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    slicproject.wordpress.comfacebook.com/SharingLearningInCommunities

    Towards the Vision of a

    Learning Society:

    A Community

    Development Contribution

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    The SLIC aims to explore and inquire into some key questions

    What can community based learning programmes contribute towards a transforming

    process to achieve:

    a) Sustainable and resilient communities and b) a learning society in different

    national locations and context?

    b) What barrier and difficulties are confronting those aiming to achieve this vision?

    c) What is the potential for reaching this aspiration and what are the limitations?

    A Learning Society as conceptualorientation:

    A critical and reflective process:

    Each of the countries participating in the project have described their vision of whata learning society would look like from a community development perspective. This

    has included providing examples of the ways in which learning programmes have

    contributed towards community sustainability and resilience.

    The commonality in the respective accounts relating to their visions is that they lead

    to greater citizen involvement and participation and increased accessibility of learning

    to marginalised and discriminated groups. Interestingly, the national contexts and

    locations being described are very diverse. Some are working actively in remote rural

    areas, some through established social work education programmes, some setting

    up schemes for recognising the skills and knowledge of established workers, othersby promoting digital literacy and others with groups of young people or with inter

    generational groups. The value of the SLIC Project illustrates that we have much to

    learn from each other, and this is significant. Further, barriers and difficulties have

    been identified in the respective delivery programme journeys some common but

    also some unique.

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    Visions for a learning society are different stages of development in the different countries

    taking part. From Greece, participants acknowledged that the concept of a learningsociety there is less widely understood. However, a coherent vision for the future is

    emerging around the concept of creating active citizens. For example, facilitating a

    range of approaches around developing learning opportunities for adults, encouraging

    learning through intergenerational collaboration and educating against discrimination.

    In Germany and Italy, there is an acknowledgment of the need to embed learning in

    all activities and the need to embrace the digital revolution. In Finland, efforts are

    being made to emphasise the development of citizenship in social work training and to

    develop new modules in community development and community oriented practice.

    The opportunity to innovate and develop new action models and new ways of organising

    services in the field is a learning outcome and focus for students. The vision of a learningsociety in the northern parts of the UK is very strong, it is reinforced through a Scottish

    Community Learning and Development Council resourced and supported by their

    government. In England there are emerging frameworks to encourage and development

    a learning society. For example, ESB is encouraging the expansion of a wide range of

    recognition programmes linked to a qualifications framework. Community learning

    hubs in different locations forms part of this development. The process aims to enable

    practitioners to be recognised through formally gathering evidence of their learning and

    skills and offer formal accreditation.

    In Poland the SLIC participants have developed a very useful set of objectives and

    philosophy their vision of a learning society: Education is based on the pillars, thatvalues are shared by the teaching staff e.g. belief in the dignity of the individual , mutual

    respect between people, a sense of social justice , participation , empowerment . Trainers

    as practitioners, together with learners, forms an important educational community

    focused on social change. Effective learning process includes several key elements: a sense

    of meaning and purpose, the participants involvement, sense of security and a sense of

    agency. We called this concept engaged education

    In other countries, the vision is a little further developed but barriers are being identified

    that prevent that vision from being fully realised. The Hungarian Common Knowledge

    project works in some remote rural areas where people have to date been less inclined to

    engage in community issues and concerns and perceive of themselves as active citizens.

    In an imaginative approach study circles have been developed facilitating a participatory

    learning programme to help residents to see the value of citizen participation. A vision

    exists to build on the foundations laid to work with government, NGOs and business

    development to take co-operation to higher levels of large scale economic development.

    The vision in Cyprus has largely focussed on work with young people particularly around

    anti racism and development of personal and community resilience. They have used new

    technology to create blogs and social media approaches to bring young people together

    in experiential workshops giving them the opportunity to learn and empower themselves.

    Community Resilience development has taken place through the strengthening of social

    networks, holding meetings with other groups and building a sense of community prideby supporting each other. All three of the above have faced barriers of lack of trust and

    unfamiliarity with participatory training methods.

    Harvesting learning from experience:

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    The Slovenians have identified a number of steps towards their vision. A number of

    key principles are listed at the end of this paper provide some useful guidance and

    of common interest for the SLIC project. They adopted as a starting point to inform

    themselves about the meaning of a learning society and their role in it. This embraced,

    using local community centres for decentralised learning. It included creating networks of

    volunteers of different ages and creating strong ties with the local/regional public sector

    to organise programmes that can contribute towards the wellbeing of the community.

    Thus, all leading to the vision of a learning society. This process has been interwoven with

    a continual assessment of the needs of the community to ensure the programmes are

    appropriate for them. The aim for the future is to make practical learning programmes

    even more accessible to marginalised groups.

    The challenges of dynamic andchanging contexts:

    The SLIC Project has illustrated that the barriers and difficulties identified across the

    different countries include the economic challenges being faced in a number countries.

    This is creating drivers for skills for learning being instrumental with a focus on the

    skills needed for obtaining work rather than learning for community engagement and

    developing the confidence to engage in community planning and decision making. It is

    obviously important that people acquire the skills for their economic sustainability but it

    equality important for people to critically reflect on the factors and forces that are likely

    to enhance their personal resilience and the resilience of the communities to which they

    belong. A number of partners found tensions within the community as they attempted

    to work in imaginative ways with marginalised groups. People taking part in the learningactivities also faced difficulties in coping with participatory training methods that they

    were unused to and initially felt uncomfortable with. There is scope for more sharing

    across the nations to explore the ways in which such concerns can be overcome and new

    approaches to community learning and social action shared and modelled in participative

    way.

    Harvesting learning from experience:

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    Appendices

    CyprusProgrammes already implemented:

    1. Cyprus Youth Clubs Organization in accordance with its goals for addressing social problems

    implemented a program called Coloring Against Racism. The program was funded by the Youth in Action

    Programme and had the form of a national initiative. The theme of this initiative was racism, xenophobia,

    social exclusion and social inclusion. The initiative-project started in February 2012 and completed in

    February 2013.

    Starting point of this initiative was the creation of a blog. Through the blog young people had theopportunity to exchange views on these phenomena and were informed about new concepts and

    terminology around these issues. Also public was encouraged to participate in a questionnaire linked

    on the blog which explored the views of Cypriots on the reasons that drive these phenomena. The blog

    is also a forum of expression and projection for events and initiatives that have to do with these specific

    topics. Then we organized series of experiential workshops which were implemented in the whole island

    and which gave the opportunity for young people to come together, learn and empower themselves

    to address racism, xenophobia and social exclusion. During the implementation of the project printed

    leaflet was distributed by our volunteers, which informed society on these issues. The culmination of this

    initiative was the creation of graffiti about the unity of the people and is giving a message against racism.

    The graffiti, decorates a centrally located municipality of Cyprus and is in public view, as an art form,

    spreading in this way a clear social message. This activity was implemented by young people, membersof the Cyprus Youth Centers. The goal was the awakening and awareness of youth, and the whole of

    society on the subject of racism and discrimination, active youth participation, empowerment of creative

    expression and the consolidation of our European identity.

    2. Cyprus Youth Clubs Organization organized and implemented the 1st Summer Youth Camp during

    13-15 of July 2012 in the camp site of the Cyprus Scouts Association outside the village Kornos. The

    participants were 32 boys and girls aged 14-18 from different Youth Clubs across Cyprus and 4 group

    leaders.

    The camp included structured educational and recreational activities that both facilitated the

    relationship building in the group and the development of the targeted skills. The primary educationalgoals of the camp was youth to understand the group dynamics that exist between and within groups

    and especially the Youth Clubs (according to the theories of social psychology) and the importance of

    problem solving between the members of a group. Another goal was the growth of self awareness and

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    self-control in the context of a group through interaction and cooperation with the other participants.

    Additionally, the group analyzed the concept of leadership and the characteristics needed of a leader

    in a group composed from young people. The adolescents interacted with each other about the issues

    in stake and through the activities they managed to develop intergroup communication and built their

    relationship.

    The tasks/tools that were used during the camp were PowerPoint presentations, workshops, discussions

    in the whole group and smaller groups, team building activities and energizers. Also the group expressed

    their attitudes towards issues that the youth faces in our days through painting and dance activities.The coordination of the activities was implemented by two youth workers of the organization and

    from the president of the Executive Board of CYCO. The recreation program included a last night party

    organized by a group of the participants who were the winners of a series of activities. The party included

    traditional and modern dances and satire.

    Ideas for future work

    1. Because of the situation in the labor market in Cyprus today with the rising unemployment, people

    in communities will need some additional skills that may arise from a contribution in the community,

    attending seminars and other activities involving non-formal learning. At the same time, the labor

    market emphasizes on personal skills that a person need to possess, so it is good to develop social

    skills, organizational skills, independence, creativity and ability to work in groups. The advantages of

    individuals who have experience with non-formal learning are associated with these functional skills. In

    Cyprus, in the workplace and in educational institutions, there is lack of information on skills acquired

    during extracurricular activities (eg workshops, volunteer work). In addition, many of our citizens are

    not motivated to offer from their personal time to help their fellow humans, participate in campaigns

    and other related activities. So we need to offer external incentives and an advantage in employment.

    The recognition of non-formal learning is based on the idea that learning takes place outside the formal

    school system, in other situations and environments. Any kind of knowledge is considered valuable

    and thus should be recorded and documented, regardless of the manner of acquisition. The validation

    of non-formal learning will enhance educational opportunities for people in distant communities for

    further growth and development of their skills. We aspire to prepare a validation tool of learning that willlead to the design of pre-vocational training for people with fewer opportunities. To do this we need the

    cooperation of educational institutions and companies and similar institutions in Cyprus.

    2. Resiliency Development in Communities: In the level of community, resilience refers to the capacity

    of a community to cope with stress, overcome adversity or adapt positively to change. The ability to

    bounce back from negative experiences may reflect the innate qualities of individuals or be the result

    of learning and experience. Regardless of the origin of resilience, there is evidence to suggest that it

    can be developed and enhanced to promote greater wellbeing. Resilience is not regarded as a quality

    that is either present or absent in a group but rather a process which may vary across circumstances

    and time. In accordance with the latest unprecedented consequences of economic crisis in Cyprus, our

    organization is required to contribute to the development of resilient communities through Youth Clubs.This can be achieved by strengthening the Social Networks within a community. Youth clubs can be

    encouraged to organize meetings with other groups (e.g. church groups), organizations and stakeholders

    in their communities and develop common goals (e.g. Development of support services, build a sense of

    community pride by supporting each other, share a sense of purpose, give informations and incentives

    to their citizens for diverse and innovative economy and encourage them to buy locally). Workshops

    from psychologists can be held to foster a positive outlook among the people of the community, learn

    successful stories from cases with similar experiences in other countries or the past and learn to embrace

    differences in their communities.

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    Finland

    Introduction

    I am writing this assignment from a perspective of the MA degree program of social work, in which I amworking for. Our aim is to educate developers of social services. In our study program, the meaning of

    citizenship-based social work is emphasized. Students task is to study social work associated with the

    community services.

    During their studies, the students complete a development assignment which is intended to be closely

    connected with the students own workplace. (Our students are part time students.) The students

    start working with the development assignment already during the first contact teaching period and

    continue with the process throughout the entire postgraduate degree programme. On the one hand,

    the development assignment is a working life-based project that serves the interests of working life in

    the social work from the perspective of developing citizen and community-based work. Through their

    own specific development assignment, each student innovates and develops a new action model, a newway of organising services in the field, or a new assessment method together with the clients and other

    actors. On the other hand, the development assignment is the students individual learning process

    where the student develops his/her own special area of knowledge.

    I pick two examples of our students development assignments which are also their researches for their

    theses.

    Case of Arkipaja

    Student: Salme Kalliokoski, 2012

    The Settlement of Vaasa started the Arkipaja-project in 2000, It is funded by the Finnish Slot Machine

    Association. The project is still continuing with financial aid from the FSMA and the town of Vaasa.

    Arkipaja is a local community center for mothers who are in need. The mothers have difficulties in their

    own mental health, or they have challenges in looking after children. The aim of the project is to offer

    social support for the mothers and their families in the local community center. Arkipaja offers intensive

    group activities to mothers and their children, aiming at preventing exclusion. It offers also peer-to-peer

    network for mothers and helps them to get larger social circles and social networks.

    The intention of the research was to evaluate the Arkipaja-project. The participant mothers were asked

    about the pros and cons of Arkipaja. The goal was to find out what works well and what requires further

    development. Also the function of Arkipaja was studied. Local social workers were asked what is their

    opinion on the activities of Arkipaja.Research results show that the mothers and local social workers have a shared opinion on Arkipaja: the

    biggest challenge of families is in the mental difficulties of the mothers or parents; and on the other hand

    the families do not get enough social support in their local community. According to the research results,

    Arkipaja has very positive influence on the lives of mothers and their families. Arkipaja is like an open

    kitchen and living room in the local community. Arkipaja has been a unique social facilitator for the

    mothers.

    On the other hand Arkipaja has not reached enough intensive relationship with the local social workers

    and local social services. Local social workers give very positive statements about Arkipaja, but they

    are not involved in Arkipaja and its activities. There seems to be a barrier between the third sector

    organization and the public services. In this meaning, Arkipaja is just an independent actor in the field ofsocial work without a supportive network of social services.

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    The case of Vuorikeskus

    Students: Tuija Kivioja and Sanna Ala-Hallila, 2012

    Vuorikeskus is a community center for elderly. The thesis tries to document the history of Vuorikeskus.

    Vuorikeskus has been a part of the organization of the town. However, the town council decided to

    develop its function towards a resource center for the elderly. It means that the town dont alone want

    to organize all activities for elderly, but instead it seeks co-operation with the third sector associations. I

    think this is a Finnish application of the policy of the Big Society.

    This thesis is a document of difficulties which were faced in re-organizing the services of Vuorikeskus. The

    town tried to seek co-operation and partnerships with associations for a new multifunctional center. The

    students worked to help for changing the function of Vuorikeskus. The study is a report on how difficult it

    was and what kind of barriers they found during the process..

    The study is an action research, where students tried to follow the process to develop a new kind of

    Vuorikeskus. During their study, they tried to get a better understanding about the social process in

    which they were involved and which they also tried actively to change. In a multifunctional environment,

    they had to negotiate with others all the time. Although, they tried to negotiate with other actors,

    they did not find a base for mutual co-operation. There were a lot of tensions between the town and

    associations; and between the town and the elderly.In their conclusions, the students argued that because the town made the decision about to change the

    function of Vuorikeskus without hearing the others, later it was difficult to find a mutual co-operation

    and trust among other actors.

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    1.3 What have we done in the past?

    Years before smartphone and mobile apps discovered the world of the learning society we set up a

    (virtual) learning network focused on the needs of the different target groups in learning starting

    from the age of 12 until 99. Special online and offline training courses were offered and interactive

    learning groups were formed to establish learning networks in both worlds the real and the virtual

    one.

    On approx. 400 square metres we created a learning environment that was forward looking trying

    to combine new concepts with well known contents. Moreover, learning was assumed to be rather

    practical than only theoretic, for what reason also practical learning opportunities could be used.

    We called this space Learning Studio.

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    Greece

    Preface

    Creating a learning society with the aim of being active citizens is an idea-a vision that each communityand each person perceives differently. The reason is because each person/body/community and country

    sets its own aims and priorities according to the needs and problems that exist. The learning society with

    the aim of being active citizens is designed to:

    Development of learning opportunities for adults, encouraging learning through intergenerational

    collaboration, education against discrimination, eliminate disparities, increase mutual cooperation at

    local, regional, national and European level.

    Despite the specific needs of each person, each body and local community is generally accepted that

    through educational activities can be development in personal, local, regional, national and European

    level. Driving force for the creation of a learning society are the education centers and educators ingeneral.

    In Greece, although the meaning of the learning society is not widely understood, are made remarkable

    efforts through various educational activities with the aim of mutual cooperation of citizens and

    active participation for: citizenship, continuing education, intergenerational learning and cooperation,

    elimination of social exclusion, social inclusion, use of technology and other important issues of the

    European Community.

    Below are mentioned the training activities that carried out under the learning society in Greece and

    specifically in Kilkis which could provide examples and other educational institutions of the EU.

    1. LEARNING SOCIETY: Project that was implemented in order to create a learning society

    Title of the project: ACTIONS OF YOUTHS FOR THE CONSERVATION OF LOCAL TRADITION AND

    CONTINUATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE in the frame of YOUTH IN ACTION PROGRAM (Youth Initiatives)

    Implementing Association: Pontians Union of Kilkis Prefecture (NGO)

    Aims: The Youth Initiatives support projects that enable young people to participate actively and

    directly in activities of their own devising in which they play a central role in order to develop the ability

    to take initiative, entrepreneurship and creativity. This project is interesting as well as achieved goals

    of Intergenerational Learning, through the implemented activities. The implemented activities of IG

    Learning were:

    Create a Pontiac Stamping Ground (Area for young people: meetings implementation & youthinformation)

    Workshop for Development the Basic Knowledge in Cooking with the use of traditional Pontiac

    products

    Youth Meeting on the subject Youth and Culture

    Participants: 10 young people in ages between 17-30 years old.

    Results:

    Through activities participants in ages between 17-30 had the change to:

    Socialize with older people, exchange ideas and experience Receive informal education (cooking courses and traditional dances) from older people

    especially women.

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    Fight against social exclusion (participants were also immigrants, young people who left school

    early, people who feel socially excluded)

    Actively participate and contribute in encouraging learning through the use of intergenerational

    work

    Use of technology

    Promotion of the idea of Lifelong Learning

    The Greek view of a Learning Society. What we would like to see happen in our own country to establishthe vision of a learning society.

    Beyond the learning needs, we take into account that Kilkis is an area near the border and this has a

    positive and negative influence on society. Also we take in mind that in Kilkis live many immigrants and

    refugees. So, we would like to see happen in our own country/city to establish the vision of a learning

    society through:

    More information and educational activities

    Theoretical and practical exercises

    Cooperation between local authorities, schools and training centers

    Attractive for active participation of youth, adults and older people

    Learning through experience between different generations

    Active participation of disadvantaged groups

    Cooperation with other European countries

    Adoption of good technical and practices from EU

    Development of youth entrepreneurship

    Fighting unemployment

    Development of healthy competition

    Incentives for continuing learning

    Desire to change the society for the better

    Establishment of information centers on educational opportunities in Greece and in European

    Union countries

    Establishment of information networks on educational opportunities in EU by the cooperation of

    educational centers and associations.

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    social participation, cooperation, tolerance and solidarity both within and between the sectors; and the

    establishment of local media. Using a regional analysis and the major trends in development planning,

    the training strategy has focused on complementing the existing forms of formal and informal adult

    learning and training with new and up-to-date content. Another important aspect is to enhance

    peoples general and vocational knowledge, and to look for opportunities to provide freely accessible

    adult education, again in both the area of general purpose adult training courses (provided by the Civil

    College Foundation) and vocational courses (provided by the Hungarian Association for Community

    Development and formal education institutions).

    Two ideas for future work we would like to do

    1. Training and learning sustainable development and community organising

    CCF is about to initiate to implement a complex strategy reflecting on to key overall problems in

    Hungary, following two professional threads:

    The first dimensionfocuses on developing/adapting/supporting alternative community

    solutions in mobilizing local resources in order respond deepening needs and hardship.

    This thread is primarily focusing on simple and implementable practices, highlighting the

    possible ways of reorganizing local resources.

    The second dimensionis putting the emphasis on local community organizing, motorizing

    local human resources on key issues defined by the community, building constituency and

    citizen power, articulating interests, influencing decisions, extend and protect community

    resources.

    As a basic programme element CCF is about to establish a sustainable development and community

    organizing resource centre

    Key steps in the first two years:

    Curriculum development, trainings, meetings, mentoring

    Leading/supporting 3+7 local fieldworks

    Local campaigns, actions, resource-development

    Nation-wide campaign, conferences

    Key actors:

    Local communities, CSOs

    Professionals engaged for community organizing, sustainable developmentRegional community work organizations

    2. Community-based learning

    To enable democratic thinking and active citizenship to spread at an increased pace, it is not enough

    merely to increase the number of free adult training programmes and organise them into a regularly

    and securely functioning system. Community development must also engage with the socialisation

    process of children and young people. Programmes that combine early socialisation and community

    development focus on interactive learning and consist of informal elements complemented by formal

    learning. Living in a community must be practiced even with the youngest age groups. In addition tosingle actions such as special days or outings, working and learning together on a regular basis is also

    necessary.

    Community studies, the training and learning aspects of the local development plan, the

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    development of a community-based economic culture

    learning about democracy in school and real life

    embedding these in an adequate practice within the school system and the community itself.

    Implementation of these is not the exclusive duty of schools but concerns the community as a whole.

    The catalyst can be either the school itself or the community development professionals it has involved,

    but the process cannot be effective without the co-operation of parents, local institutions and local

    residents, that is, without making people aware of the process and encouraging them to own itthemselves. The socialisation efforts of the school in the area of community and democracy will be futile

    if real life situations keep contradicting them.

    Training and learning community development

    The European dimension of training and learning for community development has been of considerable

    importance. In 2005 the Combined European Bureau for Social Development (CEBSD) obtained funding

    under the EUs Grundtvig programme. The idea for a European cooperation and networking project

    arose from the Budapest conference in March 2004 on the theme of building civil society in Europe

    through community development. Implementation of the project inspired a high level of interest from

    community development organisations across Europe. Partners in the project and participants in athematic seminar demonstrated a high level of motivation to work together on community-based

    training, which is seen by many as a bridge between social, economic and cultural development.

    Community-based training can also make a substantial contribution to developing active citizenship and

    the skills of democratic dialogue which are so essential for meaningful participatory democracy.

    The final report on the project provides detailed information on European community development

    organisations dealing with training. The project was the first European-wide attempt to set out the

    principles of training and learning in community development and identify the community development

    and adult training organisations willing to engage in such a co-operation:

    In the light of the project, partners share the view that the experience of community-based learning

    combined with adaptability to diverse communities is the unique contribution that community

    development can bring to lifelong learning. (Community Development Foundation/CEBSD, 2008, p 6)

    The underlying theme of this chapter is that local communities and community groups can play a

    major role in developing a collective existence that incorporates human life as a whole. This collective

    existence involves the acquirement, preservation and development of local culture, the establishment

    of the norms and values forming this process and the transfer of these into practice. When referring to a

    crisis of values, morals, confidence and culture in Central and Eastern Europe, one must recognise that,

    without socialisation to community life and democracy, the crisis will only be handled partially, with

    the consequence that democracy will not be realised in the region, or only with considerable delay. The

    renewal of fragmented and atomized local communities requires external intervention, because mostlocal communities lack the resources to implement the process. Hopefully, the examples listed in this

    chapter have justified both the need for community development intervention and the argument that

    community development should be supported to a greater extent as a means of contributing to the

    socialisation process.

    The continuation of European networking following the key recommendations of these programmes

    would be crucial to strengthen community based professional cooperation towards a learning society.

    http://tl4cd.wordpress.com

    The Budapest Declaration

    15 May 2013 Budapest

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    Poland

    Engaged education as a key to community development

    Education process of Local Activity Support Centre CAL is based on the assumption that every person

    has the potential to develop, if he or she is willing to learn. This potential includes his/her experience,

    skills, knowledge, talent and attitude. Learners are entities with the ability to change themselves and

    the surrounding world. Learning process takes place between the educator and the learner - participant

    - their mutual relationship is not hierarchic. They learn from each-other, through the engagement,

    flow of information and synergy. It is also learning through conflict and struggle, but the conditions of

    security and equality are met. The aim is to create training courses and workshops based on the direct

    relationship individual individual and individual group. Together with the educator group creates a

    learning community on the basis of active interaction.

    Education is based on the pillars / values that are shared by the teaching staff e.g. belief in the dignity ofthe individual, mutual respect between people, a sense of social justice, participation, empowerment.

    Trainers as practitioners, together with learners, form an important educational community focused on

    social change. Effective learning process includes several key elements: a sense of meaning and purpose,

    the participants involvement, a sense of security, a sense of agency. We called this concept engaged

    education.

    An approach of active learning (learning by doing) and the cycle of Kolb (experiential learning) is alsoincluded. Through active methods participants create experiences, trying to critically reflect on and

    then discuss - generalizing and associating with the practical actions in their communities. Educators

    use various forms of training to enable people with different types of learning), it promotes learning

    efficiency but always subjectivity of the participant is the most important.

    In terms of CALs education philosophy, learner in the educational process is a full-fledged, autonomous

    and creative person shaped by his/her personality, life experiences, talents, skills and knowledge. It

    is important to enable participants in the learning process share of the responsibility for the act of

    education. Educator / trainer moderates this process by creating an educational situation for participants

    who consciously and responsibly enter into learning process. Education affects not only towards

    acquiring new knowledge, but also the acquisition of new skills and influence change in attitudestowards values. Educator / trainer appears more as a facilitator of the process of education, rather than

    expert-teacher, provides a climate of openness to the voices and opinions of participants and their needs

    related to various problems.

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    A very important aspect of the training is a sense of purpose, which is so called clarity among the

    participants about the meaningfulness of involvement in the educational process. The most important

    approach relating to active education is that students learn to actually do and act. How they are going

    to act is always their choice. Education is rooted in the values that define attitude, brings out the support

    people capabilities and create an atmosphere that strengthen their progress. Everything moves to the

    ultimate goal of education, which is the link between theory and practice. It is called education in action,

    because the educational content - knowledge, skills- are oriented both for a change of a learner, and the

    change of the community. Crucial is also the role of reflection on practice, which is combined with the

    experience and might be applicable to new life and work situations. Participants learn, work, create a

    reflection, learn and work again - drawing on the experience of action learning is important approach.

    These people are a community of support for each other and learn the important support of the trainer /

    educator, mentor, coach.

    Local Activity Support Center CAL believes that together with the participants of the educational

    community are learn together, but also change themselves, their communities, and as a result social

    change in Poland. To sum up, CAL engaged education creates united community of learners and teachers

    towards participative change in local communities based on the values of empowerment and social

    justice, in particular by working with groups and communities at risk of being marginalized or excluded

    already.

    Concrete

    Experiencedoing / having an

    experience

    Reflective

    Observationreviewing / reflecting onthe

    experience

    Abstract

    Conceptualisationconcluding / learning from the

    experience

    Active

    Experimentationplanning / trying out what you have

    learned

    Experiential Learning Cycle

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    Slovenia

    PREFACE

    The world we live in has throughout the last decades become much smaller place, since the trend

    of globalisation connected us in a way we never thought it will. Globalisation has its pros and cons,

    but maybe a con worth mentioning is definitely its impact on the society which is nowadays eager to

    know variety of things which have its place of origin in different countries worldwide. Those elements

    contribute to the fact that there is not a State in the world which would not engage itself towards the

    path of improved development, justice, the environment and eradication of poverty, Slovenia not being

    an exception.

    To successfully pursue this goal one must realize that contemporary methods of gathering and

    improving knowledge are not enough. Schools and universities have their curriculums which often offer

    only theoretical aspects of different, however mostly important, bedrocks, but they lack manifestationof those in practice. Furthermore, time that one may spend in this institutionalized way of learning is

    limited and often not diverse enough. Therefore we must stream towards new ways of improving our

    societies as a whole. Starting point is definitely an individual himself and also local community centres

    which offer leadership, knowledge and enthusiasm connected with advertising.

    To achieve the goal of a more educated society it must be reckoned that lifelong learning will have to be

    the foundation of this new approach. Only throughout the life, with connectivity to intergenerational

    and voluntary practice, one can achieve the individuals goal. If we can achieve relevant number of

    citizens in a local community that would boldly engage themselves in lifelong learning of useful and

    needed practices in a globalised manner, using intergenerational approach with help of voluntarism,

    only then we will be able to speak of Learning Society, which recognizes learning as an essential elementto the progress of humanity, which encompasses economic prosperity, social well-being, personal

    fulfilment and sustainable planet.

    STEPS TO TAKE

    In our view, the road towards a Learning Society is a long and arduous, however we thing it can be

    achieved in a reasonable time of two generations not in every corner of the world, but in some

    important areas which could serve as the initiative for global change. There are some steps we have to

    take in order to implement Learning Society. Since it is our belief that this implementation will differ from

    place to place, however with some common elements (due to globalisation impact), we will talk about

    one of proper ways which could work in Slovenia.

    Firstly, local community centres have to inform themselves about the meaning of Learning Society and

    their role in it. Those centres would be used as a starting point of decentralized learning in different

    themes or areas. Preferably those centres include volunteers of different age.

    Secondly, those centres have to create a network of volunteers of different age under the mentorship

    of adults or seniors (in some aspects also youth). Those volunteers have the responsibility of advertising

    voluntarism in a contemporary manner in thus the network of volunteers will connect more and more

    people.

    Thirdly, centres have to create strong ties with local/regional public sector, economy and other NGOs inorder to organize different programmes which can contribute to the well-being of the community. Those

    programmes, which will be carried out by volunteers and mentors, are the next step towards a Learning

    Society.

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    Fourthly, continuance of scanning the needs of local community must be applied. Only programmes

    that correspond to the actual needs of some community will succeed. At the beginning it would be

    good to start with programmes that upgrade the knowledge of marginalised groups in order to level the

    community knowledge, i.e. computer literacy, economy and justice literacy

    Lastly, those centres have to continue their work in different aspects and thus connecting local

    inhabitants, local corporations, public services, local government and similar organisations.

    PRINCIPLES THAT A LEARNING SOCIETY SHOULD INTERNALIZE

    As mentioned before, proactive actions in order to implement a Learning Society will and should be

    different in different areas of the world. However there are some principles that are widely accepted:

    1) Cornerstone of a Learning Society is learning throughout life, which means accepting new

    technologies, new practical ideas which make life better, new theories connected with practice

    2) Learning should be taken to the learner and thus decentralizing learning and seeing it as an activity

    and not a place.

    3) Learning should be meant for everyone. Discrimination is not an option.

    4) Communities and their inhabitants have different needs and therefore learning must be properly

    carried out to meet those needs.

    5) New learning providers must take the initiatives they can derive from public, private or NGO sector.

    6) Relationship between learning providers, learners, funders and innovators is of crucial importance.

    Contemporary virtual networking offers some good starting points.

    7) Each community has to create a system of continuous interests and feedback of what works in which

    circumstances in order to allow transfer of good practice.

    With accordance to these principles, a Learning Society can be a strong substitute to conservativemethods of learning. This however, in our opinion, does not mean that known methods of learning are

    not needed.

    OUR PAST PROJECTS

    In Intergenerational centre Celje we are aware of the need to better our society through learning. As

    it is stated in our name, we promote intergenerational approach toward any activity. We have started

    organising different programmes that fall into category of Lifelong Learning in 2011 and we are

    continuing in that stream.

    1) Our first project has commenced in 2011 and involves practical learning programmes for those, whowant to become volunteers. It needs to be mentioned, that our concept of a volunteer is a quite wide

    one, since we didnt equip our volunteers with only theoretical knowledge but rather we organised

    practical work in the field they prefer under the mentorship of someone who had more experience.

    Volunteers of different ages, but mainly younger ones, therefore formed groups of people who want

    to make a change in local community in different areas, including: culture, sport, learning aid, healthy

    lifestyle, social support, etc. Those volunteers learned about the status of each field, talked about the

    findings with mentors and inhabitants in that community and in the end formed small programmes

    that included themselves as volunteers and participants from different age groups who participated in

    different programmes mentioned above.

    The result was that everyone who participated learned some important elements. Volunteers learned a

    lot about the needs in particular area in their local community and participants learned some new things

    that were helpful in everyday life meaning of regular physical work out through advice from volunteers

    and mostly through actual work out organised by our volunteers and mentors.

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    2) In the year 2012 we started a pilot project that involved contemporary networking combined with

    practical advice on lifestyle, namely web-based collection of articles with advisory content. Those articles

    can be found on the website which is easily accessible and there is no registration fee or something

    similar. The website works on the principle that everyone who wants to share some practical advice on

    how to live a better life, can participate in writing such an article. Therefore there is the writer on one side

    and a reader on the other both learning new and for life important things.

    Result was that many people, who never wrote as professionals, decided to try out this venture. On the

    other side we had a lot of interested readers that through the time became active participants sharingtheir own views and similar.

    OUR FUTURE PROJECTS

    1) Our main goal for the future, with regards to a Learning Society, is to widen our network of volunteers

    and make practical local programmes even more accessible to different marginalized groups, especially

    unemployed (problems connected with the loss of employment) and elderly (loneliness, feeling of

    unworthiness). Those groups are facing a lot of difficulties and mostly they cannot find the proper

    way out. Intergenerational volunteering with connection to Lifelong Learning could be one of the

    possible solutions, since it will engage them in different community work, offering them venue of

    opportunities they may seize. Although volunteering is not a direct remedy for their problems, it offers

    a good countermeasure to negative aspects, especially keeping them active, presenting them new ways

    of learning different things which they can use in their search for employment, new connections and

    similar.

    In Intergenerational centre Celje we will organise work and learning problems design especially for

    unemployed and elderly. We expect results such as better employment options, better health/mood,

    something good for the community, etc.

    2) Our second priority project is setting up a network of informal legal offices ran by young lawyers and

    law students offering legal advice for elderly and those who cannot afford any paid advice. The starting

    point of this project is pro bono counselling which is organized by volunteers specialized in law andsupervised by a competent mentor.

    When we were talking to local officials and volunteers we realized that in the time of economic crisis

    there are quite few people who are facing different problems and would need some non-binding

    legal advice but they cannot afford getting one. On the other hand we realized that there are a lot of

    volunteers who are specialized in law and would like to do some volunteering in accordance with their

    specialized knowledge. The logical solution would be to connect those people.

    There is a great impact on local community with this project. First of all, volunteers are offered a plethora

    of possibilities to try their theoretical knowledge on real cases. Secondly, their knowledge is used in

    a way that helps local community. Thirdly, unemployed young lawyers or students are offered a wayhow to be active in their field and to gather experience which are valued by the employers. There is

    also positive impact on the beneficiaries, since they get the needed advice that can help them coping

    with their problems. In addition, volunteers will offer also free presentations of the most needed and

    important legal branches. This will help raising legal culture in the local community, providing legal

    security and prevent different contemporary issues such as discrimination, exclusion, etc.

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    United Kingdom

    Community Development is a long term value based process which aims to address imbalances in power and

    bring about change founded on social justice, equality and inclusion.

    Two things we have done

    1. How we target audiences of people working with communities to bring about changes in their

    communities and how we ensure trainers are well prepared to deliver such training by defining different

    approaches to community development training.

    We have trained people as mentors to practitioners going through the recognition process by recruiting

    people who have been active in community development and providing a full day training in the

    methods they might use in generating the evidence of peoples knowledge and skills. They have been

    given access to new technology and trained in ways of using that to capture the evidence thus movingaway from traditional methods of writing everything down. Participatory methods were used in the

    training which encouraged mentors to develop their own ways of working with their mentees so that

    individual needs were met.

    The process enables people to organise and work together to:

    Identify their individual needs and aspirations

    Take action to exert influence on the decisions which affect their lives

    Improve the quality of their own lives, the communities in which they live, and societies of which

    they are a part

    The process of Community Development is guided by a clear set of values:

    Equality and anti-discrimination

    Social justice

    Collective action

    Community empowerment

    Working and learning together

    2. The second integral aspect is being assured in how people learn.

    This is based on the belief that everyone has something to contribute about

    their experiences of being within communities its not an empty vessel

    approach but one that draws upon the work of Paulo Freire.

    Freire believed that important knowledge was being withheld by people in

    power in order to keep the lower classes dependant on them. They could

    control people in this way. Freire felt that a problem-posing approach

    should be taken, where each person helps identify a problem/ issue which

    is then examined by all; it is discussed and joint action is decided upon

    after consideration has been given to what the possible consequences of

    the action might be. After the action the matter is again examined anddiscussed: Has the action made any difference? What should we do next?

    How do we achieve our goal now? Everyone helps by sharing their views, experience and knowledge

    and a common goal is worked towards. This is the essential framework for Community Development

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    work with community members, activists and paid worker taking on different tasks and roles but all

    being equally valuable within the piece of work. Freire argued that to enter into dialogue presupposes

    equality amongst participants. Each must trust the others; there must be mutual respect and love (care

    and commitment).

    Yorkshire and Humber Community Development Network held a number of practice sharing events.

    One particular example focussed on the needs of rural communities faced with the localism agenda

    of the new coalition government and gave community development practitioners a chance to explore

    the opportunities and challenges this might pose to the communities in which they lived and worked.Speakers from rural support agencies were invited to present their thoughts on these opportunities and

    challenges and workshops were planned around the key themes of the localism agenda. One looked

    at the possibilities opened up for key local services to be run and owned by community groups and

    organisations. Another addressed the resources available to develop neighbourhood plans which would

    inform the local planning system. The day was attended by people who worked in paid community

    development work and by people who were active in their own communities. Those attending went

    away better informed about government policy but they also had the opportunity to challenge it

    critically and discuss what benefits it might hold for their communities but also what dangers and how

    they might work to ensure that their communities remained in control of their own destinies.

    Two things we would like to do

    1. Develop a wider range of recognition programmes and a qualifications framework to enable everyone

    to engage and be rewarded for their training. (We hope to be able to write this up to present when we

    host our conference in June 2014.) Recognition schemes are supported reflective learning programmes

    based on community development national occupational standards. It can be completed by people

    who are involved in community development whether paid workers or unpaid activists. The process

    uses the individuals current and past paid or unpaid activities in communities to develop the technical,

    social, team working, practical and problem solving skills of participants. It also brings out their personal

    qualities, resilience, independence and their ability to be self managing and creative team players.

    2. To further develop the ideas around community development learning hubs throughout the UK

    and Europe and identify funding streams to support this development. A community learning hub is

    a partnership of organisations concerned with developing and delivering community development

    learning. They come together to pool ideas, resources and motivation in order the make community

    development learning happen. Where they have happened, the work they do includes bidding for

    resources together for projects such as Recognition (see above), designing learning programmes to fit

    the needs of communities, getting community development learning on to the agendas of government

    bodies, developing progression routes through to Higher Education, fostering closer links between

    learning providers, community groups and employers of community developmentworkers.