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 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 Ebner Secretary General Ricarda Motschilnig Policy Officer Francesca Operti Project Assistant EAEA Main Office Rue d’Arlon Brussels Tel Fax Website:

THANK YOU!