Welcome to International Adult Learners Week in Europe!

This website documents the work of a transnational network project supported by the Socrates/Grundtvig programme of the European Commission. Yet, beyond containing the records of a project, the website is meant to communicate the value of adult and lifelong learning and to provide a gateway to the learning festivals landscape in Europe. And, last but not least, the website is an interactive and dynamic repository of technical support tools and policy proposals. While these have been originally put together by the network partners and learners from the partner countries, they can be amended by everybody who would like to contribute her/his experiences and knowledge.

On the website, you will find background information on the network, its aims and objectives and working methods. You will equally find information on the network partners, all of whom coordinate national or local learning festivals in their respective countries. Separate country windows will provide an overview of these learning festivals.

A major space on the website is reserved to share the working results of the network. These include activities undertaken by the network, both among the network partners as well as in cooperation with adult learners from the partner countries, but more importantly the technical support tools to promote and improve learning festivals, with a special view on organizing a learning festival, creating partnerships, and evaluating a learning festival. A separate section is dedicated for the policy proposals developed by the network partners as well as by the adult learners involved in the network activities.

The products, in particular the two network publications, can also be assessed and downloaded as PDF files. Check out the collection of adult learners' voices "I did it my way. Journeys of Learning in Europe" in English, French or Spanish. It contains the learning biographies told by learners from as many as fourteen different countries!

Practitioners, providers and policy makers are encouraged to visit the pages and to be enthused by the possibilities of learning festivals as powerful mobilization strategies for lifelong learning. Current and future organizers of learning festivals are likewise encouraged to make use of the support tools when trying to establish their own festival or to improve a current one.

And finally adult learners are invited to wander through the pages: Click on the country windows and check out the learning festival in your own country! Or read the learning stories of other learners! And maybe you would like to add your own story!

If you would like to have your own story published on this site, or if you would like to amend the list of tools, or add a policy proposal, of if you simply would like to comment or criticize or ask a question, please contact Bettina Bochynek:

b.bochynek@unesco.org