On the 30th April, registrations centres were set up across Ireland to help inform groups of people who tend to be under-represented, and young people across Ireland, about their right to vote and how to register to vote. We also organised an online event in partnership with EPALE, the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe, about how people can engage with the candidates that are up for election. This event, “Use Your Voice: How to Engage with Local and EU Candidates” focused on giving attendees the best tools to engage with candidates. This includes an AONTAS Guide for Engagin ..read more

We continue to work with different education stakeholders across the country to embed Learner Voice into any decision-making processes and systems. Our Policy and Development Officer Conor spoke about the Learner Voice Training we are running across the country, empowering Education and Training Boards, and adult learners, to build Learner Voice structures as part of education programmes. This means that learners have a say in how their courses are managed and how their education centres are run – making them more likely to continue to engage. According to Conor, “learning should be guided by ..read more

 The final section of the paper is a collection of participatory processes in the partner countries, as well as other countries of the European Union.  We shared best-practice examples. The variety of cases gathered was fascinating. For instance, we reported on the impact that the See Her Elected (SHE) project from Longford Women’s Link is having across the country. SHE empowers women in Ireland to consider standing for election. Our Greek colleague, Angeliki, told us about Vouli Watch, an anti-corruption watchdog based in Athens. We also heard about the  ..read more

Laughing, PJ said, “In a strange turn of events, I think I only found out why I left school and why I struggled at school so much – I think I only found out why two weeks ago. And I’m not even joking! I got my ADHD diagnosis two weeks ago, which has answered an awful lot of questions for me.”  He goes on to say that having ADHD was “probably just one of a number of reasons why school was just not a place I fit into at the time.”   He said the environment at school didn’t suit him, and he was always a person who had to work on his feet and move. He said he was “tormented by chairs and ..read more

By the end of the hour, enough interest was sparked that some learners were making plans to mark Bloomsday.     Luke kicked off the tour with a description of the building, which started as a Georgian townhouse before becoming the campus for the Catholic University of Ireland, and later University College Dublin. He showed us a photograph of one of the University’s most famous graduates, James Joyce, lounging against a tree with his classmates – and then pointed out the window to the Museum’s garden, where the self-same ash tree stands today. Naturally, that ..read more

It featured speeches and inputs from policymakers, adult learners, and educators, as well as Barbara’s presentation on our research findings into what is needed to better support adult learners, and potential adult learners, across the island of Ireland.  The research findings focus on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the housing crisis on learners, and also the gaps in Government funding for adequate and affordable State-funded childcare and transport costs. It also shows that information and processes on funding for adult and community education can be difficult to access, li ..read more

Based in the University of Limerick, CWELL helps people to manage their physical and mental wellbeing and empowers people to develop life skills to achieve their goals. To date, 55 students have graduated from the programme with a further 24 on it at the moment. Some people progress to further education and jobs. For other people, CWELL provides a grounding in better mental health, how to have a more active lifestyle and gain self-confidence and self-worth. Speaking with Oliver Callan live on radio, Mary described how she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at age 46. A couple of years ..read more

This category is open to adult learning initiatives that help people with access into university or promote partnerships between higher education and local communities. Let’s take a closer look at the shortlisted initiatives for the category of Third-Level Access and Engagement.  Here are the nominees:  Community Wellness, Empowerment, Leadership and Lifeskills (CWELL) Diploma - University of Limerick  The Community Wellness, Empowerment, Leadership and Lifeskills (CWELL) diploma was designed with local communities in Limerick to address their needs including managing physi ..read more

This is the first of three such mobilities, with two more taking place this year. One of these will be specific to adult learners, many of whom have had little opportunity for learning of this sort in the past.    These 8 CEN members all work in community education with groups of people from under-resourced communities or people who are marginalised in our society.   Speaking about the project, our Community Education Officer Lorraine O’Connor said:  “This project is extremely important in providing a unique international learning experience for our members. On our job shad ..read more

Let’s take a closer look at the shortlisted initiatives for the category of Social Inclusion.  This category, which is sponsored by Open College Network Northern Ireland, is open to adult learning initiatives that support people to be included in and contribute to social and cultural life in their local communities.  Here are the nominees:   Digital Skills for Adults - Leitrim Library Service  The project addresses digital exclusion and unmet digital needs of adults living in County Leitrim. They offer one-to-one sessions in 8 library branches across County Leitrim eve ..read more