The city of Vilnius won 1 million US dollars in New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2021-2022 Mayoral Challenge, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The purpose of the Bloomberg Foundation is to support the greatest number of people in the fields of art, education, the environment, government innovation and social welfare.
Vilnius won with its project of making the entire city an open school. There were 15 winners among 631 cities across nine continents competing for the best projects for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has made it clear that under unprecedented circumstances, learning processes must remain available and multifaceted. By winning this project, judged by an international philantrhopic foundation, Vilnius has proved to be on the right path.
Vilnius mayor Remigijus Šimašius trusts that the city’s residents will also appreciate the importance of this project. He said that the city can be the perfect learning platform, with its history, natural areas, commerce, technology and other features, to advance education from the 19th into the 21st century. This project will affect education the way Netflix changed film-viewing and AirBnb changed the hotel industry.
Under this project, traditional classroom teaching will be combined with field trips to city museums, parks, and other public places in tandem with a library of online lessons. Public and private institutions will collaborate with schools for the necessary planning.
The pandemic has forced the sudden application of digital technology, while eliminating social contact. The purpose of this project is to bring those extremes closer together to create a multifaceted system, whereby the newest technology would be coordinated with experiential activities throughout the city, said project leader, vice-mayor Tomas Gulbinas. One aspect of the project would be preparation of teaching staff, which would be offered short internships with various enterprises, specific training and a dedicated communication platform.
A team of seven municipal employees created the project in four months and submitted the application to the Bloomberg Philanthropies Foundation, which will provide any necessary technical and advisory support.
Michael Bloomberg noted that the 15 winners have come up with bold yet feasible plans for improvements in health, unemployment and opportunities for women, among others, helping millions of residents, and their success will inspire other cities throughout the world.
Photos vilnius.lt
