FORAGE CONFERENCE Cooperation & future perspectives EAEA/ FORAGE Porto, 8th November 2014

Who we are? The European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) is the voice of non-formal adult education in Europe. EAEA is a European NGO with 123 member organisations; 42 countries; represents more than 60 million learners Europe-wide.

EAEA was founded in 1953 by representatives from a number of European countries. EAEA promotes adult learning and access to and participation in non-formal adult education for all, particularly for groups currently under-represented.

EAEA’s main roles Advocacy work We influence policies on non-formal adult education and lifelong learning; We cooperate with EU institutions, national and regional governments and many international and national NGOs, for example the Council of Europe, the International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) and UNESCO; We are a member of several influential European associations and platforms, like EUCIS-LLL and Social Platform; We represent adult education civil society in official working groups and conferences.

Providing resources We release publications, reports, handbooks as well as project information and results; We provide services and recommendations for our members’ policy work; We help our members with partner search and dissemination of projects and events.

Offering information We provide up-to-date information on EU developments; We send newsletters and have a specific member mailing list; We inform the public through the EAEA webpage and social media (Facebook, Twitter).

Establishing networks We facilitate contacts with and between adult education stakeholders and other NGOs; We work closely with EU decision-makers; We cooperate with other research and development institutions, including universities. Creating a community EAEA is a network of more than 100 associations from across Europe.

Forage and EAEA –a set of opportunities for cooperation

Benefits of Lifelong Learning This was the first project to collect comparative quantitative and qualitative data on measurable individual benefits of participation in adult education. The empirical data provide guidance for policymakers, increasing the visibility of adult education in political discourse and encouraging investment in a frequently marginalized form of education. www.bell-project.eu

Prof. Dr. Monika Kil Donau-Universtität Krems Department for Continuing Education Research and Educational Management Monika.kil@donau-uni.ac.at Dr. Bettina Thöne-Geyer German Institute for Adult Education (DIE), Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning Thoene-geyer.@die-bonn.de Prof. Dr. Jyri Manninen University of Eastern Finland School of Educational Sciences and Psychology Jyri.manninen@uef.fi 10 European countries: Spain, England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Romania, and Serbia. From 2012-2014

BeLL preliminary results I Those who have participated in liberal adult education during the past 12 months…  88% of those, who answered to this question, attribute their increased learning motivation to the participation in liberal adult education courses.

BeLL preliminary results II

Adults experienced mainly positive changes from participating in non-formal adult education courses which has been documented across the participating countries and adult education institutions 96 % of respondents perceived positive changes in educational experiences; Increased social engagement was reported by 86 % of the respondents. Work related benefits were experienced by a slightly smaller amount but still 47 % of the respondents. Learning motivation was also increased among all the participants. The lower the educational level of the respondent, the more positive changes the learner attributed to participation in liberal adult education. The results demonstrate also the contributions of liberal adult education to educational equity.

As it happened with the BELL results, EAEA is available to a broad dissemination of FORAGE results and findings or to include EAEA project’s key findings in the channels created by FORAGE;

European Year of Adult Learning The Power & Joy of Learning EAEA campaigns for the European Year for Adult Learning; We are inviting policy makers and all other stakeholders and networks to join us on this campain; With the campaign EAEA wishes to raise awareness on the positive benefits of learning for all adults, and to make the European public and decision makers aware of the importance of adult education; EAEA proposes the European theme year for 2017 or 2018;  On the preparation of the year, the findings of FORAGE can be highly positive for the advocacy work that has to be done; during the activities, EAEA and both work together with other platforms on the benefits of learning for this specific target group;

EAEA RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTIVE AGEING THROUGH ADULT LEARNING a. To secure access to high quality learning for older persons, we need awareness raising campaigns about the benefits of learning at an older age clear, concise and understandable information on learning aimed at older persons guidance services for older learners   b. To promote Intergenerational learning, we need best practice identification and exchange in order to create models for adaptation awareness raising campaigns demonstrating the benefits of intergenerational learning models for intergenerational learning within the curricula funding and legal frameworks

c. To support the learning of older workers, we need to develop innovative work practices and learning measures to listen to the voices and support the initiatives of older workers themselves to involve social partners in order to plan learning and employment strategies for older workers in an integrated manner accessible lifelong learning opportunities up until retirement improved flexibility as well as systematic organisation and provision of training (e.g. sabbaticals) mentoring schemes for sharing skills, competences and know-how between generations to recognise and document older workers’ core competences d. To promote the health and wellbeing of older persons through learning, we need proactive health policies focusing on adult learning awareness raising of the benefits of learning in care settings to extend and enhance learning opportunities for older people care settings to enhance the skills of the tutors and adult educators working with older people in care settings

e. To bridge the digital gap, we need older persons to be proactively targeted within ICT strategies and policies to tailor IT equipment, curricula and training methods to the needs of and be in line with the life interests of the senior learner. transfer of good practice examples in intergenerational learning involving ICT skills To make the lifelong learning needs of older learners a priority, EAEA recommends adult education providers to look at the barriers to learning opportunities for older learners develop outreach activities for older people and partnerships, including the (potential) learners themselves listen to, involve and facilitate older learners’ voices when planning, designing, offering and evaluating learning processes of adult education value the wisdom of older people and draw upon during the learning process create a learning environment that is safe and supportive, confidence is nurtured, praise and encouragement given and a group learning approach is taken

design appropriate learning offers, which are accessible in terms of venue, cost, timing and duration as well as relevant to their day-to-day lives. provide clear, concise and understandable information, guidance and counseling services for older learners recognize different experiences of people, different learning styles and the different levels and types of progress in learning process. consider a mixture of targeted learning groups, both heterogeneous and homogenous groups improve, adapt and widen informal adult learning for older people in care settings invest in the competences and skills of trainers working with older adults raise the awareness and positive attitude of adult educators for working with older learners

b. EAEA recommends national governments to implement national strategies for the elderly with a strong focus on adult learning ensure that older people (in particular those from a disadvantaged background) have access to financial and economic learning resources, as well as structural support consult and involve older people in policy development work with social partners and civil society to deliver effective services for older people establish partnerships with care homes, learning providers and health institutions initiate national awareness campaigns for the benefits of learning collect more participation data beyond the age of 64 and extend EUROSTAT surveys to at least 70 c. EAEA recommends companies to invest in, provide and encourage learning for everyone across the age groups (through training measures, coaching and guidance for older staff ) encourage older employees to act as mentors to younger staff and also to contribute to the company’s corporate training schemes to pass on knowledge

d. EAEA recommends social partners to establish partnerships and cooperation with adult education providers extend and transfer learning models in which the social partners play active roles (e.g. shop stewards as learning counselors) with a particular focus on older workers e. EAEA recommends the EU to require institutions on the European level to consider and promote active aging strategies put an emphasis on older learners in the next Lifelong Learning Programme promote and support the mobility action on ‘senior volunteering’ promote awareness raising campaigns on the benefits of learning at an older age across Europe promote learning of older people through the provision of grants and funding schemes include concrete objectives and the monitoring of the participation of older learners within the framework of the renewed European Agenda

EAEA <> FORAGE EAEA next year’s work and events will be around Health (and Adult Education); Policy Debates around the ageing issue and for FORAGE dissemination can be arranged; ERASMUS +: KA3 Policy Reforms “Stakeholder dialogue , policy and Programme promotion, including: Civil society cooperation supporting european NGOs and EU wide networks in the fields of education, training and youth though a specific call for proposals managed by the Executive Agency;” In Erasmus + Programme Guide 2015

More information? Don’t hesitate to contact us! EAEA Office Gina Ebner Francesca Operti Secretary General Project Officer gina.ebner@eaea.org francesca.operti@eaea.org Raffaela Kihrer Membership Officer raffaela.kihrer@eaea.org Susana Oliveira Portuguese Board Member Susanaoliveira@kerigma.pt Tel. + 351 253 825 353 EAEA Office Rue de l’Industrie 10 1000 Brussels Tel. +32 2 893 25 22 Website: www.eaea.org

Thank You! Susana Oliveira