We have had an excellent response up to this point, but it is still possible to register for the 15th PASCAL Conference up to 10 August. You may use this link, which also will give you the opportunity to chose the main hotel option directly. Alternatively please complete the attached registration form, and return to [email protected].

PASCAL Observatory is pleased to announce the Programme for the 15^th PASCAL International Conference to be co-organised and hosted by the Gyeonggi Do Provincial Institute for Lifelong Learning (GILL) and the Korean Academic Society for Lifelong Education from 30 August -1 September at Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea. The main theme of the Conference is “Learning Cities, Learning Societies and the Sustainable Development Goals: Connecting Research, Policy and Practice”. 

The conference is supported by the Korean National Institute for Lifelong Education, Korean National Commission for UNESCO, and the Korean Society for the Study of Lifelong Education. 

This conference revisits the concept of learning cities and learning societies within the perspective of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), while keeping in focus the critical dimensions that are shaping, and are shaped by, our cities today. The SDGs provide a global framework that can guide learning, because these goals are a universal call to action - to end poverty, care for the planet, and ensure peace and equitable development, not just for the few, but committed to ‘no one left behind’.

Shirley Walters (South Africa) will speak on the main theme Learning Cities and Societies and the SDGs: Connecting Research, Policy and Practice drawing on her extensive experience in popular education and learning cities.

Soonghee Han (Republic of Korea) will also speak on this main theme from the perspective of his extensive experience in Asia

Michael Osborne (UK) will deliver the closing keynote weaving the different conference contributions and experiences in "Glocalized" Learning: Weaving Research, Policy and Practice.

15th PASCAL Conference in in collaboration with the ‘5th Global Forum for Lifelong Education in Korea’, Suwon

The PASCAL Observatory, the Gyeonggi Do Provincial Institute for Lifelong Learning (GILL) and the Korean Academic Society for Lifelong Education invite scholars, local government officials, advocates and researchers who are actively engaged in the ideas, policies and practice to attend the conference. Because of the great generosity of our hosts, there will be no conference fee, although delegates will have to pay for accommodation and their travel to the event, and for lunch and dinner on day 1 only. All other catering is provided by our hosts.

The conference is supported by the Korean National Institute for Lifelong Education, Korean National Commission for UNESCO, and the Korean Society for the Study of Lifelong Education. 

Three sub-themes and respective leaders have been identified to help facilitate the conversations and field visits as they relate to the overall theme.

The sub theme leaders and their respective themes are...

• Roberta Piazza (Italy) on A: Sustaining Learning City Networks

SDG 17 identifies the importance of working in partnership if we are to successfully achieve all of the SDGs. These partnerships are often manifested through both formal and informal networks of learning cities across the world. While the emergence of digital communications have made the process of networking easier, the issue of sustaining networks continues to be a challenge for those individuals and institutions involved. The conference aims to explore these challenges associated with establishing and sustaining networks and how these networks can more effectively contribute to achieving the goals of learning cities within the context of the SDGs.

• Dorothy Lucardie (Australia) on B: Lifelong Learning as the key to solving community problems

SDG 4 is committed to “Ensuring equitable access and quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.” However, it is acknowledged that none of the SDGs will be achieved without some form of education and learning, not just across the lifespan but across formal, non-formal and informal learning. This also acknowledges that the learning necessary to address current local community problems will require that we learn across disciplines; that the government, civil society and the private sector learn to work more collaboratively, and that local problems are understood within the context of global realities. The concept and practice of Learning Cities, combined with life-long, life-wide and life-deep learning will be a key to addressing these community problems. During the conference, we hope to unlock these principles of lifelong learning from current practice.

• Peter Kearns (Australia) on C: Learning in Later Life

Demographic change with ageing populations in many countries has posed a broad spectrum of issues for these countries including labour force and employment issues, and financial, social and health issues that bear on quality of life and the sustainability of present policies. East Asia is at the frontier of these issues which are most advanced in Japan and with the Republic of Korea also addressing the transition dilemmas raised by these demographic shifts. Learning in later life is central to the spectrum of issues and puts a new gloss on traditional ideas about lifelong learning and the policies and practices to give effect to this objective. This sub-theme will consider responses to the challenge of demographic change across the countries represented at the conference in a search for insights and lessons that can benefit all countries. The key issues will be ways of addressing disadvantage of all kinds so that the inclusion and equity objectives confirmed as in the recent UNESCO Cork Call to Action can be achieved; enhancing quality in later life learning; and promoting collaboration in learning including learning across generations. The roles of bodies such as Elder Universities, U3As, learning neighbourhoods and villages, and civil society will be considered.

The conference aims to create a platform where dialogue between students, researchers, advocates and local government officials, together with representatives from civil society organisations, the academe, and the private sector can occur to advance our knowledge of how policies and practices associated with learning cities can better respond to these urgent local realities. Together we will examine research, policy and practice in the light of shared global problems and prospective solutions, not only for the individual but also for institutional and organisational learning.

This has been a limited call for papers and presentations as the organisers are committed to a conference that embodies constructive conversations that allow sufficient time for the participants to exchange experiences and identify lessons relevant for their own future practice. Therefore the organisers and the sub-theme leaders have reviewed and screened submissions based criteria that ensures a balance of perspectives from policy, research and practice; a range of local stories that link to the global realities; the voices of different key players representing different institutions, ideas that provide a unique contribution to the conversations on the theme and sub-themes.

We have also prepared some Briefing Papers on topics relevant to the conference, the majority of which have been translated into Korean and Mandarin. These have been made available on the PASCAL site from time to time, but for convenience, please find a summary of these, and links below.

Learning Initiatives to Connect the Urban and Rural - PASCAL Briefing Paper 9

Developing holistic and integrated learning cities: Health and EcCoWell - PASCAL Briefing Paper 10

Big Data, Lifelong Learning and Learning Cities: Promoting city-discourse on social inequalities in learning - PASCAL Briefing Paper 11

The coming revolution in Public Services: What it means for Cities and Universities - PASCAL Briefing Paper 12 

Learning Later: responding to the evolving educational needs of older people - PASCAL Briefing Paper 13

Integrating happiness in sustainable learning cities - PASCAL Briefing Paper 14

Building entrepreneurship in sustainable learning cities - PASCAL Briefing Paper 15

Learning to be as the core of learning in later life - PASCAL Briefing Paper 16

A benchmarking approach to understanding community engagement and learning cities - PASCAL Briefing Paper 17

VENUE and ACCOMMODATION DETAILS

Venue 

Day 1 and Day 2 Ibis Ambassador, Suwon

Web:  https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6528-ibis-ambassador-suwon/index.shtml

Address: 132 Kwonkwang-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, South Korea

Phone: +82 31-230-5000

Day 3 Ajou University (Buses will take participants to and from their hotels)

Hotels 

Delegates are advised to book their own accommodation directly. 

Main Hotel: Ibis Ambassador, Suwon (approximately US$96 single occupancy with breakfast at current exchange rates)

Web:  https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6528-ibis-ambassador-suwon/index.shtml

Address: 132 Kwonkwang-ro, Paldal-gu, Suwon-si, South Korea

Phone: +82 31-230-5000

Other recommended hotels in the range of US$75-105 single occupancy with breakfast at current exchange rates

Hotel Ilmare (200m from venue)

Web: http://hotelilmareeng.fortour.kr 

Alex72 Hotel (900m from venue)

Location and Travel

Suwon is the provincial capital and largest city in Gyeonggi-do and has a population of just over one million. It is about 30 km from Seoul. 

There are frequent bus services and taxis from Incheon International Airport, and the city is connected by subway (line 1 blue, south), commuter train and bus from Seoul. See https://wikitravel.org/en/Suwon for more details

Registration

To register for the conference you may use this link, which also will give you the opportunity to chose the main hotel option directly. Alternatively please complete the attached registration form, and return to the PASCAL Conference 2018 email: [email protected] and to [email protected]

Preliminary Programme - 15th PASCAL Conference
Suwon, Korea  30 August -1 September 2018