors/instruction

Contribution to local partner Education Organization, Helambu Education Livelihood Partnership

What's Not Included:

Passport

Personal items

Gratuity for guides/porters/drivers (highly encouraged)

Any other item not described above

Itinerary:

-Vermont-

Meeting dates TBD

-Nepal-

April 18, Boston to Kathmandu via Doha, Qatar

Depart Boston Logan Airport at ~9:00pm

April 19, Air travel day

As we fly east, we jump forward in time and lose ~ 12 hours

April 20, Kathmandu

Arrive in the morning, travel to the hotel and following a few hours rest, jump right in to exploring the vibrant and historic city of Kathmandu.

April 21, Aanbu Khaireni Municipality

Travel west by 4x4, leaving the Kathmandu Valley and head into the foothills of the Himalayas. Sites TBD

April 22, Aanbu Khaireni Municipality

Visit a local school and other sites TBD

April 23, Chitwan District

Travel south out of the mountains into the jungles and plains of the Terai. Sites TBD

April 24, Chitwan Distirict

Visit Chitwan National Park and view wildlife like the greater one-horned rhino and Asian elephant. Other sites TBD

April 25, Kathmandu

Return to Kathmandu by 4x4. Sites TBD

April 26, Depart Kathmandu

Share about your work with Teacher Fellows in the HELP Sathi Teacher Program, and visit cultural sites around the city before departing Kathmandu in the early evening.

April 27, Boston

Arrive in Boston at ~ 2:30pm

About the Instructor:

Sam Nelson (M. Ed) has been working in Vermont as an educator at various levels (Pre-K-12th grade) since 2011. He is a leading practitioner in student-centered, proficiency- and project-based education and currently works as a 7th & 8th grade Humanities teacher at Shelburne Community School. Throughout his career he has had the privilege and opportunity to travel internationally, most recently to Nepal in the spring of 2024 as part of Go Global Vermont’s professional development centered on studying climate change and global citizenship. He lives in Burlington and has a totally rad 4-year-old daughter who is his favorite person in the world. 

Course Partners: