The Learning Festivals Guide

The Learning Festivals Guide (download in PDF) is the collective product of coordinators of adult learners' weeks from all continents. It has been conceived as a pragmatic handbook to provide guidance to those who wish to organize and mobilize for a learning festival in their country. Following a workshop in May 2000 in which the groundwork for the publication was laid, it grew and was finalized through the input from a large group of individuals either already having sound experiences with the setting up of learning festivals, or posing the right questions as to what kind of information is needed to set up such a festival.

Apart from the UK National Association for Adult Learning (NIACE) taking the lead in this process, the Swiss Federation for Adult Education (SVEB) and the Latin American Network of Popular Education for Women (REPEM) had a significant share in producing the Guide through the translation into German, French and Spanish. Finally, Adult Learning Australia (ALA) hosted the email discussion forum which allowed for the necessary cross-national communication.

The Learning Festivals Guide has meanwhile been translated into Estonian and Dutch. The Estonian version has been translated by the National Adult Education Association of Estonia (ANDRAS) and is available online at www.andras.ee/op.nad.htm. The Dutch version, Gids voor Leerfestivals has been provided by the Education Department of the Ministry of the Flemish Community, and is available on request: email hilde.vandeurzen@ond.vlaanderen.be.