Smart Docklands, Dublin City Council and CONNECT established the Academy of Near Future to increase the public understanding of the technologies that shape our daily lives.
The Academy of the Near Future is a smart cities education programme being developed by Smart Docklands, Dublin City Council and CONNECT (world leading Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Future Networks and Communications at Trinity College Dublin). The programme is aimed at a wide audience from school students to local authority staff. Our aim is to get more people involved in the conversation about how technology shapes the places we live. Because when a diverse range of people contribute to the development of a smart city or town, the more sustainable and accessible the outcome will be for everyone.
The programme offers participants an introduction into smart city concepts, internet of things (IoT), connectivity technologies and ethical considerations associated with smart cities through exciting interactive workshops, programmes and hands-on activities. We want to hear what people think about how their city or town can be a great place to live, and explore important issues, like protecting our privacy.
Project Activities:
As cities move towards more connected and data-driven infrastructure, it is vital that education opportunities are available to explain the technologies and concepts being used. At the beginning of 2021, the Academy of the Near Future received funding from the Science Foundation Ireland to develop the first stream of the programme, specifically for transition year students. Following a successful first year, the ‘Visoneers’ stream of the programme has been delivered to 1,000 TY students across Dublin, Kildare, Cork, Limerick and Waterford. I n March 2022, 21 TY students joined us for a week-long dive into science, technology, art and innovation as part of our ‘Design Your Future City’ programme’.
Up next, we are developing ‘Optimisers’, our stream designed for local authority staff. Through this stream, we aim to introduce decision makers to data-driven tools and resources and provide local authority employees with the skills necessary to capitalise on technological innovation for public good and positive environmental impact.
The Academy of Near Future programme was shortlisted as a finalist at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2021 in the Living and Inclusion Award Category. This awards the most innovative and successful projects being implemented and developed in relation to inclusive and sharing cities.
Impact:
At the Academy of the Near Future, we are committed to demystifying smart cities to groups currently underserved in STEM outreach, including low-income areas and women and girls. Over the course of the 21/22 academic year, 58% of our workshops took place in DEIS status schools, with a further 62% of participants identifying as female.
Our two-hour workshops produced meaningful impacts for students, improving their understanding of smart cities while enhancing their capacity for creative thinking and idea generation. As part of our evaluation process, we carried out pre- and post-surveys with student participants to understand the impact of workshop delivery.
Prior to any engagement, just 3.3% of students expressed familiarity with smart cities. After a once-off, two-hour workshop this expanded to 57%, while after our week-long ‘Design Your Future City’ programme it jumped to 92.3%. Most impressively, students’ belief in their capacity for problem-solving jumped from 32% pre-engagement to 64.6% after a once-off workshop to 92.4% after a week-long engagement. Such positive feedback from our Visioneers programme is further reinforced by student testimonials with one youth participant stating:
“An insight that I took away from the programme is that others are willing to listen to our ideas— ideas from young people, even if we ourselves think it isn’t a good or practical idea.”
Future Plans:
The team at the Academy of the Near is currently in the process of planning for the upcoming academic year. From September onwards, we will be initiating a citizen science project in 25 secondary schools across Dublin, Kildare, Waterford, Limerick, Galway, Cork and Kerry as part of the European-wide i-CHANGE project. Building on the success of last year, we plan to deepen and expand our existing activities by delivering a three part workshop series for TY students focused on the theme of ‘Active Travel’.
We hope that over the course of this project, students will have a meaningful impact on the environmental challenges faced by their towns and communities – a sentiment underscored by Elaine Nevin, the National Director of ECO Unesco:
“We are excited by the opportunity that the Visioneers programme presents to empower students to address environmental challenges we are passionate about, such as climate change, air pollution and sustainable energy.”
Find out more on our plans for the future here!
If you would like to get your school involved in a workshop or want to learn more about Academy of the Near Future, get in touch at info@nearfuture.ie or visit nearfuture.ie
Click below to watch the most recent Academy of the Near Future Video!
