Group 1
Politics etc
* There is no obligatory framework
* A manual or guide needs to illustrate and make things possible
* We discussed the need to decide who benefits from Adult Learners'
Weeks -
Government
Non-Government organisations
Institutions
Practitioners
Companies
LEARNERS
* We discussed the benefits to Government -
To widen participation
To motivate new learners
Economic modernisation
Public relations opportunities for
politicians etc
* We agreed Adult Learners' Week was a combination of -
Political movement
A festival
A marketing opportunity
A strategy for mobilisation
* We recognised the importance of the Week (or day or ...) as a
vehicle to promote literacy as well as adult learning more widely.
* We looked at the check list developed by LERNFESTIVAL:
To analyse your situation
To recognise areas where you have potential
conflict and areas of consensus
To identify a central message
To identify specific goals and tasks to
achieve the goals
To identify target groups for the Week's
activity
To formulate how to reach target groups
To select instruments:
Media
Festival etc
To organise a concrete schedule and
logistics
To evaluate the outcomes
* We discussed the tension between top-down and bottom-up planning
* We discussed how to encourage as many other people as possible to
participate in and to shape the Week's activities
* We discussed the importance of story-telling and of celebration
* We highlighted the importance of themes/topics to give focus to the
activities
* We recognised that much of our discussion was Euro-centric and we
considered a model for engaging forces for participation and mobilisation in
the south and we used this diagram to organise our thinking.
Groupwork session 2
Funding and sponsorship
* Development of a basic brochure mainly paid by organisations and
sponsors (advertisements) - to be used for applications towards Government
funding, ESF, Grundtvig, World Bank (or government mandate to different
agencies with corporate consensus]
* Meetings with leaders in Government organisations and politicians to
discuss the strategy and goals, the money from the government
(central/local/regional) especially for development of a concept and the
preparations of the local co-ordinators and the administration staff of the
adult learners week. High officials close to adult education; ministers;
Parliament members in the regions.
* Development and layout of different items like posters, presentation
of the programmes in the regions, invitations, stamps, logos, promotional
materials. Also the grand opening of the adult educational adult learners
week was financed from the Government and adult educational organisations.
* The second type of sponsorship: private firms and organisations
(free staff time) for helplines - telecommunication, radio, tv, print
materials; information brochure with advice for students, unemployed people,
internet sites, studying abroad for example hard/software, publishing
companies, learning material companies, breweries, foodchains, banks
* The awards for special curriculum and projects were all paid by
private sponsorship, including the work of the press, the advertisement
* Posters were only partly sponsored by societal groups, trade unions,
churches, adult educational institutions/organisations
* their own investments were financed by employing unemployed people
who were paid by the local authorities/federal authorities, labour market
programmes for infrastructure, universities
* all local events (about 1200) were paid by the regions local
governments
* monitoring and dissemination help for the South by ESF, Socrates,
development programmes
* Opportunities to 'piggy-back' on other initiatives e.g. venues,
printing, people, in-kind, taster sessions
* Discuss how to MOBILISE RESOURCES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
Group Work Session - Group 3 (contributors - Ruth Jermann, Kate Malone, Sica
Martinez, Wolfgang Leumer, Tony Brown)
Awards & Voices of the Learner
IMPORTANT : Distinction between Voice of the Learner and awards.
Awards can be seen as a 'tool' promoting learning and learners.
Suggestions for a different title: one put forward was INSPIRATION
NOTE: first step would be to build support with your own
'constituency/steering group/partnerships/organisers' etc
Think about practical steps:
* Target groups;
* Illustrations;
* Communication;
* Amount of detail;
* Contact details.
The group identified three key areas which needed to be included in this
section in the guide/toolkit, with a brief reflection of it in the
introduction section to the guide:
1. Principles behind ALW (where the idea comes from)
2. Benefits or different purposes and opportunities to celebrate
learners and the way to make it part of a media or advocacy strategy
3. Relating experiences
Relating to the above three areas were:
* the purpose of this section was to highlight learning and the
learners
* Some suggestions of the benefits or different purposes included:
1. 'Changing attitudes'/understanding, recognition of learning
2. Reaching new target audiences and finding ways of attracting them
(both learners and practitioners). Through this also highlighting the wide
range of opportunities available to learners
3. Advocacy
4. Emphasise the joy of learning (celebration element) with quotes from
the learners themselves
5. Partnerships and new linkages established (linking learning stories
to topical events/stories already in the press)
6. Creating public spaces to focus attention on what has changed for
individuals, groups, organisations, processes and to celebrate the learners
and learning
7. Overcoming barriers - reaching politicians, policy makers
8. Inclusive rather than exclusive (recognising both formal and
informal types of learning)
9. Attraction of media coverage
10. Involvement of learners themselves and the possibility of the
development of learners voices more strongly e.g. learners forums
* Experiences in different countries
* ways of organisation (geographical spread; specific categories;
delivery; development)
* prizes (monetary, in kind, books, materials, free telephone airtime,
access to organisations)
* recognition (award ceremonies, media coverage)
* cultural differences
- funding issues
Depending on the size of the Guide and the format of the guide: examples of
materials used by different countries outlining:
1. Types of awards
2. Criteria for awards
3. Selection of award winners
4. Presentation of 'prizes' to award winners
5. Use of learning stories and learners voices
Commendation: Awards type activities/events should be related to the
context of each particular country taking into account the relevance in
terms of their own systems (institutional setup), politics, social agendas,
funding.
Expansion of notes to be considered.
Group 4: Partnerships, engaging practitioners, volunteers, organisations
WHY?
* More actively engage wider range of persons in activities
* Enable/facilitate wider range of activities
* Collaborate on projects, have more experience, obtain/share funding
* Political goodwill
* Concerns of adult learners in different settings
Organisations
WHO?
Partnerships: Organised locally, regionally and/or
nationally
'political directorate' Government
sub-sections and opposition parties too
Private sector and public companies
NGOs and voluntary organisations
Community-based organisations
Educational institutions
Funding agencies outside Government
Clubs and associations - can develop related
campaigns
Media
Community centres and churches (cultural), religious groups Advocacy
groups, for example, the 'sistering collective' (drama projects to empower
women to take responsibility for their own lives)
Practitioners:
WHO?
* Universities (research and provision)
* Community-based learning
* Colleges
* Galleries/museums/libraries
* Open learning centres
* Voluntary organisations
* Trade Unions
HOW?
* Involvement in activities, by doing it
* Advertising, PR, good marketing strategy, a key question of which is
"What's in it for partnerships?" (helps to involve partners)
* Visits and attachments from overseas
* Beneficiaries and learners - speak, publicise, lobby (lots of
comments from learners, help organisations to recognise and get involved)
* Use learners to influence
* Publications and information to partners
Volunteers:
* Senior citizens
* Mentoring projects eg. MENTOC (Belfast FE College)
* As new tutors
* Through clubs and organisations, and voluntary organisations
* Use of "privileged youth"; use of university undergraduates and
graduates; Guild of graduates
* Privileged women who do not have to work; use of those with
professional skills who are not currently working
* Volunteers from church groups
Issues in using volunteers:
* Social problems where different social, cultural experiences
* Travel expenses might be needed
* Training requirements
* Need to recognise mutual benefits
* Using successful volunteers ('champions for learning') can be
intimidate as well as encourage
* Volunteering is not always viewed as volunteering (eg. committee
work) - gender issue?
Group 5 : Publicity - media links, pr materials, slogans/campaigns, themes
foci
This session drew on the UK, Swiss, South African and Australian
experiences. Many illustrations were given of local experience but it was
considered most relevant to try to develop general points for a 'Manual'.
Common experiences have been:
* Developing Posters
* Using slogans and themes for the Week
* Developing media kits and where possible developing direct media
contacts in orders to gain coverage of the Week. The type of media will vary
depending on the society for e.g. in the UK TV is the main medium, in South
Africa radio is considered more effective
* Developing kits & how-to guides for local providers and committees
* Developing a range of paraphernalia - e.g. t-shirts, caps, magnets,
balloons etc
* Competitions
It was considered important that the Manual highlight these common or
general points so that they can be applied in the most suitable way for
specific country circumstances.
It should also highlight potential problems, e.g.:
* if developing a poster then allowance needs to be made for
distribution and mailing costs,
* that images & slogans must be acceptable to the 'field' of practice
and other partners, that the Week remains the property of adult learners and
adult learning organisations and is not taken over by government as a means
of popularising current policy.
* look to re-use parts - e.g. logos, images, photos and stories raised
in one year can be re-used in future years
Group 6. Helplines / Advice
1. Why are you opening a telephoneline? What information are you going
to offer?
For:
Unemployed people?
For students - who want to study in other countries?
Information on scholarships?
Further information about different courses?
Information about the activities during the ALW?
Etc.
2. You have to have one number for the whole country.
3. Think of different languages (perhaps calls could be diverted or
different languages accommodated?)
4. Think about who will finance this?
If you can find a sponsor the calls can be made free. (You can consider to
approach the telephone company.)
5. Then initiate installation.
6. Ways to give advice and guidance:
During all kinds of festivals, activities etc; through radio programmes
where people can phone and get advice; through hospital radio or other media
opportunities.
Somebody(s) who is able to answer all those questions. You have to look for
people who are able to offer advice, to counsel, who are reliable, impartial
and comprehensive. And/or train people to answer the telephone calls.
You can hire professionals in adult education guidance (Switzerland) or a
call centre that you have to brief very carefully or the call centres take
the call, write it down and forward the questions to experts. They operate a
call-back system.
7. Start establishing a database of all the needed adresses, telephone
numbers etc.
8. Calls should always be answered in person (not a machine).
9. Use experience of existing helplines. (Copies of the UK helpline are
available.)
10. Making sure that there is broad communication of the telephone
number using television, radio, papers etc.
11. Using examples of existing systems, find one you could use to
maintain a database.
12. Think about asking/looking for volunteers.
GROUP SEVEN
RESEARCH & EVALUATION
Research - Distinction between Research and Evaluation
* Information gathering to inform the week
* Tracking of specific groups of learners/non - learners
* Analysis of questionnaires in relation to age, employment status,
gender
* Analysis of articles in press
* Research into cultural influences ( urban/rural, international)
Common Evaluation
It will be useful for one set of evaluation to be shared among all Adult
Learners' Week initiatives to enable international comparisons.
Evaluation
Why? Qualitative
What? Quantitative
Help Line
How? Press Pack
These are some possibilities for evaluation which will be relevant to
different situations.
Why? The Purpose
For sponsors and funders
For own organisation
For "stakeholders" (regional, other professionals)
For future improvement/self-evaluation
For evidence - facts, figures to sponsors and "stakeholders"
Validation
What? * This will depend on the range of activities relevant to the
organisation.
* It may be useful to vary the focus of your evaluation each
time.
*Activities that could be evaluated if appropriate:
Local/regional events (quality, quantity)
Opinion of regional participants
Help line
* Internal communication/relationships between national and regional
* All countries evaluate one similar set of activities and compare
at international level.
Public awareness of the week
Awards
Process of Awards
Articles in press/journals
Radio coverage
Television coverage
Other media agencies
Publicity material - What kind? What do people think of them?
Resources/Finding - in cash and kind
How? Questionnaires
Workshops
Visitors Books
Interviews
Evaluation Forms
Telephone surveys (random)
Tracking people who attended events
Contact analysis of press articles
Letters to the editor
Commissioned survey/research
Who?
a) Who will do the evaluation
Self -examine
Commissioned Research Regional People
National co-ordinators
Project Manager - regions/local organisers
Professional researchers
Learners
b) Who will be evaluated?
The contributors
Local organisers
Participants
Politicians
Media/broadcaster/press
Providers (range)
Members of public
Sponsors/Funders
When?
Planning for timing is CRUCIAL
* During the Week
* After the week- early
* Tracking six months later
* All evaluation strategies need to be planned well in advance
* Before - Research to inform the process
Issues
* You need to consider personal involvement in evaluation and to think
about unbiased responses
* Writing questions for questionnaires
* Research methodology - seek advice
* Conflicts
* Bullet points of results could be used on the web
* Internet sites useful for interview - sponsors
* Quotes from important policy people/celebrities (sentence from 1997
UNESCO)
* Ethics
* Timing needs to be planned
Group session 8
Activities depend on the goals set.
The main goal is to promote Adult Learners' Week - it is most important that
it is done, not that it is discussed.
WHAT?
Culture-orientated practises influence participation, for example, in the
South: church events.
Work out something that is already established and recognised.
Repeat the successful activities the following year such as: songs, awards,
books, brochures, mousepath, postcards, calendars, posters, festivals,
religious services.
Focus on a theme!
WHY?
* Highlight role-model
* Mobilising people to learn
* Celebrate the joy of learning: celebration for the learners!
HOW?
Marketing strategy is to contact people: in malls, pubs, nearby taxi stops,
emails, in toilets, through the media - non-traditional places.
The goal is to validate the learning, acknowledge recognition of the
learners - certificates, award ceremony.
* Self-esteem of the learners must be stressed
Centralise co-ordination committee
Activities local/regional...
Long-term activity//Short-term activity - Adult Learners' Week is only a
name
FOR WHOM?
For adult learners
For trainers/organisations
For policy-makers: official status
* Different targets each year
* Depends on goals
* Different themes
* Target = several groups
WHEN?
Although there is an ALW, your own ALW depends on your own time planning...
* Cultural oriented
* Kind of recruitment
* 8th September - International Literacy Day
* Other Adult Learners' Week organisations can learn from each other
by visits/communication
Group session 9
10 STEPS TO GET STARTED
1. Nothing is sacred except it must be a celebration, with food, drink
and dancing
2. Essential organising nucleus
3. Sounding-board group
4. Don't discuss the date, the logo, the slogan - just do it! (Nike)
5. Draw on advice and support from other countries
6. Write a plan to draw in the widest range of learners and learning,
specifying resource needs
7. Produce appropriate PR material
8. Invite anyone who wants to, to contribute, to take part
9. Develop local/regional network
10. Evaluate
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