City Lit, a London-based college offering online and in-person courses for adults, is celebrating how education empowers women in its community as part of a continued commitment to listening to, supporting, and amplifying women’s voices.
Julie Gilber, Executive Director, People at City Lit, says, “It’s important for us to take every chance to recognise the women who shape City Lit, past and present, and the role education plays in their journeys. Women have always been at the heart of what we do as students, tutors, and colleagues. Celebrating them is about honouring those contributions while continuing to make learning accessible, inclusive, and empowering for everyone.”
Student Francine Cronin has completed over a hundred courses with Cit Lit, spanning literature, the humanities, and music, treasuring the chance to meet others who share her curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.
Francine shares, “It is important to remember our mothers’ and grandmothers’ courage in gradually gaining the right to a university education, to equal pay at work, to the same jobs as men and to having their children cared for so they can get some spare time to cultivate their hobbies and creative skills.”
“My hard-working mother managed a household which included my father, who had lost his job for reasons beyond his control, my four younger siblings, and my grandfather, who had dementia. She would have been capable of studying, but had to interrupt her secondary education due to World War II.
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Pictured: Francine Cronin
Francine continues, “Although I had discovered City Lit while I was still active professionally and travelling frequently as a conference interpreter, access to a multitude of daytime, evening and online courses in retirement meant I could at last focus on what I really love: music and foreign languages.
“From being an amateur pianist, I was able to improve sight-reading and theory, enjoy music appreciation, and discover new composers. Over the years, I have been motivated to work harder by joining group workshops with other amateur pianists and benefited from tuition by several different, but all excellent, teachers”
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Pictured: Deirdre Kashdan
City Lit alumni Deirdre Kashdan, an artist and campaigner, says, “I’m a strong campaigner for the concept of sisterhood – of protecting, encouraging, and advocating for one another; of standing together rather than competing; of lifting each other up rather than diminishing, and of honouring each other’s growth as well as our differences.
“I came to City Lit to find a new direction, and nine months of intensive study helped me shape the idea that became my most important work: the Missing Project. As an artist and mother of a man who has lived with severe mental illness for three decades, I knew it was time to use my work to reflect these experiences and connect with other women facing similar challenges.
“My studies helped me build what has become a new sisterhood.”
City Lit offers courses throughout the year, many of which celebrate women’s achievements in culture, society, and everyday life.
Julie Gilbert, Executive Director People, “Education gives women the confidence to open new doors, whether that means learning something new, changing direction, or simply believing in their own potential. At City Lit, we see every day how powerful it is when women feel supported to explore ideas, build skills, and connect with others. That sense of growth does not stop in the classroom. It carries into careers, communities, and everyday life.”