ALCN AGM – 20 May 2025

The ALCN Annual Report was presented at our AGM. We also had a wonderful presentation by Hannah Pia Baral, CEO, ACE Aotearoa. Details below.

ALCN Annual Report 2023/2025

This Annual Report summarizes the work of ALCN Inc. and our place-based learning cities and learning communities over the period May 2024 until May 2025.

The ALCN is incredibly proud that our members include all four Australian UNESCO Learning Cities members – the City of Canning in Western Australia, Circular Head Council in Tasmania, the cities of Melton and Wyndham in Victoria.

Full details of the incredible work of our members are highlighted in the report. Read about Melton’s revamped Online Learning Directory, a case study on Circular Head as a regional and rural UNESCO Learning City, Tamworth Regional Council’s Cultural Plan, the City of Canning becoming a more Dementia Friendly City, PAE’s vision to become a Welcoming Liveable City: Made by People, Ballarat’s STEM program, Wollongong’s journey to develop a Learning City Strategy for 2025-2029, the initiatives in Brimbank to support all life stages with learning and community development, and Wyndham’s incredible summary of achievements in addressing actions in the Learning Community Strategy 2024-2025.

Download the ALCN Annual Report here: ALCN Annual Report 2024/2025 ALCN_Annual Report_2025FINAL

AGM Presentation

Hannah Pia Baral, CEO, ACE Aotearoa, and an experienced leader in adult education, shared an in-depth update on the state of Adult and Community Education (ACE) in New Zealand, highlighting the sector’s history, current challenges, strategic priorities, and future opportunities. She emphasised the importance of lifelong learning, equity, and innovation — particularly the integration of AI and ancestral intelligence in education.

Hannah’s presentation is available here ACE Aotearoa ALCN AGM presentation and a video presentation here [link to ALCN Learning Forum Adult and Community Education in Aotearoa New Zealand ]

Ripples MARCH Newsletter 2025 (Issue 1/2025)

The ALCN Ripples Newsletter for March 2025 provides a summary of lifelong learning festivals and projects. Commencing with Brimbank’s Writers and Readers Festival (13-22 March); the next ALCN Learning Forum on 28 March; a Special Interest Group meeting on Learning Festivals on 22 May; an online meeting about Rural and Regional Learning Initiatives featuring the regional city of Ballarat, Victoria on 9 May and much more.

Feedback and contributions for the next edition of the newsletter is welcome.

The March 2025 newsletter is here with past issues available here.

Connecting Urban and Rural Learning Initiatives – PASCAL Learning Cities Network (LCN) 

The aim of this informal network is to examine the distinctive learning needs of regional, rural, and remote communities to find ways in which learning city initiatives, and linkages to urban communities, can support learning development and sustainable community building, that addresses the particularity of smaller places.

In May’s meeting Joanne Lockwood, Ballarat Libraries and Lifelong Learning Team, introduced members to the lifelong learning profile of Ballarat – a vibrant regional town in Victoria, Australia. A copy of her presentation is here. Ballarat Learning Profile 2025 Update (PPTX) OR Ballarat Learning Profile 2025 Update (PDF)

Next meeting: Thursday 26 June 2025 at 9 pm (AEST)
Kay Delahunt, Manager Cultural and Community Services, Tamworth Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia will present on providing library services to a network of small towns.

Email alcn@bigpond.com if you are interested in attending.

Presentation at the 17 PASCAL International Observatory Conference at Taipei 4-6 July 2024

Associate Professor Jose Roberto Guevara (Robbie), RMIT University presented on behalf Diane Tabbagh, Wyndham City Council and myself on the topic of Evolving frameworks to analyze the vital actions of Australian placed-based learning cities and learning communities. A copy of our presentation can be downloaded from here. PASCAL ALCN Taipei Evolving frameworks July 2024 -FINAL

Report on the Learning Festival Webinar – 18 July 2024

A panel of speakers from Cork and Limerick (Republic of Ireland), Wyndham (Australia), and Durban (South Africa) – members of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities and the PASCAL International Observatory’s Learning Cities Networks – shared over 28 years collective experiences of hosting Learning Festivals.

Moderated by Adult Learning Australia, and with an opening address from PASCAL International Observatory, this webinar aimed to facilitate learning and the exchange of experiences among learning cities.

We received very positive feedback, for example,

• It was great to hear about different approaches, especially from overseas colleagues. Good to hear the passion of the lifelong learning movement. Thank you.

A major outcome is that the Wyndham Team will expand its Special Interest Group on Learning Festivals to include more Australian and International Learning City partners! Email Sharyn Wheatcroft  – Sharyn.Wheatcroft@wyndham.vic.gov.au if you are interested in participating.

Watch the recording by going to the Wyndham Learning City Resources page and opening up the Australian Learning Cities Network tag.

Report on ALCN Learning Forum – Capturing Learner’s Stories

This forum was led by Sharyn Wheatcroft, Learning Community Officer, Wyndham City Council.

The purpose of the forum was to explore methods to amplify learner voices, share impactful case studies, and discuss practical strategies for lifelong learning initiatives.

Three case studies from LearNWest, Learning for Earning, and RMIT highlighted effective ways to engage learners and support community-driven learning pathways.

Summary notes of the forum can be downloaded here ALCN Capturing the Learners Voice Supporting Lifelong Learning Pathways – SUMMARY NOTES – 2025-03-28

A copy of Sharyn’s presentation is available here ALCN Learning Forum – Capturing the Learners Voice – 28 March 2025

Report on the Circular Head Learning Forum held on 20 February

Tony McGillvery, Manager, Study Centre Circular Head, provided a background on Circular Head, North West Tasmania which is a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.

You can find out about the demographics of the region; the economy; the formal and informal learning infrastructure, and the importance of having a Regional University Study Hub (Study Hub Circular Head) by downloading a background paper here:

Circular Head Case Study

Tony’s presentation is available here:

ALCN PresentationCircula Head

Dr Leone Wheeler, Hon CEO of the ALCN ALCN invited to ASEAN+3 Regional Learning Cities Conference – 29-30 October 2024 (Bangkok, Thailand).

Photo: Dr Leone Wheeler with Dr Rika Yorozu, Program Specialist for Education, UNESCO Regional Office, Bangkok.

I was honoured to be invited to present at this conference on Successful Strategies of the Networking Activities of Australian Learning Cities and Learning Communities by the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok (UNESCO Bangkok) in collaboration with the Program Management Unit on Area Based Development (PUM A) of Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, together with the Equitable Education Fund (EEF) of Thailand; the Ministry of Education; Bangkok Learning City; TK Park and the Office of Knowledge Management and Development (OKMD).

The aim of the conference is to provide invaluable opportunities for cities in the region to learn from the experiences of their regional counterparts by providing examples of how these cities accelerated their own progress in fostering lifelong learning and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Education 2030 Agenda – particularly SDG 4: Quality Education, and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

A full report is available here ASEAN_3 Report to ALCN Executive.

Report on recent Learning Forums

ALCN Learning Forum on Community/Learning Needs Analysis held on 10 October 2024:

Introduction & Context:

The session was chaired by Joanne Lockwood, Coordinator at Ballarat Library and Learning, who introduced the forum by highlighting the importance of community engagement before developing a formal Learning Framework. The session was informal, with an emphasis on sharing experiences related to community and learning needs analysis. Joanne was particularly interested in learning from others as she begins her own community engagement efforts for Ballarat.

Further discussion on the topic and a list of resources can be found here ALCN Learning Forum on Community Learning Needs Analysis – Summary – 10 October 2024

Climate Resilience, Sustainability and Regeneration: Community Education and Action – 24 October 2024

The forum showcased the practical Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) work of the UNESCO Learning City of Melton, Victoria, alongside initiatives from Port Adelaide Enfield (PAE) and the Living Lightly Locally project in South Australia, which partnered with the Burnside and Mount Barker Councils.

Resources:

• A summary of the discussionsALCN Climate Resilience Sustainability and Regeneration – Forum – 2024-10-24
• Climate Resilience Projects at PAE Libraries – Gen Green and Council Collaboration – Presentation by Benita Parsons PAE Climate Resilience in template 2024
• The City of Melton Learning Festival 2024 Presentation (Ms Sylvia Velez) LF Melton ALCN 241024
• Living Lightly Locally for Regenerative Regions Presentation (Dr Keri Hopeward, Uni SA) LLL – Climate Education Forum Final
• Menti Meter Summary ALCN Climate Reslience Forum Menti Meter