Three day festival celebrating Lifelong Learning starts today
Dublin Learning City Festival opened today with over 100 educational events
Dublin, 15th April 2024 Dublin Learning City Festival, was officially opened today by Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste at an event in St Andrew’s Resource Centre on Pearse Street. The festival, running from today Monday 15th through to Wednesday 17th April, aims to celebrate the inclusive learning possibilities in Dublin and to showcase the many organisations working to break barriers to education through a wide range of educational events.
Following the Festival’s theme, ‘Free, Fun and For Everyone’, tours, workshops, exhibitions, talks and many other activities that focus on learning will be made accessible to all in Dublin. Organisations that work to promote lifelong learning in the city will open their doors with free events in order to exhibit all traditional and non-traditional opportunities they have on offer.
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Daithí de Róiste officially opening the Festival commented, “Dublin Learning City Festival really showcases the focus and commitment of all involved parties to make Dublin an inclusive city for all w
ho call it home, through the means of education. We must all take the key messages of this week with us throughout the rest of the year and allow for new and old educational opportunities in our community to thrive.”
Katja Roemer, Communications Specialist with UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning commented, “Dublin fully encapsulates what it means to be a UNESCO learning city. The city continuously promotes lifelong learning for all and has many flexible pathways to learning. I am delighted to be present at the Dublin Learning City Festival 2024.”
Dr Seán Delaney, Co-Chair of Dublin Learning City commented, “We hope that Dublin Learning City Festival will further expose all the amazing and wonderful opportunities there are in this city. Learning can be life changing and we want to give everyone that chance. People don’t know what is out there for them and we’re hoping to change that.”
Denise McMorrow, Co-Chair of Dublin Learning City commented, “Our festival’s theme is Free, Fun and For Everyone. All of the events on our festival programme follow this and there is something that is sure to peak everyone’s interest. From tie-dye workshops to roller skating and swing dance classes there is an event for everyone.”
Dublin was established as a Learning City as defined by UNESCO in 2019 and received the UNESCO Learning City Award in 2021. The aim of the Dublin Learning City initiative is to ensure that education and learning is accessible for all individuals, regardless of background.
The project is fully funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) Access Initiative that brings together people and organisations including the main education providers (UCD, TCD, NCAD, Marino Institute, IADT & RCSI) to work targeting socially disadvantaged learners and encourage and support them to take up learning opportunities at all stages of their lives.
Dublin Learning City has a strong partnership with Dublin City Council and the Education and Training Boards. Dublin joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2019. UNESCO GNLC support and improve the practice of lifelong learning in the world’s cities and recognise progress made in building learning cities.
For more information on the Dublin Learning City Festival, visit: www.dublinlearningcity.ie
#DLCFestival2024
About Dublin Learning City
Dublin Learning City is led by the Institute of Art and Design, Dun Laoghaire (IADT) and Marino Institute of Education (MIE), as part of a cluster of six colleges including University College Dublin (UCD), National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). This is a HEA-funded initiative to collaboratively promote and advance equality of access to higher education for under-represented groups. We have a strong partnership with Dublin City Council and we are also working with the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB) and Dublin Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB). We will link a number of online events to support life-long learning and promote the concept of UNESCO Learning Cities for Dublin.
This Consortium includes five projects: Creative Arts Summer School, led by NCAD; Open Learning, led by UCD; Community Mentoring, led by TCD; Dublin Learning City, jointly led by IADT and MIE; the 1916 Bursaries, led by UCD; and Learning Neighbourhoods.
Dublin was established as a Learning City as defined by UNESCO in 2019 and received the UNESCO Learning City Award in 2021.
For more information, visit: www.dublinlearningcity.ie
