challenges and issues for adult education in europe

Challenges and issues for Adult Education in Europe

Cyprus, 29 March 2013

What is EAEA anyway?• It works with adult education and lifelong

learning

• It concentrates on the non formal-sector

• It is an association with 127 members, from 43 countries, representing 5000 associations, reaching 40-60 million adults annually

Recent Activities • Lobbying for (and against) “Erasmus for all”• Focus on older learners and intergenerational learning• Policy paper on active aging • Policy debate at the EP• General Assembly and Conference on Older Learners

• Cooperation-Workshop for EAEA-non-EU members• EC Conference on Active Ageing• Advocacy workshop for adult education in development• Younger Staff Training

Policy level – what is planned?

• European Year 2013 of Citizens (Policy paper, GA and Grundtvig Award)

• Grundtvig Award on: Active citizenship and transnational solidarity - Adult Education as a tool against nationalism, chauvinism and xenophobia

• Rethinking Education

• OECD PIAAC study results in October 2013

What are the issues?• Money• Crisis• Our role as adult educators?• Participation • Awareness raising• Advocacy• Partnerships and synergy

Money• Financing • Staff development • Who gets the money under what

circumstances?• Funding for umbrella organisations• Can people still afford adult education?• And this leads to ….

The economic crisis• Different impacts on different countries • Is it just an economic crisis?• What about Europe?• What should be the role of adult education in

times of crisis? • And what about belly dancing?

Our role as adult educators?• Are we the repair workshop of society? • Is there still a place for personal development

and active citizenship? • What can we do to support people in times of

crisis (and which crises do we really face)?

Participation• We’re too far away from the 15%!• We’re too much focused on the middle class

(but isn’t that disappearing?)• How can we reach out? (and who’ll pay for it?)• How can we reach more diversity? • How can we create a learning society?

Advocacy• We need political support that goes beyond

speeches• Grundtvig • European Agenda• Agendas on national and local levels• We need more knowledge and debate about

the wider benefits of learning

The wider benefits of adult learning

• Productivity• Health• Good parenting• Better economic

situation• More open-

mindedness

• Active citizenship• Less crime• More self-confidence• Better social

relations• More happiness

Awareness Raising• We need – Campaigns– New target groups– More and new participants – More positive attitudes towards learning

• What works? • And what definitely works is:

Partnerships and synergies• Pooling resources is one of the best ways to use them

efficiently• Networking is necessary to tackle the challenges of

the future • Examples such as learning regions, learning cities• Results: ‘huge benefits to individual learners and

opportunities for wider communities. Also I would argue that it has changed our professionalism itself (UK)’

More information needed?Don’t hesitate to contact us!Gina EbnerSecretary Generalgina.ebner@eaea.org

Ricarda MotschilnigPolicy Officerricarda.motschilnig@eaea.org

Francesca OpertiProject Assistant francesca.operti@eaea.org

EAEA Main OfficeRue d’Arlon 40

1000 Brussels

Tel. 0032 2 234 3763

Fax 0032 2 235 0539

Website: www.eaea.org

THANK YOU!