As dala is a learning organisation, and believes in the ongoing development of art as a critical social practice, we are also committed to furthering the field intellectually. We have therefore participated in and presented at, a number of public forums, conferences and colloquia.

In 2009, in collaboration with VANSA, dala set up its internship programme, in order to ensure a transfer of skills to an emerging generation of art for social change practitioners. dala is also committed to supporting tertiary education and has an ongoing working relationship with a number of tertiary institutions such as Vega the School of Brand Communications, Durban University of Technology, University of KwaZulu-Natal, the Centre for Critical Research on Race and Identity.