The new PASCAL Faiths and Learning Cities Network had its first Skype meeting with delegates from the USA, UK and Israel. The main purpose is to bring together interested scholars and practitioners in this area to share ideas and experiences about how the network should proceed.

Key insights discussed so far include:

• Exploring and developing multiple faith perspectives on faith, learning and cities  
• Promoting conversations around moral and ethical issues which affect learning in communities and city development
• Opening up collaborative research and sharing of research on topics such as interfaith dialogue, health issues, social justice, multiculturalism, peace building, quality of life and sustainability;
• Promoting new opportunities to dialogue with other PASCAL Learning City network groups on faith perspectives relevant to their networks;
• Networking and bridge-building as well as supporting students, including doctoral as appropriate, with their learning.

Those attending the meeting included representatives from City Seminary of New York, DePaul University, Drew University, Fairleigh Dickenson University, LearnLong Institute of Education and Learning Research, Modiin Municipality (Israel), PASCAL, Teachers College (Columbia University), and University of Glasgow.

The next meetings of this group will take place around Learning City Conferences in Cork and Pretoria. Those interested in  joining the network should contact  Dr. Connie Watson [email protected]   and Dr Rob Mark ,  PASCAL Learning Cities Coordinator  [email protected]

Participants attending the Skype meeting at City Seminary in New York  from left to right: Dr. Leodis Scott (LearnLong Institute/ DePaul University, Chicago), Dr. Maria Liu Wong (City Seminary of New York/LearnLong Institute), Dr. Connie Watson (LearnLong Institute/ Glow Consultants, Philadelphia), Sarah van den Berg (Teachers College), Dr. Rob Mark,  PASCAL Learning Cities  Coordinator, Glasgow, Dr. Genise Reid (consultant), Milly Aquije (City Seminary of New York), Rev. Dr. Geomon George (City Seminary of New York).

Colleagues who  attended  a meeting at  Teacher’s College, Columbia University (NY), from left to right:: Dr. Leodis Scott (LearnLong Institute/ DePaul University), Dr. Rob Mark (PASCAL Learning Cities Project ), Dr. Connie Watson (LearnLong Institute/ Glow consultants), Dr. Eleanor Drago-Severson (Teachers College), Dr. Maria Liu Wong (City Seminary of New York/LearnLong Institute), Dr. Victoria Marsick (Teachers College).