How your organisation can get involved
If your organisation offers any form of learning (for example courses, classes, lectures, tours, training programs, tutoring, discussion groups), then you should use Adult Learners' Week as an opportunity to celebrate and promote what you do to the wider community.
Types of activities
Basically, Adult Learners' Week activities can be anything that offers members of the local community an opportunity to find out what you do and where you are.
The simplest thing that an organisation can do is to do what they do every other week of the year, but from 1-8 September label these activities as Adult Learners' Week events and invite members of the community to observe or take part.
But is is better do to something different for Adult Learners' Week because this will make it easier for your organisation to draw attention to itself. You could hold an open day, set up a display in a shopping centre, host a learning expo, present demonstrations or performances, hold a party...
Here are some examples of activities offered by organisations during previous Adult Learners' Weeks:
- held open days to allow members of the local community to come and explore learning institutions in a friendly casual atmosphere
- offered free sample classes as a way of letting people find out for themselves how fulfilling learning can be
- held learning fairs and expos with stalls representing the activities and achievements of learning
- organised for learning providers to visit workplaces, community centres, galleries etc. to offer sample learning experiences
- organised exhibitions of student works and achievements
- held sausage sizzles and family picnic days as a way of letting people get to know the learning organisation in a friendly 'pressure-free' way
- held special days to target specific community groups, such as 'Seniors Online Day' that invited older members of the community to take part in learning about computing
- chartered a 'learning bus' to take information about learning opportunities to remote areas
- set up learning information stands in shopping malls, outside supermarkets and in popular lunch areas. The stalls offered information about learning opportunities and offered performances, basic skills workshops and similar activities
- organised a public debate on a hot learning topic
- conducted a competition, offering something from a learning institution as a prize
- organised events to feature and celebrate past adult learning achievers
- organised a walking tour of adult learning venues in a given area, encouraging participants to collect a stamp in a 'passport' at each and then hand in the completed passport for a prize at the end (e.g. a cap or t-shirt)
- offered practical sessions on how to teach others.
For more ideas have a look at the online calendar.
Organising and promoting you activites
You do not need to ask permission, apply or register to take part in Adult Learners' Week. However to make your event identifiable as an Adult Learners' Week activity you should use some of the Adult Learners' Week promotional branding elements in your promotions.
Don't forget to photograph your Adult Learners' Week events!
Send us a copy of a photo of your events - with some text to describe what the picture is about - and your event may end up on this website, or in next years' Adult Learners Week promotions. Photos should be sent in an electronic format to info@adultlearnersweek.org or by post to Adult Learners' Week, C/-Adult Learning Australia, GPO Box 260, Canberra City ACT 2601.