[Switzerland] Franklin University - Summer Programme

Date: 14 - 27 July 2025

Venue: Franklin University Switzerland (Lugano)

Format: In person

Target: 15 - 18 years old 

Cost: CHF 2,000 including tuition, room, board and off-site excursion

Application: Click here

Organiser: Franklin University Switzerland

"Sustainability, Eco-resilience, and Climate Justice"

Franklin University Switzerland is happy to welcome selected high school students (aged 15 - 18) to join its summer programme in "Sustainability, Eco-resilience, and Climate Justice". This unique educational experience offers the chance to earn university credit while exploring critical global issues in an engaging and immersive environment.

The Programme:

In the face of climate change, people around the world are innovating to create sustainable, healthy, and equitable communities. It's exciting and imaginative! However, living through climate change is complex. What could—or should—we do to create a more thriving world for everyone? Who is 'we,' and who is 'everyone'? How can we determine the most effective solutions? How can ordinary people make a difference? And how can we stay engaged and hopeful in the face of increasing natural disasters?

What we offer:

•  Understand environmental issues, root causes, and sustainable solutions.

•  Explore emotional and psychological responses to foster personal empowerment.

•  Address key issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and social justice.

•  Engage with local experts and explore Lugano’s natural beauty beyond the classroom.

Experiential Learning:

At Franklin University Switzerland, we highly value experiential learning, offering hands-on opportunities that empower students to connect academic theory with real-world practice. Read below some of the experiences we offer to High School students during our Summer Program:

•  in Lugano, exploring artworks focused on climate change

•  to explore efforts to preserve and enhance Ticino’s biodiversity

•  who manage the , to see what the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals look like in action at the local level

•  to learn about the development of sustainable approaches to outdoor recreation and tourism

• , which is part of the C40 network of cities committed to building “healthy, equitable and resilient communities” while cutting emissions in half by 2030.

(List subject to change)

Teaching Faculty:

 (she/her) is an ecologically-based interdisciplinary professor at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, USA. Her expertise includes climate and ecological psychology, eco empathy, environmental humanities, eco art, and international environmental policy. Through teaching, she hopes to help students build a holistic, nuanced understanding of the interconnections between themselves, the more-than-human world, and different facets of human society like psychology, policy, economics, justice, ethics, science, art, and history. Outside of Champlain, Burgess facilitates eco-grief and eco-empathy workshops and hosts monthly Eco-Resiliency Gatherings. Her chapter on “eco empathy” in can be pre-ordered now. Burgess has taught at multiple institutions including a pre-college class on ecofeminism at Smith College. Burgess holds a BA in environmental studies and studio art, and an MA in international environmental policy. Her doctorate in ecopsychology focuses on pedagogy as a means of transforming climate trauma into eco resilience. 

For general inquiries please contact the admissions team: infor@fus.edu

*Disclaimer: This programme requires fees paid to the organiser. The information provided is for your information only. The school does not endorse any of the programmes / courses and we are not responsible for the quality of the experience.)