Following the success of last year’s first fully virtual festival, Limerick’s Lifelong Learning Festival returns this month with an even greater choice of events. This year’s festival, which runs from 24 - 30 May, marks the 11th year of the popular festival. With a theme of New Futures, New Adventures in Learning, and over 100 free online learning activities for people to enjoy, it has plenty to offer those seeking to learn something new.
Using live-streamed events, panel discussions, interactive webinar workshops, and pre-recorded learning sessions, the Festival boasts a diverse range of topics including: Technology, Art, Wellbeing, Gardening, Cooking, Language Taster Sessions, Mindful Walking, Coding for Kids, The Workplace of 2030 and even Adventures with Chicken Pizza.
Speaking at the Festival launch in Merchant’s Quay this morning (Mon 10 May 2021) Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, Cllr Michael Collins said: “This year’s festival provides a timely opportunity to reflect on the many innovative ways we have been continuing to engage in learning over the last year, while also exploring how learning will continue to bring us on new adventures in the future.”
“We can do it anywhere, as the various lockdowns over the last year have highlighted to us so clearly. We have all expanded the ways in which we can access learning and have met these new opportunities for learning with great enthusiasm”.
The flagship event of the Festival is a Panel Discussion with Limerick’s Learning Ambassadors taking place on the first day of the Festival, which will provide a great opportunity to hear about the positive impact of learning from people who have embraced lifelong learning in their daily lives.
The Festival showcases the role of learning throughout our lives, and the discussion will bring this to life as they tell their story of learning adventures. This event promises to be an exciting way to kick off the festival.
The public again has so much to choose from this year across the week, and, as it is online, they can join events from wherever they are.
Learning Limerick is also a proud member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.
Eimear Brophy, Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, Chairperson of the Learning Limerick Steering Group, said: “We are delighted to again showcase Limerick as a superb UNESCO Learning Region for both educational and business development. This year once more, we are connecting through various digital formats with learners, right across our region and from our partner UNESCO Learning Cities globally.
"Providing the festival as a virtual one offers the added opportunity of attendees from Limerick’s partner Learning Cities all around the world logging on to join the multiple programme events online. There truly is something to appeal to everyone.”
A full list of events for each day is available on www.limerick.ie/LoveLearning.