Adult Learners Week

The Dutch Adult Learners Week ("De Week van het leren") was initiated in 2000 by the Ministry of Education. It was (and still is) inspired by the lifelong learning policy of the Dutch government. ALW has been organized every year since then. The general objective is to inform all adults about the different aspects of learning and to stimulate them to "learn their life long". The message is that learning is not only what you did at school, but that it has many different forms and goals: you can learn in relation to your work, but also in relation to active citizenship and for personal development. Learning is useful but can also be fun.

During ALW there are many different activities, organized by local/regional coordinators: information markets, bus tours, award presentations, dictates, cultural festivals, and conferences.

Themes:

Over the years, ALW in the Netherlands has focused on different themes and target groups:

2000: Adult learning in general
2001: Illiteracy
2002: Recognition and validation of prior learning
2003: no special theme
2004: Young unemployed people and early school-leavers
2005: Social cohesion

Main partners

As mentioned above, ALW in the Netherlands is carried out on the initiative of the Dutch ministry for Education, which is requesting CINOP to coordinate the festival every year. Cooperation partners are united in a so-called "sounding-board group". They include (umbrella-) organizations of formal and non-formal adult education, the National Commission for UNESCO, Educational television channels etc. ALW is also supported and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Social Affairs and special organizations related to the theme of that year.

Contacts:

Ineke Smits
CINOP
Postbox 5200
1585 BP Den Bosch
Netherlands

Tel: +31 73 6800 734
ismits@cinop.nl
www.cinop.nl

Adult Learners Week
www.weekvanhetleren.nl