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!