Dublin Learning City launches their FREE hybrid Learning Festival for 2022!

Dublin Learning City is proud to launch the Dublin Learning City Festival 2022, a fantastic free event to celebrate and promote learning for all through over 200 fun and creative events. The Festival will run from the 4th to 6th April 2022, with a mix of virtual and in person events. Dublin Learning City will focus on the theme of All Welcome to participate and promote lifelong learning among a variety of different groups in Dublin city and the greater Dublin area.

The aim of the Dublin Learning City initiative is to ensure that education and learning is accessible and free for all individuals, regardless of age or cultural background, in traditional and non-traditional settings. The initiative also aims to revitalise learning within families and communities, enable effective learning for the workplace, create a vibrant culture of learning and most importantly, enhance the quality of learning opportunities available in the city.

The Festival will feature a wide range of tours, workshops, exhibitions, talks and many other activities for attendees to enjoy. In order to create a diverse programme that includes a range of subjects of traditional and non-traditional learning, Dublin Learning City have invited individuals, organisations and companies from all over Dublin to take part in this year’s festival with all types of events for all ages.

Dublin was established as a Learning City as defined by UNESCO in 2019 and received the UNESCO Learning City Award in 2021. In collaboration with Dublin City Council and other educational and community stakeholders, Dublin Learning City aims to deliver and co-ordinate the programme’s concept across Dublin city, including the Dublin City Learning Festival promoting learning for all.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Allison Gilliland stated, “I am pleased to offer my full support for the Dublin Learning City Festival. Dublin is an incredible and vibrant city with enormous opportunities for all citizens to learn. I believe that learning is the key to transforming the community and that the citizens of Dublin will find great benefits from the empowerment, prosperity and development that learning allows. I hope, through the Dublin Learning City Festival, that citizens of all backgrounds will find the joy in learning and acquiring new skills.

Denise McMorrow, Co-Chair of Dublin Learning City stated, “After an entirely virtual event in 2021, we are delighted to welcome back the Dublin Learning City Festival as a hybrid festival with a wide range of interesting and educational activities for many areas of interests. Dublin is a city for all and we strive to establish lifelong learning for every background. The Dublin Learning City Project aims at promoting equal access to education across Dublin.”

Sean Delaney Co-Chair of Dublin Learning City continued, “The Dublin Learning City Festival highlights the amazing opportunities that the citizens of Dublin have right at their doorstep. From workshops and tours to talks and webinars, Dublin Learning City Festival aims to create a fun and educational learning experience for all. We are thrilled to collaborate with incredible educational centres across the city to promote lifelong learning.”

Dr Anna Kelly, Director, UCD Access & Lifelong Learning and Chair of the PATH Cluster of Colleges, who collaborate to promote access to higher education by building a clearer ‘picture of possibilities’ for all. The Dublin Learning City Festival is a most important event to highlight education possibilities and Dr Kelly paid tribute to IADT, MIE, NCAD, TCD, RCSI and UCD, for their work to deliver this impressive festival of learning. She said, ‘I am proud of the Festival and feel confident that by working collectively, we can reach and welcome all to enjoy the wider benefits of learning’.

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. It 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