It’s My Time: Meet the London adult learners choosing education in their free time

London’s largest adult education college, City Lit, has launched its latest campaign, ‘It’s My Time’, encouraging learners to reclaim their time for themselves through education and exploring their passions.

Day-to-day modern life is often hectic, with time split between caring for our families and managing health and work commitments, which can leave us feeling like we don’t do anything for ourselves. City Lit’s latest campaign highlights the adult learners who are prioritising time for their interests and working on their goals through a diverse range of courses.

After a lifetime spent caring for others, Rifat’s love of literature was something she squeezed into the last quiet minutes of the day. Retirement finally gave her the time she’d never had for herself. At City Lit, she’s embracing her love of literature to shape a more fulfilling life.

Rifat says:

“I’ve always wanted my brain to be stimulated. I’m not happy just meeting people for lunch, going to dinner parties and going to the cinema; it’s just not enough for me. That’s not my idea of happiness. Happiness for me comes from learning something amazing.

“My classes have helped me reclaim my time. It feels like a fantastic luxury to walk into a classroom at City Lit, to sit down for two hours and listen to a great lecture.”

Ian had always been curious about acting but never tried it, until cancer sharpened his sense of time. At 57, he joined his first acting class at City Lit.

For Ian, taking this class was a choice to spend his time on something that truly mattered, allowing his busy brain to switch off by giving him a two-hour slot to stop being Ian the business owner and cancer patient. 

Ian says:

“There’s a lot of uncertainty about my life, my health, my cancer right now. I do not know what the future looks like; all I can do is be really present. Time is our most precious commodity – this is my time, and I can make a choice as to how I spend it.

“When we are curious and embrace the learning mindset, we can get so much more out of life. I’m really pleased I did this class at City Lit.”

Leticia says:

“The time at Painting Studio is very experimental, which is really nice because what I do at the clinic has to be so precise and measured. Coming to an environment where you are encouraged to experiment, go with the flow and have happy accidents is a really lovely contrast to my daily life.

“The time in class is a statement to myself and to others around me that I need to meet my own needs, if I want to be available for others.“

Jason spent years drifting between jobs, searching for something that felt meaningful. It was the stress of working as a travel agent that inspired Jason to take a massage course at City Lit, where he found a place to stop and reset. Now he’s using his time to train with purpose, building the skills to open his own wellbeing practice.

Jason says:

“It’s My Time means giving myself permission to do what I love for my future life and work, and to grow in an industry where I can help other people, instead of just letting life happen around me.”

“The student stories included in the ‘It’s My Time’ campaign really highlight the different ways that putting a small amount of time aside each week for education can make an impact – whether that’s students using it to switch off from the day-to-day, dig deeper into an interest or develop their career.”