COUNTY DUBLIN VEC ADULT AND FURTHER EDUCATION EQUALITY MAINSTREAMING PROJECT 2009/2010 28th May 2010 County Dublin VEC May 2010

To promote a culture of reflective practice in relation to equality AIMS OF PROJECT To promote a culture of reflective practice in relation to equality Desired outcomes A shared conceptual equality framework A strategic equality planning framework Upskilling of key staff in understanding of equality issues County Dublin VEC May 2010

COUNTY DUBLIN VEC EDUCATION PLAN 2009-2013 Strategic Aims and Objectives

CONSULTATION PROCESS Consultants Steering group Consultation group (Senior management, County Co-ordinators, Adult Education Officers, CFE management, Youthreach Co-ordinators, Senior Traveller Training Centre Directors, Adult Literacy Organisers, CEFs, AEGI, programme co- ordinators, Youth Service) Resources: Education can combat social inequalities or it can reinforce them Resources not just financial Further Ed – invisible / disadvantaged sector VEC – check BO’R paper Check Eq Authority booklet County Dublin VEC May 2010

CONSULTATION PROCESS Consultation meeting Steering group meeting Consultants’ reports Planning for next consultation County Dublin VEC May 2010

CONSULTATION MEETINGS November 2009 What is equality? December 2009 Applying our understanding of equality to adult and further education February 2010 Creating a culture of equality in our setting Tolerance vs celebration Invisibility Stereotyping It is perfectly possible to tolerate someone while retaining a sense of one’s own superiority. Thus dominant cultures can ‘tolerate’ subordinate ones but not vice versa. The dominant view is seen as the ‘normal’ one. While this shift from ‘tolerate’ to ‘celebrate’ is of real value, it can mislead us into thinking that it is wrong to criticise beliefs we disagree with, that the politically correct view is to cherish all difference. If we are truly committed to equality we cannot cordon off important spheres of life (e.g. the oppression of women and children) from critical scrutiny. In the end we show more respect for others by engaging critically with their beliefs than by adopting a laissez-faire attitude. The real task is to engage in such criticism in an open and dialogical spirit – ‘critical interculturalism’. A commitment to such a dialogue does not of itself resolve all the difficult issues raised by cultural conflict, but it creates a space in which they can be addressed. County Dublin VEC May 2010

CONSULTATION SESSION 1 WHAT IS EQUALITY? Aims: To introduce the Consultation Group to the County Dublin VEC Equality Mainstreaming Project To explore a shared understanding of equality To draft an initial equality statement for Adult and Further Education within County Dublin VEC. County Dublin VEC May 2010

CONSULTATION SESSION 2 APPLYING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF EQUALITY TO ADULT AND FURTHER EDUCATION Aims: To introduce the draft statement of equality for County Dublin VEC Adult and Further Education To explore the application of the statement within the context of Adult and Further Education across access, participation, progression and transfer To reach some consensus in relation to how this can be applied to assist with strategic planning. County Dublin VEC May 2010

CONSULTATION SESSION 3 CREATING A CULTURE OF EQUALITY Aims: To review the work to date To reach some consensus in relation to the draft statement and principles To look to future means of integrating equality into County Dublin VEC and the development of an Equality Development Group County Dublin VEC May 2010

OUTCOMES A set of principles underpinning an understanding of equality A draft equality statement Organisational Equality Proofing Points – the 7 P’s A draft Equality Framework The establishment of an Equality Development Group County Dublin VEC May 2010