Eleven SLWC+ collaborations make societal impact in 2024/2025 pilot

Published: Thursday 1 May 2025 - 12:40

A round table event with people workshopping

At a Roundtable event at our Grangegorman Campus, Technological University Dublin celebrated the 11 Students Learning with Communities + (SLWC+) pilot collaborations that took place during the 2024/2025 academic year.

The event on 30 April gathered together over 70 TU Dublin students, academic and teaching staff, and their collaboration partners to acknowledge their contributions to the pilot programme.

About SLWC+

TU Dublin has a long history of engaging society in education across our three legacy institutions. Since 2008, The Students Learning with Communities programme has supported collaboration between students, academics and external organisations. Over its 15 years duration we estimate that 15,000 students worked with 100’s of collaboration partners across over 45 academic programmes.

The new whole-of-University SLWC+ pilot explores how the earlier Students Learning with Communities (SLWC) programme can evolve. Led by Societal Engagement working with the Sustainability Education team and Partnerships, it is designed to enable co-learning collaborations with partners from government, industry and civil society. Through the programme, TU Dublin students, educators and external organisations work together to explore an aspect of sustainability that matters to them. Through collaboration, Sustainability Action Lab aims to create environments for transformative learning where TU Dublin students can develop and apply their specialist subject skills and knowledge of sustainability in the real-world.

Speaking about the pilot, Vice President for Partnership Thomas Stone said:

Deeply embedded within our region, TU Dublin is uniquely positioned to drive positive societal change through collaborative learning. The Students Learning with Communities + pilot supports our learners, educators and collaboration partners to better understand complex real-word challenges and to deliver real change to improve the lives and experiences of people.

Speaking about the programme Head of Societal Engagement at TU Dublin, Helena Fitzgerald said:

We are delighted to celebrate these impactful collaborations which translate students’ knowledge of their discipline and of sustainability into real-world action and help develop local understandings of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Greater Dublin Region.

Sustainability Action Lab

The SLWC+ pilot is now complete. Building on the legacy of SLWC and responding to TU Dublin's institutional commitment to sustainability the pilot will now become 'Sustainability Action Lab'. This whole-of-University programme integrates a co-creation approach to the identification of the themes and challenges to be addressed through collaboration, and has a specific focus on alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the GreenComp European sustainability competency framework.

SLWC+ 2024/2025 Collaborations

Post – Occupancy Evaluation of Ava Housing Completed Project Case Studies - A School of Architecture Building and Environment collaboration with lecturer Dr Brian Ward, Sustainability Education Lead Dr Ken Boyle, together with collaboration partners at Ava Housing and TU Dublin Masters of Architecture (TU282) students.
Raising awareness of social injustice in communities affected by domestic violence in South Dublin and West Wicklow - A collaboration with School of Marketing and Entrepreneurship lecturers Dr Patricia Medcalf and Hilda Burton and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Lucia Walsh, together with collaboration partners at SAOIRSE and TU Dublin Advertising and Marketing Communications (TU919) and Marketing Management (TU923) students.
Collaboration with Pocket Forests Ireland, Slane Men’s Shed and TU Dublin BSc Sustainable Timber Technology - A collaboration with School of Architecture Building and Environment lecturer Damien Cross and Head of Discipline Joseph Little, Sustainability Education Lead Dr Ken Boyle, together with collaboration partners at Pocket Forests and Slane Men's Shed, and TU Dublin Sustainable Timber Technology students.
Speaking Up! - A collaboration with the School of Social Sciences Law and Education lecturer Dr Niall Hanlon and Dr Margaret Fingleton, and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Olivia Freeman, together with collaboration partners WALK and Second Year TU Dublin Social Care (TU996) students.
Nourishing Communities - Collaboration Between Dietetic Students and Community Partners - A collaboration with the School of Biological Health and Sports Sciences lecturers Dr Aileen Kennedy and Dr Eileen O'Brien and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Olivia Freeman, together with collaboration partners at TU Dublin Healthy Campus, St Paul's CBS, CBS James Street, An Goirtín Hub, and UN Veterans, Arbour Hill, and third year TU Dublin Human Nutrition & Dietetics (TU870/3) students.
SuSTECHTOUR - Student and community multi-media co-creation of accessible information on sustainability for visitors whilst capturing the regenerative potential of tourism - A collaboration with the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management lecturers Dr Catherine Gorman and Jennifer Stewart and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Olivia Freeman, together with collaboration partners in the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Chapelizod Old Village Association’s (COVA), Dublin 20 Tidy Towns, and TU Dublin students from Tourism Management (TU747), Tourism and Digital Marketing (TU953) and Languages & International Tourism (TU967).
Educating 21st Century Horticulturists in an integrated education programme - A collaboration with the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, Horticulture lecturer Rachel Freeman and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Olivia Freeman, together with collaboration partners AVISTA and TU Dublin Learning Together Programme Learners.
Switch on STEM with Biology - A collaboration with the School of Biological Health and Sports Sciences lecturer Dr Leanne Harris and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Lucia Walsh, together with collaboration partners Ian Roller from TU Dublin Access & Outreach, three local primary schools including Christ the King Girls’ National School, St Audoen’s National School, and St Paul’s Primary School, together with TU Dublin Biosciences (TU751) students.
Experiential Learning in Entrepreneurship Through Fundraising for Charity - A collaboration with School of Marketing and Entrepreneurship lecturer Prof. Thomas Cooney and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Lucia Walsh, together with collaboration partners Laura Lynn and TU Dublin Business and Law (TU904) students.
Drama and Advocacy Workshops in TU Dublin - A collaboration with Conservatoire lecturers Charlotte Tiernan and Sarah Fitzgibbon and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Olivia Freeman, together with collaboration partners in WALK, St John of God's Services, St Michael's House Services, and TU Dublin Drama (Performance) (TU962) students.
Primary School Sport and Health programme - A collaboration with School of Biological Health and Sports Sciences lecturer Paul Hudson and Sustainability Education Lead Dr Olivia Freeman, together with collaboration partner St Aidans Senior National School, Tallaght, and TU Dublin Sports Studies (TU737) second-year students.