Open and Liberal Community: Challenges and Opportunities for Adult Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Open and Liberal Community: Challenges and Opportunities for 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 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social dialogue; Migrants’ issues; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

Context. Open, tolerant and liberal community for everyone irrespective of their social status, educational background, race, gender or their way of thinking is one of challenges of 21st century giving opportunities for adult educators to bring positive and long-lasting effects transferring the experiences and best practices as well as improved models of 5 European countries into local activities”.

The objective was to encourage local communities to be open and tolerant towards people of social risk group (including migrants and refugees) and facilitate their social inclusion into local communities through educational activities based on project partners’ experiences.

Participants. 5 institutions from 5 countries: Berufskolleg Tecklenburger Land Ibbenbüren (GE) -Vocational training (secondary level), experience and competence because of long-term education of students with migrant background; Contempla Trilhos (PT) – Non-governmental organisation, experience and competence of organising workshops and training for people working working with migrants and refugees; Societe Culturelle Franco-Allemande Auvillar (FR) – Non-governmental organisation, experience and competence organising various activities (workshops, actions, cultural events etc.) ensuring the successful inclusion of the members of local community; Stord vidaregaande skule (NO) – General education (secondary level), experience and competence working with refugees’ classes as well as working for many years to integrate immigrants in local society; Telšių švietimo centras (LT) – Adult education, coordinator of non-formal adult education since 2016, looking for new opportunities and experiences for working with local communities.

Main activities: 1 short-term joint staff training event and 4 transnational meetings were organised as well as a lot of organisations and communities were visited in each partner country. During the meetings, partners got acquainted with social policies and social situations of partner countries and attempted to find new opportunities to facilitate social inclusion of social risk group and migrants into local communities through adult education and this way encourage local communities to be more open for everyone. In addition, local, regional and national events (workshops, meetings, conferences, cultural events etc.) were organized in partner countries in order to share the experiences and disseminate the project ideas and results as well as to give the local communities new inspirations to act.

Results: Introductive film (15 Min) – product created by Norwegian partner putting together 2 Min movies created by partners about activities facilitating the social inclusion in local communities; OPLICO Handbook includes short descriptions about social systems and situations of partner countries and the descriptions of best practices facilitating the social inclusion of people of social risk group into local communities; Training program “Strengthening Community through Social Inclusion” (18 academic h.) based on best experiences of partners was created and piloted by Telšių švietimo centras;
Research on the integration of migrants, refugees and people of social risk into local communities was carried out in partner countries and “OPLICO Study on Migrants, Refugees, Social Risk Group” was prepared by Portuguese partner; Collection of articles about Values and Attitudes of an open and liberal community and the results of transnational meetings in Lithuania, Norway, Portugal and France as well as of Short-term joint staff meeting in Germany written by French partner (5 articles); All planed results were achieved thanks to the successful partnership.
In each partner country, a lot of people (staff members, stakeholders, representatives of organisations/institutions) contributed to this project presenting their social system and situations of the country as well as their institutions, sharing valuable practices and experiences on integration of people with fewer opportunities.

Impact on institutions and local communities: learning about various organizations and ways of thinking as well as acting in partner countries; shared successful examples of community integration through art, aesthetics, sports, culinary, love for nature as well as open and friendly communication discussions with project partners from abroad; local activities as well as the planting the OPLICO tree in Degaičiai Park fostered the community members to grow together with the community, which became more open, innovative, active, more motivated to learn and improve and to act.
Training program “Strengthening Community through Social Inclusion” (18 academic h.) as well as other project results based on best experiences of partners are oriented on social inclusion through educational activities and will be used in the future working with local communities so the long-term benefit – better communication in the community and better inclusion – is expected.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 65920 Eur

Project Coordinator

Telsiu svietimo centras & Country: LT

Project Partners

• Contempla Trilhos – Associação para o desenvolvimento, formação e inclusão social
• Berufskolleg Tecklenburger Land
• Stord vidaregåande skule
• Société Culturelle Franco-Allemande Auvillar