Knowing Dublin is a programme designed to promote active citizenship among the young people of Dublin.

It is aimed at 2nd and 3rd Year CPSE (Civic Social and Political Education) and history students and comprises a published and on-line guide and a free programme of workshops for classes.

The workshops are held in City Hall. The students will meet either an elected representative or a council official in the Council Chamber, where they will be given the opportunity to see where the Councillors hold their meetings. The speaker will give them an over-view of the roles played by both parts of the Council, including the services provided by the Council, the work of elected representatives, and the role of Lord Mayor. Emphasis will be placed on raising awareness of the impact of the Council’s work on the day-to-day life of those who live in the city.

A short (approx 6 minutes) video on how the local authority works will also be shown. This will be followed by an interactive session with the students, with a question and answer session, and if time allows, a quiz and role-playing exercise.

The group will then be brought down to the Rotunda and given a brief talk on the history of City Hall. Afterwards, the students will have free access to the City Hall exhibition, a multimedia presentation that covers the changes the city of Dublin has experienced over the centuries, with particular emphasis on its civic government. The students will have the opportunity to see the City Treasures such as the Great Sword and Mace. An answer sheet in Treasure Hunt format will be made available to them in order to give them a focus for their tour.

In advance of the visit, we will supply you with further information, including a glossary of terms that can be used to prepare the class for the visit.

The visit normally lasts approximately 50 minutes, but can be tailored to the needs of your group if your time is limited.

The Knowing Dublin programme was initiated by Dublin City Libraries in October 2008, and operates as a joint initiative delivered by City Council staff and elected representatives. In the workshops there is an emphasis on encouraging the students to interact with the speakers and to think about issues of local democracy and citizenship. To date, there has been a most positive and enthusiastic response from both the students and the teachers who have participated in the sessions.

Dublin City Public Libraries acknowledges the support of the Association CSPE Teachers (ACT) for this programme.  www.actonline.ie  

The first of the workshops for the new school year in the Knowing Dublin series will be held from October 2009. If you are interested in participating please contact:

Bernadette Cogan
Central Library,
Ilac Centre

01 8734333
centrallibrary@dublincity.ie