Let Europe Know about Adult Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Let Europe Know about Adult Education

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Pedagogy and didactics; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning

Project Summary

Research has shown that several target groups, including adult learners and adult education professionals, can best be reached in a journalistic manner. Therefore journalistic means, such as journalistic articles, campaigns, online media and mass media play an important role in raising the knowledge and awareness about learning as an adult. However, adult education institutions often do not have the professional staff experienced in media and journalistic activities. Adult educators do not know and are not trained on how to go about it and how to transfer the message in a journalistic way.

This is the first project to address journalistic competence as an important professional competence of adult education staff. While some universities offer studies in adult education, we know that nevertheless there is a high number of adult education staff who does not have formal training in adult education and in particular in journalistic work. Therefore the main objective for the project is to increase the professionalization and quality within the adult education sector, with special focus on information work of adult education staff. Adult education actors must improve their competencies in communication in particular with the actors of other countries, backgrounds and cultures.

The foundation and starting point of this strategic partnership is the “European InfoNet Adult Education” Grundtvig network (2005-2015) which was a comprehensive information portal on adult education in Europe, based on professional journalistic contributions from correspondents all over Europe. Based on this experience, the consortium believes that disseminating information and reporting on trends, project/research results, developments, best practice and news in the area of adult all across Europe is needed.

Therefore the main OBJECTIVES of the project are to:
1. Enhance adult educator’s competences through better training and understanding of
– how to write journalistic articles for print and online media
– how to report about adult education in mass media
– how to increase adult educators’ competences in writing about adult education for a European audience
– how to write for readers living in an another geographical, cultural, political and educational environment
– how to write articles that are relevant and understandable for the target groups
– how to write articles for EPALE

2. Awareness raising for and promoting of Adult Education in Europe through:
– developing trainings and tools on how to improve people’s awareness and knowledge on adult learning, which means an increase in the lifelong learning benchmark through journalistic activities
– reaching and informing a wider European audience about adult education through journalistic means
– professionalization of adult education staff on journalistic ways of working
– providing incentives and expertise for the adult education community to initiate more journalistic activities on adult learning
– awareness raising measures about the high numbers of persons with low literacy levels
– improvement of the level of key competences and transversal skills of adult education staff
– Enhancing ICT uptake in work of the adult education
-sharing best practice examples on how to inform about low literacy levels among adults
– exchanging experiences on how to reach disadvantaged learners (in particular with low literacy levels)
– informing about and motivating national, regional and local policy makers to invest in LLL

The project developed five products:

1. Curriculum “Public Relations and Journalism for Adult Educators. Six steps to make adult education more visible in the media”, 26 pages, seven working documents about the topics: Materials for Trainers, Basic Skills, Interview, Literacy, How to contribute to EPALE, PR, Influencer/Social Media, one Powerpoint presentation (48 slices). Languages: English, German, French, Portuguese, Romanian and extra in Danish and Dutch (not in application).
2. Simulation game: “Development of a regional project and network to push basic skills like literacy and numeracy OR Let them know about Basic Skills. Setting up a network and developing a communication/PR strategy to inform people about”, 11 pages. Language: English
3. Webinars: “The power of communication: why adult educators need to communicate more and better” (1), “The unreachables in adult education? How to reach the ‘unreachable’ vulnerable adults with adult education?” (2) and “Results of the LEK project curriculum work”. Duration of each webinar: ca 45 min.
4. Handbook webinar, 19 pages
5. Brochure: “Adult Educator’s Guide to Communication”, 36 pages. Languages: German, French, English, Finnish, Dutch, Portugese, Romanian, Norwegian.

LEK published the material the homepage: www.let-europe-know.eu as OER material.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 251766,75 Eur

Project Coordinator

Katholische Erwachsenenbildung Deutschland – Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL
• Caixa de Mitos Lda
• EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF ADULTS
• Nordic Network for Adult Learning
• ASOCIATIA EURO ADULT EDUCATION
• Dansk Folkeoplysnings Samråd
• Akademie Klausenhof gGmbH