The city of Cork will follow up on its innovative EcCoWell seminar in March during the Tenth Cork Lifelong Learning Festival by hosting an International Seminar on 26-27 September to examine the subject "Cities for the Future : Learning from the Global to the Local". This will be a conference with a difference which will incorporate the conference, a marketplace for Ideas, site visits to local initiatives, and cultural experiences. A good deal is happening with learning ity development this year with the UNESCO International Platform for Learning Cities to be launched in a major conference in Beijing in October, a special learning city issue of the International Review of EDucation due later this year, and with a PASCAL conference on "Cities for the Future" to be held in Hong Kong on 18-20 November. PASCAL has recently inaugurated its Learning Cities 2020 initiative to focus on future directions for Learning Cities.
The Cork International Seminar should be seen in this context in providing an opportunity for those interested in the future role and features of learning cities to participate in an international exchange of views and experience in Europe. Cork welcomes participants from other countries. Speakers at the seminar will include Professor Michael Osborne, PASCAL Director Europe, who has been involved in planning for the UNESCO International Platform for Learning Cities and speakers from European Green Capitals and Healthy Cities.
Cork has been innovative in exploring the EcCoWell approach to more holistic and integrated development of learning cities with its March EcCoWell seminar a significant contribution. As a participant in the March seminar I was impressed with the range of perspectives brought together in the seminar. Cork has ten years of experience in conducting its Lifelong Learning Festival and has much to offer in ways of building a learning culture in a city. I know that Cork welcomes international participants to their September seminar so that I have no hesitationh in commending the seminar to those who wish to participate in a serious exchange on future directions for learning cities in a world of constant change. Those interested in participation may contact Tina Neylon at [email protected] [1]