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Learning for Peace
The role of adult education
| Date: | Tuesday 11 November 2003 |
| Venue: | Britannia Street Conference Centre, London |
| Ref: | C10-25/11/2003 |
| Fee: | £40 per delegate (includes lunch, tea and coffee) |
[Background & Aims] [Audience] [Programme]
Background
In 2002 NIACE organised an initial conference to explore the role of adult education in helping to understand the causes of violence and conflict in today’s world, and to discuss ways in which such problems could be ameliorated through adult learning initiatives. The event was structured to allow all participants to contribute.
The event raised more questions than it answered but there was a recognition that adult education has a history of active engagement with large issues and social movements. In recent times this engagement has diminished and many contemporary social movements do not see the relevance of adult education. Adult education itself has become bureaucratised and has lost much of its ‘social purpose’ orientation.
We believe that adult education can and should have a key role to play. The adult learning environment can provide a structured context for informed debates for the exploration of alternative explanatory and cultural analyses for generating mutual understanding and where appropriate, tolerance between opposing perspectives.
The event on 11 November is intended to explore further how adult education can work with various social movements to act as an agency and broker to foster understanding between differing interests and concerns and to explore possible adult learning initiatives.
Adult education needs to be more visible and more responsive to new partnership possibilities with social movements. It is also important for agencies such as NIACE to explore what its function should be. An e-mail discussion group has been created to explore issues and create a forum for discussion. Papers around the subject have been published in Adults Learning but we need more. This event will help us understand and develop ideas for the roles we in NIACE can undertake.
The day will start with some personal perspectives and past experiences relevant to the issues. The latter part of the morning will be devoted to networking through a market place session for mutual exploration of perspectives and concerns.
In the afternoon the session will be guided workshops to help set personal, movement and institutional goals, and also to help NIACE to develop its agenda.
This is an open-ended self-structuring conference. All those interested in understanding and helping to overcome conflict and violence are welcome to attend.
Any ideas for educational initiatives will be particularly useful.
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Audience
This conference therefore is for all those interested in learning to overcome conflict and particularly those who can create educational opportunities to do that.
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Programme
| 09:45 | Arrival and registration (Tea/Coffee available) |
| 10:10 | Welcome and introduction to the
day from the chair of the morning Brenda Gourlay, Vice Chancellor, Open University |
| 10:15 | Unions, Peace and War Paul Mackney, General Secretary, NATFHE |
| 10:30 | Learning for Peace - Context and Vision |
| 11:00 | Learning for Peace in Northen
Ireland Paul Nolan, Director, Institute of Lifelong Learning, Queen’s Institute of Belfast |
| 11:30 | Questions and discussion |
| 11:45 | Market Place Showcasing existing good practice Learning from each other Exchanging ideas for future work together |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 | Welcome back and introduction
to workshops and discussion groups Deborah Cooper, Learning and Skills Manager, Community and Economic Development, Milton Keynes Council |
| 14:15 | Workshops and discussion groups |
| 15:15 | Drawing up an agenda for future
action Professor Richard Taylor, Director of Continuing Education Development, University of Leeds |
| 15:30 | Close of Conference (Tea/Coffee available) |
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Also in November 2003...
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