International Adult Learners Week 2002

While the Canadian Commission for UNESCO set up their first nation-wide commemoration of International Adult Learners Week during the week following 8 September, UIE took the occasion of the third Literacy Week in Brazil, carried out by Alfabetização Solidária (Solidarity in Literacy) on 9 – 13 September in São Paulo, to celebrate International Adult Learners Week 2002 by bringing together members of the International ALW network. 

In partnership with Alfabetização Solidária and the UNESCO Office in Brasilia, members of the International ALW network were invited to participate in the events of the Brazilian festival and to get a first-hand glimpse of Alfabetização’s work. The group attended the opening ceremony of the festival which enchanted with a truly fantastic dance perfor-mance of a group of youth from an urban favela in Rio de Janeiro and the performance of world-know Brazilian singer Gilberto Gíl. A study visit to one of Alfabetização’s literacy classes in greater São Paulo was arranged, and the International ALW network participated in the debates during an international congress on experiences of and academic support to the literacy work of Alfabetização. The group was also able to make a visit to the Paulo Freire Institute - personally encountering and discussing with Paulo Freire’s son!

Side by side with these events, the International ALW network had their own workshop and met separately to exchange experiences and advice for reinforcement and improvement of national learning festivals, and to strengthen the ties between network members. Following a European Regional meeting in December 2001 (with support of the European Commission), focus for International Adult Learners Week 2002 had been laid on Africa, Latin America and Asia/South Pacific. National coordinators (with both NGO and GO background) from Botswana, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Egypt, Jamaica, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Slovenia and the UK took part in the meeting. UIE’s Governing Board member from Rio de Janeiro also joined the meeting, as well as a few colleagues who are not (yet…) part of the International ALW network coming from Guatemala, Puerto Rico, a Canadian First Nation, Israel, and, of course, from Brazil.

The meeting of the network gave new impetus to International Adult Learners Week in highlighting the advocacy potential of learning festivals for literacy, adult and lifelong learning at the crossroads of the agendas of CONFINTEA V, EFA and the coming UN Literacy Decade. The sense of common purpose and belief in the importance of learning festivals as mobilizing and motivating tools was outstanding. As literacy is a crucial element of adult learning and learning festivals particularly in countries from the Southern hemisphere, a lot of interest was manifested in the UN Literacy Decade and possible points of connection. Finally the group kicked off preparatory work for the network’s contribution to the CONFINTEA Mid-Term Review: it is foreseen to develop a global report for September 2003 that includes illustrations and assessments of learning festivals as well as voices of learners, so that the report, while documenting the mobilization impact of learning festivals, can be used as a mobilization tool for learners and decision makers in itself.