How we work: Learning Cycles

Dublin City Council Culture Company makes this happen by building an environment where we remove obstacles, by encouraging participation and by creating sustainable ways to include culture into the daily habits of people’s lives in a more meaningful and personal way.

So where does the Culture Company start its journey to develop, deliver and evaluate the work that we do and the programmes we deliver? It’s a circular journey - one that is very much grounded in the science of the Learning Cycle where we experience, learn, think and act. We place people at the centre of everything we do. Through our people first approach we ensure that our work is guided by our values of participation, partnership, relevance, capacity building and quality and that we are constantly learning from how people respond to the work that we do. Read more here.

Our first step is how will people find out about the creative opportunities we offer? Where will they find this first piece of information that sparks the curiosity to take part? The work of engagement happens across all members of the Culture Company team no matter what team you work in - it is everyone’s role to invite people into our work by listening to the things they tell us and responding with nuggets of cultural opportunities that may spark their interest. For people who are already familiar with the work we do, their word of mouth is invaluable as they have come along, participated in a programme, found it rewarding and want others to share in similar experiences.

Once we have sparked that interest, we need to do the thinking to make it as easy as possible to join in. Whether that is making the website and booking process clear and simple; providing simple directions to our locations; or using language that is inviting and easily understood? All of these considerations make the person’s journey from ‘thinking this may be for me’ to ‘making the decision to join in’ a more approachable and inclusive thing.

First impressions count so the welcome is important, inviting people in and helping them get comfortable in the space or the cultural experience they are about to have. We work with artists and cultural makers whose creative process is grounded in facilitation. We build in the time to ensure that listening and learning is a necessary ingredient for working with people, to ensure that people’s voices and experience are central to what they make.

Safeguarding the time for reflection after you’ve been on the visit or participated in a workshop is an important step in the Learning Cycle. This space for people to talk about what they’ve experienced, reflect on what they’ve learned or enjoy what they’ve been part of is necessary. The space for conversation deepens the understanding of a shared experience, strengthens people’s sense of belonging and ownership of their cultural experience. This conversation can be limited to a few words of what they’ve just been involved in and focus on the journey to the place but its value is it being another moment of connection. We invite people to tell us about their experiences and feedback a few days later to allow their thoughts settle. This feedback is important for us to learn where we’ve succeeded and where we need to do more work.

The Learning Cycle closes the circle and begins anew again when people share their thoughts and experiences with others. Telling their own stories, may lead to sparking the interest of their friends and families, encouraging them to join in doing it again, but ultimately bringing them closer to trying out new things and starting their own discovery of additional cultural opportunities across the City.

And so the cultural journey continues through all of the opportunities to explore ‘a Dublin where culture connects everything and everyone’.