Belfast celebrates new agreement with the Irish Network of Learning Cities
Belfast Trust Health Improvement Team has been involved in an innovative five city agreement that will improve health and well being outcomes.
The Lord Mayor of Belfast has hosted a delegation from Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Derry City and Strabane District Council to renew their commitment to promote learning across all five cities and city regions.
Dignitaries and representatives from the Irish Network of Learning Cities travelled from across Ireland to sign up to an extended five-year period of collaboration to use learning to improve the lives of all citizens.
Welcoming the delegates to City Hall, Lord Mayor Councillor Michael Long said: “I am delighted to host the Lord Mayors and Mayors representing the Irish Network of Learning Cities in Belfast today to reaffirm our joint pledge to work together to share best practice on all things related to lifelong and life-wide learning.
“Through this renewed Memorandum of Understanding we promise to support, inspire and share good practice with a focus on building learning cities based on the principles of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.
“The importance of building a learning city cannot be underestimated, especially in the wake of the pandemic. We believe that by working together to nurture a culture of learning across all aspects of life, we can empower all our citizens to improve their quality of life and in turn build stronger and healthier communities.
“Since signing the original agreement in 2019, we have built strong foundations as a network and look forward to further collaboration to celebrate learning and shine a spotlight on the achievements of all learners. We are very much looking forward to the next five years.”
Belfast became a member of UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2018, joining a network of over 200 cities around the world committed to using learning to improve the lives of their citizens by sharing good practice, creative solutions and ideas in addressing key concerns that impact society.
BHSCT has been a key driver in the development of Belfast as a learning city. The Health Improvement Team has been at the forefront of ensuring that the health and wellbeing agenda is firmly at the core of Belfast Learning City. A full time Lead Officer for the initiative is part of the sustained support provided by the HI Team since 2012.
Bryan Nelson, Co-Director Public Health, commented on the importance of lifelong learning in promoting health and well-being, “Opportunities to gain confidence, knowledge and skills to develop healthy lifestyles are crucial to individuals, families and communities. We are very proud to be involved in building a learning city that promotes and values a culture of lifelong learning that improves quality of life and boosts confidence and self-esteem.”
Belfast was awarded the UNESCO Learning City Award in 2021.
For more information on Belfast Learning City, please visit Belfast Learning City (sharepoint.com)