International Adult Learners  Week in Europe  A Network of Learning Festivals

In September 2003, The European Commission agreed to support International Adult Learners Week in Europe within the SOCRATES/Grundtvig-4 framework. International Adult Learners Week in Europe (IntALWinE) is a Europe-wide network of national Adult Learners Week and Lifelong Learning Festival coordinators in - so far - thirteen European countries: Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom. Coordinators from Hungary and Spain have already been invited to join. The three-year network project is coordinated by the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE).

The aim of IntALWinE is to draw on and build up the strategic potential of learning festivals, with a view on developing a more consolidated European framework of cooperation. The network focuses at supporting the goals of national learning festivals by 1) manifesting and maximizing the instrumental value of learning festivals as mobilization and advocacy tools for learning and democracy building, by 2) improving the effectiveness of learning festivals regarding data collection, cooperation among providers and authorities, media attention etc, and by 3) bringing to the forefront the voices and perspectives of learners themselves. All three aspects are based on a holistic and integrated vision of learning, and expects empower all involved actors to move in the emerging learning societies.

Working meetings, study visits, communication by email and three separate thematic working groups form the body of the network's activities. They will be complemented by the active participation of learners in an international learners' forum and study tour, as well as by the learners' input for the evaluation of the network and the formulation of policy recommendations. A comprehensive documentation including these policy recommendations as well as voices of learners, guidelines for improving the effectiveness of learning festivals, and an evaluation of their advocacy potential, will be the final output of the network's activities.

Activities Carried during the first Year

The three-year project of IntALWinEwas kicked off with a First Working Meeting in December 2003 at the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE), Hamburg (report). The Second Working Meeting and First Study Visit of the Network was held in Helsinki, Finland in 21 - 25 April 2004 (report). Finally, in December 2004, the Network partners met in Maastricht, Netherlands, for a Working and Advocacy Meeting on the occasion of a Leonardo Conference with an in-built information and exhibition day (report). The meeting was the first major venue for IntALWinE where the network could link with European educators and project coordinators and could disseminate its information leaflet (leafletPDF).

During this first year, the activites of the network largely focused on the first working group dealing with the experiences and aspirations of learners. An International Adult Learners Forum, uniting adult learners from (nearly) all the partner countries, was organized in October 2004 in Northhamptonshire, UK (report). The Forum was absolutely unique in being the first such meeting of learners at international level. It was also the first activity of the Network involving learners from the partner coutrnies; a publication with voices of learners form the partner countries will be produced and disseminated around the Study Tour of Leaners (again involving basically the same international group of learners from the partner countries) planned for May 2005.

Background

Already in December 2001, twenty-one European learning festival coordinators gathered together in Brussels, Belgium. The purpose of the meeting was to examine the European Learning Festivals in the context of Democratizing Lifelong Learning: Tools and Strategies. The meeting was also part of larger assessment process on the state of the art of the European learning festivals conducted by UIE and finalised in the assessment report The Role and Impact of Adult Learners Weeks and Lifelong Learning Festivals in Europe - An Assessment of European Learning Festivals as Tools for the Democratization of Lifelong Learning (report) in August 2002.

Partner Organizations (as of December 2004)
 

Coordinator, Bettina Bochynek	UNESCO Institute for Education
Country (link at the Global ALW website)	Organization (homepage of the festival/organizer)
Austria, Sonja Euller	Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture (BMBWK)
Belgium (Flanders), Kathleen Huet	Ministry of the Flemish Community (MVG)
Bulgaria, Maria Todorova	Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association, Office Sofia, Bulgaria (IIZ/DVV-Sofia)
Cyprus, Klitos Symeonides	Cyprus Adult Education Association (C.A.E.A.)
Estonia, Sirje Plaks	Association of Estonian Adult Educators ANDRAS (AEAE ANDRAS)
Finland, Eeva-Inkeri Sirelius	Finnish Adult Education Association (FAEA)
Iceland, Gyða Dröfn Tryggvadóttir	EDUCATE - Iceland
Lithuania, Vilija Lukošuniene	Lithuanian Association of Adult Education (LAAE)
Netherlands, Annelies Dickhout	Centre for Innovation of Vocational Education and Training (CINOP)
Norway, Berit Mykland	Norwegian Association for Adult Education (NAAE)
Romania, Ileana Boeru	The Popular University of Bucharest
Slovenia, Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik	Slovenian Institute for Adult Education (SIAE)
Switzerland, Ruth Jermann (Silent Partner)	Swiss Association for Adult Education (SVEB)
United Kingdom, Sica Martinez	National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE)

For an overview of learning festivals and related activities at global level: