Dublin City Council presented with Global Award for Culture Engagement

Dublin City Council has been presented by The World Organisation of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) with a prize as the winners of the Global Award for Culture Engagement.

This international award recognises the work of  Dublin City Council & DCC Culture Company and their innovative responses to providing creative and cultural opportunities in Dublin.

The award was presented at an event in Mexico City to Her Excellency Maeve Von Heynitz, Irish Ambassador to Mexico.

The award was from Agenda 21, the cultural arm of UCLG. Every two years it hosts an international conference and award in recognition for a City in the area of Cultural Policies and the promotion of Cultural Rights.

The prize was awarded as recognition of the investment Dublin City Council made establishing and supporting the Culture Company to focus on work that at its heart is about cultural rights.

Lord Mayor of Dublin, Caroline Conroy said, “On behalf of the people of Dublin, and colleagues in Dublin City Council, I am proud to accept this major global award.

“The innovative approach of the Culture Company to make culture more accessible to everyone in our city now firmly informs our policies, our development plans and our aspirations for Dublin City. Thank you to the UCLG jury and thank you to the City of Mexico.”

The Dublin City Council Culture Company runs historic and cultural buildings and initiatives across the city with, and for, the people of Dublin.

They collaborate with people, communities, cultural organisations, businesses, and Dublin City Council to embed cultural experiences and increase cultural participation throughout Dublin.

Dublin City Council provides the funding, infrastructure and support to enable their work throughout the city.

Iseult Dunne, CEO of The Culture Company says “Our mission has always been to engage with people and communities through conversation and culture because we know that when people feel connected to their communities, they feel safer, stronger, and are healthier.

“It is vital that cultural actions and cultural policy supports the endeavours of communities, of makers, of festivals and of cultural institutions to make culture and heritage an intrinsic part of people’s lives.

“This International award is an important validation of our work and now thanks to this award our people-first approach is now a model for local community cultural engagement on the international stage. At the heart of this Award are the people involved. And thanks to all of those people, participants, artists and makers, cultural spaces and places and the City Council.”

Dublin won the overall Global Award for Culture Engagement for its AWE programme, a new model of connecting people with culture through ‘Accessibility, Wellbeing and Evidence’.

Devised by the Culture Company, it puts the people of Dublin at the centre of cultural policy through direct collaboration.

The Culture Company runs programmes in neighbourhoods, cultural spaces and places in Dublin city that contribute to cultural engagement of those who live there.

Its unique approach is one of continuous collaboration; listen to learn what is important to people, then in response, programme culture in the local areas based on what is heard, test new models and activities and finally maintain communications to ensure that the work stays relevant and of interest to the people of the city.

The Culture Company has researched and devised case studies to follow the impact of cultural participation on people, and the role it can play in our lives and our communities.

It is hoped this will allow for more of this kind of approach to projects and programmes in the city not only from the Culture Company, but also from others.

A statement from the awards Jury includes:  “The Jury commends the innovative and resolute work of the Culture Company. Through listening and creating responsive actions to improve accessibility and inclusion, more ways into culture during the pandemic were created. The methodology of ‘AWE’ has not only ensured the cultural rights of citizens during the pandemic and beyond, but it included extensive research that could be considered as a benchmark for other cities.”

The Award is presented by UCLG and occurs as part of the The UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – Mondiacult 2022. This International high profile event sees the key decision makers in Cities and Governments around the world discuss the importance of culture to the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, agreed by the international community as a common aspirational roadmap.

The work of Dublin City Council Culture Company will be presented and discussed at several roundtables and meetings over the course of the conference.