Canada
2003
This year, International Adult Learners Week (IALW) was celebrated in Canada
on September 7-13, serving also the launch of the UN Literacy Decade in Canada. As well, IALW
was used to establish links with the CONFINTEA Mid-Term Review, and
with the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In fact, the Partners'
Committee for IALW in Canada believes that these three initiatives need to be approached
in a complementary fashion, so that they can offer the potential for pooling efforts in
creating a momentum in favour of adult learning. In this respect, celebrations around IALW
in Canada payed particular attention to literacy, new communication and information
technologies and the knowledge society, as well as to innovative practices and experiences
in adult education. |
|
The Possibilities through Learning!
[--] The most important thing that has
happened since I improved my literacy skills has been finding
who I am. I am content to be quiet and to listen to myself. I
can decipher my own beliefs out of what I hear from others. I
can explore the world; I love to ride my bike, go camping, and
hike. I own over 300 books now and I read for a half hour every
day. I finally get to experience really living life, doing what
I want to do.
- Angie Oman, Canadian Adult Learner
(Book of
Changes. Movement
for Canadian Literacy's Learners Advisory Network 2001.) |
|
Apart from a pan-Canadian UNLD launch event held a few days prior to the Week
itself,
IALW 2003 includes an information kit (download
as .pdf file) about IALW that was distributed to government and non-government partners,
the education community, and adult learners; the enrichment of the Canadian IALW web site
(www.adultlearning.unesco.ca);
and the development of a communication strategy to promote IALW throughout Canada.
Bearing in mind that this was only the second year
in which IALW is celebrated in Canada, the primary goal remained to promote IALW as a means
to learning throughout life and to mobilize partners on the ground in celebrating IALW
and adult learning in general. As such, the objectives for 2003 were to:
Increase the visibility of and promote
learning throughout life for adults, both among the public and in the various learning
environments (communities, associations, unions, governments, work places, educational
institutions, etc.);
Give a voice
to adult learners, promote
learning and stress its potential for transformation and development in every sphere of
personal, professional, political, economic, social and cultural life;
Reach out to adults,
potential learners
and marginalized groups wherever they are, to promote learning throughout life;
Increase the numbers
of adults involved
in training activities and encourage adults to express their learning needs;
Develop co-operation
among partners in
all learning environments at both governmental and non-governmental levels.
It should also be noted that the Commission and its partners favour a decentralized
approach to celebrating IALW across Canada. While believing that it was necessary
to create a strong momentum around International Literacy Day, and to coordinate
activities that have a pan-Canadian reach, the diversity of
needs and of approaches to adult learning throughout Canada was also recognized. As such, government
organizations (provincial and federal) as well as non-governmental organizations
were encouraged to stage events and organize activities in their own regions and
communities, in light of their own needs and priorities.
2002
In April 2001, the Canadian Follow-up Committee to the Fifth International Conference on Adult
Education, formed under the aegis of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, identified IALW as a
priority project that could foster joint action by a broad group of partners and raise the
profile of adult education throughout Canada.
In the spring of 2002, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO developed a framework of action
with its governmental and non-governmental partners, aimed at establishing a shared vision
and set of guidelines for celebrating International Adult Learners' Week in Canada. The
Canadian Commission also held coordination meetings with its partners in the run-up to
the first IALW in Canada, which was celebrated from September 8-14, 2002.
The first celebration of International Adult Learners' Week in Canada evoked tremendous
enthusiasm and participation throughout the country, involving both governmental and
non-governmental partners. On the one hand, IALW was warmly welcomed by the federal, provincial
and territorial governments, who all recognized that learning throughout life is key to
meeting the challenges of the knowledge society. On the other hand, IALW provided a golden
opportunity for the adult education community to speak out about learning in a positive and
inclusive way.
In this context, the initiatives taken under the leadership of the Canadian Commission succeeded
beyond all expectations:
25 000 copies of the 2002 information kit, "A World of Possibilities through
Learning", were distributed across Canada in both official languages.
3 000 visits to
the website were recorded during its first month online (September 2002).
Messages or
press releases were issued by all provincial and territorial ministers of education,
and by the Minister of Human Resources Development Canada.
Activities
marking IALW were held in all provinces and territories. Nearly 100 activities were
posted on the IALW website's (partial) list.
More than
120 individuals attended the public pan-Canadian launch of IALW, which took
the form of a thematic forum on adult learning.
Thousands
more witnessed the launch over the Web.
At least
2.5 million potential readers or listeners were reached through the printed
and electronic media, and through various articles published in regional and local newspapers.
These figures demonstrate the relevance of such an initiative in the present context,
and prove that there is a genuine need for these types of activities in promoting adult
learning. The launch event also served as a rallying point for raising the profile of
this first edition of IALW. Even more, the celebration of IALW provided a boost to
mobilisation and cooperation among partners at all levels.
Contact:
See also Adult Learners Week in Quebec
Updated 22 September 2003
