On March 3, a group of 10 Bolles middle school students participated in a global student dialogue on UN Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment to kick off Women’s History Month. They joined nearly 100 students from three different countries--Canada, India, and the United States—and nine different schools for the virtual event, which addressed the Sustainable Development Goal, how it impacts students and how they might contribute to solutions.

Students learned how to engage in respectful dialogue, communicate across differences and understand multiple perspectives around a complex global issue. The program was organized by the Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG), a nonprofit association of schools with global education programs.

This is the third time Bolles middle school students have participated in UN Student Dialogues, according to organizer and facilitator Mindy Kelly, who was on-hand to lead Bartram students in the opportunity. Students joined the January 20 UN SDG 16 discussion on Peace, Justice and Institutions and the February 15 event on UN SDG 12: Production and Consumption.

Other participating schools included:

Academy of Notre Dame de Namur, PA, USA

Appleby College, Ontario, Canada

Buckingham Browne & Nichols, MA, USA

Doon School (The), Uttarakhand, India

Laurel School, OH, USA

Orchard House School, VA, USA

Ravenscroft, NC , USA

Westminster School (The), GA, USA

 The Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG) is a leading organization of K-12 schools that researches and establishes best practices in the field of global education and prepares students to thrive in increasingly interconnected world systems. The GEBG supports member schools through a myriad of benefits including in-depth professional development, collaborative student and faculty travel, discounted travel assistance and insurance, curricular development, conferences, institutional evaluations and endorsement, resource library and a supportive network of member schools. These initiatives help schools establish structures and programs that enable students to develop the knowledge, skills and empathic orientation required of global citizens.