International
Whether it is a beginner's class in a modern language, seeking an understanding of the global economy or working for a sustainable environment, adult learners increasingly look at Britain in the context of the wider world.
Now, more than ever before, we not only read about other societies, imagine them and deal with them in the abstract we visit, interact, take part in training, working and holidaying in Europe and across the wider world. The dramatic increase in recent years challenges centres to respond effectively.
The ECA with its long history of engaging in international contacts is at the forefront in a number of developments and is rapidly increasing its capacity in key areas.
Older Workers
The ECA led the North Sea Commission's http://www.northsea.org research into the demographic issues facing education systems in North West Europe. Our conclusion; that with an ageing population and anticipated changes in the labour market, governments and employers need to urgently adjust education and training policies in favour of workers in their middle and later years.
INTERREG - EU Regional Development Funds
The ECA continues to champion the role of learning and skills development in strategic partnerships in the 'marginal' areas such as the North Sea basin. We have demonstrated the effectiveness of the third sector in steering such developments through our membership of the NSC's Education and Enterprise Thematic Group.
European Commission
Innovation through the Socrates Programme has contributed to our UK work programme. Our related activities co-sponsored by the DfES in recent years include active citizenship and intergenerational learning (see below).
European Citizenship
The TEACh programme, which was launched at our member Wedgwood Memorial College in September 2005, continues to train staff from across Europe as facilitators of active citizenship programmes. Already dozens of UK staff have received training in multi-cultural contexts.
Active Citizens
TEACh graduates are playing an increasingly important part in the Association's work overall and the shared understandings have contributed to 'Take Part' http://www.takepart.org the learning framework promoted by the Department of Communities and Local Government in England.
Global Citizenship
Practical steps towards environmental sustainability are being taken through Every Action Counts
The Vice Chairman attended a special showing of 'An Inconvenient Truth' which is reported in our Summer 2006 Newsletter and sets the scene for this work.
Following the showing the Vice Chairman wrote to David Milliband
In his reply Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment, Ian Pearson MP says
'Through Defra's Climate Challenge Fund we are supporting 82 projects at a community, grass roots level. These projects tap into existing communications channels to educate people about climate change and change attitudes. Each of the projects has a particular target audience, from school children to farmers to faith groups and they engage with their community in different ways including exhibitions, debates, games and radio. The projects began this summer and run until February2008.'
For more information on the Fund, and the Climate Change Communications initiative see: http://www.climatechallenge.gov.uk.
'Climate change is the greatest challenge facing the world today and no major industrial country has done more than the UK. The Government has already set out significant steps to strengthen its domestic programme on climate change through the Climate Change programme and the Energy Review, both published earlier this year. While I am proud of our record and the international leadership we have shown, I am not in any way complacent.
We will continue to work to meet that challenge, domestically and internationally, and I know that I will have your support in that vital task.'
We are founder members of the Community Sector Coalition http://www.communitysectorcoalition.org.uk/which leads the Defra funded project. Our commitment is to education for public understanding of the underlying issues to ensure long term adoption of new ways of working at individual and community levels.
ECA Sustainability Policy
Transnational work continues to be a vital part of this activity e.g. via the North Sea Commission with links to the Thor Hyerdahl Institute and thus to Green Cross (the Gorbachov inspired environmental think tank). Our member centre at Madely is representative of a group of organisations which is showing the way in developing environmental awareness.
The significance of the Intergovernmental Lisbon Strategy http://ec.europa.eu/growthandjobs/ for adult learning in Britain is profound and we have contributed to discussions linking citizenship and basic skills within the European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning.
We see our use of advanced communications tools, tiki and skype, as part of our efforts in ensuring effective joint working at the international level.
Intergenerational Learning
Teddybear is the project which most closely responds to Europe's changing demographics. Older learners taking part in reminiscence programmes are given special opportunities to work with children and teenagers who are studying 20th Century history. The sharing with partners in Finland and Italy has been a vital part of the British Council supported Grundtvig project which has had special recognition from NIACE for its excellence in conceptualisation and delivery.
Click here to view the Teddybear section of the site.
Ronald Wilson who died in January 2005 was a former ECA President and lifelong champion of adult learning. He had a very special personal relationship going back half a century with our Austrian and German counterparts, Verband Osterreichischer Volkshochschulen (VOV)Click here to visit The Association of Austrian Adult Education Centres website. and Deutscher Volkhochschul-Verband (DVV) Click here to visit this website.
The ECA assisted in the preservation of his personal archive which has been transferred to the Institute of Education at London University. To view this click here
We value Ronnie's memory and continue to enjoy warm relationships with colleagues from the two associations that underpin our work in Europe.
The Austrian Association has recently developed the Knowledge Base http://adulteducation.at/en/ which offers a powerful research and development tool for European collaboration within our sector.
More widely within the European family the ECA enjoys excellent relationships with other National Associations through EAEA which provides valuable resources through its newsletters and website. http://www.eaea.org
Understand the World's languages
An essential step in increasing global understanding is positive development of modern language skills. We continue to provide material to the BBC Languages E-Mail Club Newsletter.