Conference Program

In recent years, the concept of Learning Cities has emerged as a significant policy and practice framework for strengthening democratic participation through lifelong learning. Developed within the policy architecture of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, the learning city approach places learners and communities at the centre of local lifelong learning ecosystems. UNESCO policy frameworks emphasise that learning opportunities should respond to the needs, aspirations, and lived experiences of citizens, thereby fostering inclusive participation and social cohesion (UIL, 2015; UIL, 2021).

This paper explores how Learner Voice is enacted within learning city ecosystems through the practice of learning festivals, which represent distinctive civic spaces where adult learners, educators, civil society organisations, and local authorities collaboratively shape lifelong learning opportunities. Learning festivals are typically developed through participatory processes in which programme themes and activities emerge from learners’ interests, community initiatives, and local organisations. In this way, they provide concrete mechanisms for bottom-up participation and democratic engagement in adult learning. (O Tauma, 2016)

The study investigates how learner needs and experiences influence the design and organisation of learning festivals and related lifelong learning initiatives in selected European learning cities. The comparative study adopts a qualitative approach across three national contexts: Cork and Limerick (Ireland), Pécs and Szombathely (Hungary), and Trieste and Cividale del Friuli (Italy). These cities represent diverse yet interconnected examples of learning city development within European lifelong learning policy networks. (UIL, 2017)

Methodologically, the research employs autobiographical inquiry in the form of in-depth qualitative interviews with adult learners, organisers of learning festivals, and coordinators of local lifelong learning initiatives. By foregrounding the lived experiences of participants, the study explores how learners perceive recognition, participation, and agency within these learning ecosystems. Particular attention is given to how learner input shapes programme design, institutional collaboration, and community engagement in local learning initiatives.

The paper also situates these practices within their broader socio-political context. In several contemporary societies, opportunities for participatory democracy are under pressure due to increasing political centralisation and democratic backsliding. In such contexts—illustrated for example by recent developments in Hungary—spaces for civic participation within formal political structures may be narrowing. Lifelong learning initiatives embedded in local communities, such as learning festivals, can therefore acquire additional significance as alternative arenas of democratic participation, where citizens can articulate their voices, share experiences, and actively contribute to shaping the social and cultural life of their communities.(Németh, 2019)

By examining learning festivals as spaces of democratic participation, the paper contributes to debates on learner’s voice and democratic learning in adult education. It argues that learning city initiatives can function as educational commons, where citizens co-create learning opportunities and where participation in learning becomes intertwined with participation in civic life.