• Learning Cities

Political divisions, climate, change, economic pressures, mass movements of people, wars, humanitarian crises…. In these tumultuous times we see numerous harsh and rigid reactions born out of fear. We call upon ourselves to do better; to act not out of fear, but rather out of our experiential knowledge and conviction that humans can be agents of change in ways that are positive and constructive.

Many are drawn to learning city endeavors with a desire to cultivate ecosystems of learning in their local communities and beyond, setting their sights on nested realms of human society.  Acting from convictions, hope and good thinking—or at least suspending disbelief—we can join together to accentuate our common humanity. We can collaborate for solutions, listen to learn and to demonstrate genuine interest amidst differences, rather than fear. [Cue interlude from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical, Cinderella, the song “Impossible!”]

Impossible! But the world is full of zanies and fools
Who don't believe in sensible rules
And won't believe what sensible people say
And because these daft and dewey-eyed dopes keep building up impossible hopes
Impossible things are happening every day!

When we gather in early November for the working group sessions on learning cities, we can use our face-to-face opportunities to reframe and strategize together about how to support changemaking not only in our local communities, but also amongst our communities around the world.

In Ireland among communities and in working partnerships there is still evidence of a trace of the concept of ‘Meitheal’ (Meh-hal) in action. ‘Meitheal’ is a Gaelic word for a practice that originated among small family farms in rural Ireland with limited resources, and without machinery, where neighbouring farm families would come together to save the harvest for each other.  On each occasion the families would then share food and celebrate together in the evenings after the work was done.  It speaks to an acceptance that no-one is an island and that large complex tasks can only be tackled by taking an approach of supportive partnership, rather than competition.

In advance of our working group session, we posit three questions as starting points for our conversations.

1. What is your “why”? That is, why are you involved in learning cities? What is the change you are working to bring about?
2. What is one story, historical event, ascribed national characteristic, myth or value which resonates with many in your country’s culture? How might that trope or symbol be held up as a light calling people to activate the Irish concept of Meitheal, or as Abraham Lincoln said, “the better angels of our natures”?
3. What does it mean to be human and humane in turbulent times? How do we support one another across geographies and across cultures to advance changes of heart and mindsets for learning pathways to peace and sustainability together?

Finally, as OPTIONAL further food for thought, we suggest to go through a report from the Frameworks Institute called, Mindset Shifts: What are they? Why do they matter? How do they happen? (https://www.frameworksinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FRAJ8064-Mindset-Shifts-200612-WEB.pdf)

To prepare groundwork prior to the convening in Florence, we can meet together online before then to discuss what we’d hope to see as outcomes of the Learning City Working Group. We’ll consider possibilities such as joint projects, collaborative research, coalition formation, and collective learning opportunities—as well as emergent ideas arising in our virtual gathering.

Promoter: 

North American Alliance of Learning Cities - NAALC                       

Chairs of Panel: 

Annalisa Raymer, North American Alliance of Learning Cities-NAALC

Margaret Shanahan, North American Alliance of Learning Cities-NAALC                         

Discussant: 

Balázs Németh, Pécs Learning City, Hungary, Member of the IACE Hall of Fame

Contributors:

AAaon Benavot, University at Albany

Carmel Berendi, University of Pécs, Hungary

Aaron Benavot, University of Albany, State University of New York, Member of the IACE Hall of Fame 

Gumpanat Boriboon, Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand

Anna Delort, Catalan Association for Education, Training and Research, Spain

Kristina Erkkilä, ASEM LLL Hub, Finland

Karen Evans, University College London, United Kingdom

Rosa Maria Falgàs Casanovas, ACEFIR,  Spain, Member of the IACE Hall of Fame 

Uwe Gartenschläger, European Association for the Education of Adults, Germany, Member of the IACE Hall of Fame

Shibao Guo, University of Calgary

Per Paludan Hansen, Danish Adult Education Association, Denmark, Member of the IACE Hall of Fame

Elizabeth Lange, Institute of Sustainable Futures University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Pascal Paschoud, Eucen-Formation Continue UNIL-EPFL, Switzerland

Francesc Pedró, UNESCO Institute for Higher Education, Venezuela

Roberta Piazza, University of Catania, Italy

Peter Psaras, WWTC, University of Oklahoma

Meilu Sun, East China Normal University, China

Magda Trantallidi, Greece

Alan Tuckett, University of Wolverhampton, Member of the IACE Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame Mentor:

Arne Carlsen, Denmark, Co-Chair of Hall of Fame-Europe