The eleventh UK-wide Adult Learners Week was celebrated between 10 - 16 May 2003.
Hundreds of events in community centers and cultural institutions, learning
opportunities, open doors and taster sessions all over the country - in England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - were carried out with the intention of
Sharing the Value of Learning. "ALW is a great opportunity to surprise yourself
by trying something you've never done before" - this is what the organizers are
saying to potential new learners. "Thousands of people of all ages are taking
the first step into learning - signing up for a keep-fit course, joining the
Open University, going along to a watercolour painting calls or getting to grips
with looking after their money. Many of them are people who never thought of
themselves as learners." The events were backed by the national telephone help
line and media coverage in the press, TV and radio - with the BBC and Channel
4 being long-standing partners of ALW.
The year 2003 being the European Year of Disabled People, an extra focus was put on encouraging people with disabilities to explore new learning opportunities, and to honour their achievements through awards. ALW events in England set off with a conference on Equal Opportunities - Focus on Disability, and included Cultural Diversity Day to celebrate the richness and range of experiences that make up life in Britain today. The official launching ceremony provided the space to present a number of individual, group, and family learning awards. Aside from many supporters and friends of adult learning, the Secretary of State for Education, Mr Charles Clarke, addressed the audience and handed over the certificates to the winners. Central events in London also incorporated a Parliamentary Reception, a Conference of the recently founded National Health Service University, a Learning at Work and 'Silver Surfers Day', and the Annual Basic Skills Conference. For more information: contact Sue Duffen sue.duffen@niace.org.uk or check: http://www.niace.org.uk/ALW/2003/Default.htm
Beat the Drums for Adult
Learning was the guiding principle of the many events of ALW in Scotland. Coordinated
by the Scottish Adult Learning Partnership, local open doors sessions across the
country up to the very north were organized to celebrate the role that learning can
play in changing people's lives, stimulate the participation of those who do not
think that learning is for them, and to increase access to local information and
guidance. The national events included a Culture and Heritage Day to encourage
discussion on how heritage might be used for community learning, a Breaking the
Barriers Concert in Glasgow, and the Award Ceremony for successful learners in
Motherwell.
One of the central ALW ideas - to give a voice to learners and to democratize
education - has led to setting up Learners' Forums in several parts of UK since
1999, as a discussion forum among learners and a consultation mechanism for
providers on the needs and aspirations of learners (find out more about this
movement and its background on:
http://www.niace.org.uk/projects/Forum/Default.htm).
The Scottish Adult Learning Partnership used the occasion of ALW 2003 to organize
a Learners' National Day of Action to prepare a national learners' forum in Scotland
and to link up with the Welsh, Irish and English Learners' Forums. Adult learners
from all over the country were invited to discuss, and to be stimulated through the
experiences presented and shared by the Spanish Learners Organization and the
Canadian Toronto Adult Student Association (
http://www.tasa2000.com/).
For more
information: contact Fiona Boucher
salp@salp.org.uk or check:
http://www.alws.org.uk/national.asp.
What a great anniversary to
celebrate: ten years of mobilizing for support and attention, of organizing
and joining hands, and growing and convincing others to take part in bringing
people closer to learning and learning closer to people. On 11- 17 May
2002, the 10th adult learners week was carried out in all parts of the
United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). A vast
number of learners were awarded for the enthusiasm and effort they had
undertaken in their learning journeys in quite different settings, for
instance at work or in family contexts. Many of them took the opportunity
to speak up in front of fellow learners and other guests to the award ceremonies
and shared impressive and very personal passages of transformation and
empowerment.
