EXPLORE Issue No. 11 Winter 09
The quarterly magazine from AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation
2008: European Year of Intercultural Dialogue In this issue:
• From No Man’s Land in inner city Dublin to Men’s Sheds in Australia • Taking the Human Rights Challenge in Vienna
• Radio Book Club promotes intercultural dialogue
• Experiencing integration in Turkey, and practising anti-racism in Malaysia
Explore Note from the Editor
Hello and welcome to this issue of Explore. As the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue draws to a close, this issue explores the role of adult education in promoting Interculturalism and intercultural dialogue.
ISSN 1649-8259
Throughout the magazine you’ll find examples of creative and innovative techniques that adult education has used in facilitating intercultural dialogue. These examples of best practice were recently showcased at the AONTAS Conference ‘Creating Intercultural Communities’, and the ideas and discussions they sparked off informed our submission to the Intercultural Education Strategy co-ordinated by the Integration Unit within the Department of Education and Science. A summary of that submission is also included in this issue, as is a profile on Bashy Quraishy, Chair of ENAR (European Network Against Racism) who was the keynote speaker at that conference. There is also information on how you go about accessing resources if your organisation is interested in developing the intercultural dimension to your work. Adult learning in an intercultural context is about much more than the delivery of English language skills. Whether it takes place in a shed in the outback in Australia, a community centre in Malaysia, or a radio studio on Dublins northside, adult learning is an activity which engages people from different cultures in a process of mutual learning and understanding. By getting involved in adult learning, newcomers learn how to negotiate their way in 2
Explore a new environment and culture, make new friendships, are exposed to new traditions and customs, and get the opportunity to celebrate and share their own cultures. This issue also includes commentary on the fallout from the recent budget and the implications for adult and community education. Ray Lucey remembers an inspirational adult learner who passed away earlier this year. And there are the usual updates from AONTAS members, events and networking activities. As we reflect on the highs and lows of the year just passed, we wonder what 2009 will bring. We intend on starting the new year on a high note, with the announcement of the STAR Award winners in January. This year saw an even greater enthusiasm for the initiative, with 152 projects nominated in a total of fourteen categories. The Festival itself will be launched for the third time on February 2nd. Keep an eye on www.adultlearnersfestival.com if you’d like to attend or host an event. The website will contain all kinds of useful resources, and suggestions about how you can tie into our special themed days. During next year’s festival it will be crucial to have a strong voice for the sector in the lead up to the Local and European elections. As always, feel free to contact us with your ideas and suggestions for future issues. In the meantime, at AONTAS we wish you a peaceful and happy Christmas, and look forward to working with you in 2009.
Niamh Farren, Communications Officer AONTAS
List of Contents
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Adult Education News
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Members News
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AONTAS News
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International News
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Budget 2009 Berni Brady considers how the recent budget will impact on adult and community education
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Focus On... Practice The Grundtvig Awards for Adult Learning
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Men’s Sheds Ted Fleming on a unique mens education project in Australia
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Novel Interculturalism Ciarán Murray writes about a book club with a difference
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Resources Grundtvig Learning Partnerships, Denise Shannon on opportunities for intercultural learning
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Budget 2009
Budget 2009 outlines ‘tough choices’ for the Department of Education and Science in meeting the needs of the sector in difficult economic times, according to Batt O’Keefe, Minister for Education. Overall, the gross allocation for the Department of Education and Science is €9.6 billion – an increase of €302 million, or 3.2%, on last year’s allocation. Minister O’Keeffe said: ‘In framing this Budget, the Government faced very difficult choices. However, the increase for the Department of Education and Science reflects the Government’s commitment to prioritising investment in the sector in very difficult economic circumstances.’ Minister O’Keeffe acknowledged the impact of funding restrictions in a number of areas, saying they were the inevitable result of the more challenging economic environment and the need to prudently manage Exchequer resources.
Profile... Bashy Quraishy Sally Galiana talks to the Chair of ENAR about human rights and anti-racism
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Policy Towards an Intercultural Education Strategy
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"The resources available to me next year mean that difficult choices had to be made in order to try to meet the full range of needs in the education sector" he said.
Networks The DARE Network Conference in Vienna
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So how will the budget impact on the adult and community education
Ask Jenny Jennifer Gunning answers your information queries
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A Gentleman and a Scholar Ray Lucey remembers Walter Hammond
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Front cover image: Philip Watt, Director of the NCCRI, with Bashy Quraishy, from ENAR (European Network Against Racism)
Explore offers discount advertising rates to all community and voluntary groups. To find out more about advertising in future issues, contact Niamh Farren, Communications Officer, AONTAS, Tel: 01 406 8220, email nfarren@aontas.com.
Adult Education News
Sean Haughey Minister for Lifelong Learning
sector? The non-pay grant provision for adult and further education shows a reduction of €8.5m or just under 5% on the 2008 estimate. This will require a reduction in the provision of 500 places on the Back to Education Initiative – reducing the total number of places to 9,000. The number of places provided in Senior Traveller Training Centres will be reduced by approximately 100 – there are currently 1,084 places provided.
also take responsibility for the external quality assurance review of the universities – a function currently performed by the Irish Universities Quality Board and the Higher Education Authority. In seeking to ensure a coherent approach to qualifications and quality assurance, there will also be discussions with the National University of Ireland around the possibility of including some of the related functions of the NUI in the new organisation.
Allowances to participants in VTOS, Youthreach and Senior Traveller Training Centres will be increased in line with the appropriate social welfare rates or FAS trainee allowances.
The Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education will be closed. The work of ensuring quality education provision within pre-school services will be led by the Early Years Education Policy Unit of the Department within the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
Under new rationalization measures, the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, HETAC and FETAC will be amalgamated. The new organisation will
What They Said About the Budget 'The budget will only serve to make it harder for those families already struggling to meet the costs of third level education.’ (USI President Shane Kelly) ‘The combination of the 1% levy and the wide range of increasing costs, including childcare costs will increase the financial hardship for women and jeopardise their employment status. The minimal increases to social welfare will also make it harder for women manage day-to-day living. This will be counterproductive for maintaining competitiveness in the medium to long term.’ (National Women’s Council of Ireland)
“At a time of economic difficulty, it is imperative that we educate those who we will depend on as a country over years to come. The Minister has today shown that he has no interest in increasing access to higher education but instead seems intent on taxing students and widening the gap between the wealthy and those less well-off.” (Trinity College Students Union President Cathal Reilly) “The savage budget cuts proposed to bodies which are already grossly under-funded completely undermines the Government’s budget rhetoric about protecting the most vulnerable in society.” (Equality and Rights Alliance)
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Explore New Study Highlights the Challenges Faced by Older People with Literacy Difficulties Details of a new study launched in November reveal the many coping strategies older people use to disguise having a literacy difficulty. These strategies include reliance on a spouse who reads and writes on their behalf, honing memory skills and avoiding situations where literacy and numeracy are required. It was found that these strategies can be extremely fragile and when they collapse it can become a major crisis for the person involved. In many cases, this collapse is precipitated by the death of a loved one. However, bereavement, and the loss of their main support is often the impetus behind an older person’s decision to address literacy difficulties. These were some of the findings of the study, ‘It’s never too late to learn’, which was conducted by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA). The research highlights how engagement with adult literacy services is a positive adjustment in the lives of older learners with literacy difficulties. In the majority of cases, it results in improved reading and writing skills, increased self-confidence and a welcome extension of often limited social networks.
Twenty Years of VTOS
In a relatively brief period VTOS has positively reset the lives of tens of thousands of adults and their families who were largely excluded from formal education. In the lead up to our twentieth birthday, we call on the government to • Lift the cap on VTOS places which has been in place for several years and forces many centres to turn away applicants at a time of growing unemployment. • Increase the meal allowance to our learners, frozen at 80c per day in the second most expensive country of the E.U. • Increase the non pay budget, the lifeblood of the centre to at least keep pace with inflation. • Honour the arbitration ruling, by the D.E.S. issuing a circular to V.E.C.s granting payment to assistant coordinators in large centres with over 80 learners. • Removal of VTOS from the 3% cut in spending across the VEC, despite us having no capital budget for our
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Members' News The aim of the NALA study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the very complex issues surrounding older literacy learners, including past educational experiences and attainment, work histories and coping strategies. The respondents in the study described strong negative views about their formal schooling and how the experience had instilled a sense of failure, disappointment and shame in them. Overall, participants in the study felt that attending school had been a detrimental rather than beneficial experience for them. In the context of current Government policy, and its implementation in the area of adult literacy, NALA recommends convening a forum to examine its impact. The forum would include older people, as well as representatives of statutory and non-statutory bodies concerned with older people. The forum will explore the extent to which their needs are being identified, addressed and catered for in the areas of adult education and training. The study was launched by NALA at the conference ‘Making it Matter’ at the National College of Ireland, Dublin. The conference was organised by the Irish Research Association of Adult & Community Education (IRAACE) in order to provide a platform for those working in adult education to 'showcase' their work and experiences.
centres and one of the highest teacher student ratios in Europe. At twenty a person or a programme could be said to be coming of age. While there is much to be proud of and celebrate, this should also be a time for reflection, for renewing the vision and for consolidating the gains and services we provide. We have planned an ambitious two day conference in Limerick during the Adult Learners' Festival in February next. We need your response and participation to make it the success it can be. We do indeed face a challenging time in education with many competing forces fighting for resources. It is true that VTOS co-ordinators cannot change the whole world, but to borrow a phrase from the slow food movement we certainly have changed the menu. We can continue that educational menu change for adults in many new, creative and exciting ways. Let’s celebrate! Jim McNamara, Educational Director, An tIonad Glas www.organiccollege.com.
Explore
AONTAS News
AONTAS Community Education Network
Who can join the Community Education Network?
What is the Community Education Network? The Community Education Network is a platform for community education groups within the AONTAS membership and it serves as a space for promoting community education and as a political platform for shaping policy. The Network is in existence for over one year and has met on four occasions; a report and details of these meetings are available from the AONTAS website www.aontas.com/commed/network.html. The aim of the Network is to achieve a greater public understanding of the value of community education and have it recognised as a distinctly funded sector of the Irish Education system. Over 60 organisations are members of the Network, some of which are networks themselves therefore the reach of the groups is extensive and in turn allows small groups to benefit from participation through their respective network. Half of all of the Irish Republic’s counties are represented and we envisage this to expand as the meetings are becoming regional.
Adult Learners' Festival Update
Preparation for the Adult Learners’ Festival is now full steam ahead following a very successful Information Session for those interested in organising events or promoting the Festival. Those attending heard some ideas about the Public Relations Strategy, as well as the experience of Maggie Ryan from TALENT (Tallaght Adult Learning Network) who was a Local Link in last year’s Festival. The group also heard a presentation from Rachel Johnstone, National Development Manager with the Campaign for Learning in the UK. The Campaign for Learning aims to promote social inclusion through learning. The campaign is different in that
Any local, self-managed, independent community education organisation that is committed to raising the profile of, and lobbying for, a community education sector that is committed to social change. Recently the Network has agreed their definition of community education, which was launched at the Limerick meeting on the 12th November. A leaflet detailing this definition and further information about the network is available from the AONTAS office or download it from our website. The Community Education Network is the only space for discussion and reflection on community education at a national level; it is the only place to work collectively to raise awareness about community education and to lobby for its needs. It uses participatory methods and has a horizontal structure so new members are always welcome and your experience will be acknowledged, valued and utilised for the benefit of the Network. The Network offers a unique opportunity to learn, share and revitalise community education in Ireland. Join today by dropping an email to jgunning@aontas.com. For more information please contact Niamh O’Reilly who would be delighted to discuss the Network further on 01 406 8220 or email noreilly@aontas.com.
it works by promoting the benefits of learning, rather than the activity of learning itself. Research carried out by the organisation has shown that people with negative experiences of work tend to react poorly to the idea that ‘learning is good for you.’ So, the campaign has tried a different tack, appealing to peoples sense of curiosity, and thus tapping into their desire to learn. In 1998, The Curious Londoners Campaign aimed to promote adult education and lifelong learning in the London area. the campaign focused on promoting learning as a normal activity, which everyone can do regardless of their age or learning stage. Over a period of a couple of weeks, a group of enthusiastic activists saturated the boroughs of London with hundreds of A4 posters. The posters
featured a half sentence, relating to a hobby, or issues such as health, crime or minority statement, accompanied by an image. The response was phenomenal with local learning organisations inundated with queries from people – who made contact through a phone number displayed on each poster. More information about the campaign is now available on www.adultlearnersfestival.com. AONTAS will be using a number of techniques that the Campaign for Learning has tried, and is looking for groups interested in piloting initiatives such as the Curiosity Campaign. AONTAS will supply you with materials and an evaluation tool. If you are interested, please contact Niamh Farren, Communications Officer, 01 406 8220 or nfarren@aontas.com.
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Explore Progressing the Action Plan on Adult Learning An EAEA Conference took place in Budapest on 2nd Dec 2008 on the theme of 'The Implementation of the European Commissions Action Plan on Adult Learning'. During the conference adult educators throughout Europe discussed the plan in greater detail with high profile decision makers and civil servants from the European Commission and national policy makers in education.
International News
This conference was the first to be organised by the newly elected Board of the EAEA and provided an opportunity for the EAEA to learn from the Commission about the action plan, contribute the ideas of the EAEA and provide examples of good practice. During the Conference there were workshops on each of the five key messages. They involved: 1. Analysing the effects of reforms in all sectors of education and training in Member States on adult learning.
2. Improving the quality of provisions in the adult learning sector. 3. Increasing the possibilities to go "one step up" – to achieve a qualification at least one level higher than before. 4. Speeding up the process of assessment of skills and social competences and have them validated and recognised in terms of learning outcomes. 5. improving the monitoring of the adult learning sector. The conference preceded UNESCO Regional Conference.
the
EAEA Elects New Board and President
A new EAEA Board was elected at the EAEA General Assembly in Malahide. Sue Waddington from NIACE was elected President of the EAEA. Sue was appointed to the newly created post of European Development Officer by NIACE in 2000.She is responsible for leading all NIACE´s work relating to European policy, programmes, partnerships and projects. Her role has expanded to include leading for NIACE on adult education and migration, refugees and asylum seekers. Sue had the responsibility to promote Grundtvig in the UK and to develop Lifelong Learning partnerships. She also is an assessor for applications for funding under the European Lifelong Learning Programme, an evaluator of Grundtvig projects and provides training for the National Agency staff. She has led two large multi-million pound national and transnational EQUAL projects on lifelong learning and migration and published a number of policy papers on the findings of this work. Currently she is evaluating the use of the European Refugee Fund in the UK, contracted by the Home Office of the UK Government. She was asked by the ICAE to convene an expert group on migration and delivered a seminar at the world event held in Nairobi in 2007. Sue has also undertakes work for the EAC DG of the European Commission, including heading a research project on adult education organisations in 32 countries; being 6
Sue Waddington, new EAEA President
a consultant to a peer learning group on widening participation; and is a member of the Adult Learning Action Plan Focus Group on recognising the value of non-formal and informal learning. The other members of the Board are as follows: Uwe Gartenschlaeger, Germany Per Paludan Hansen, Denmark Eitan Israeli, Israel Ruth Jermann, Switzerland Levan Kvatchadze, Georgia Britta Lejon, Sweden Ingrida Mikisko, Latvia Katarina Popovic, Serbia Juan José Salado Sánchez, Spain Eeva-Inkeri Sirelius, Finland.
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Budget 2009
Budget 2009
In this article, AONTAS Director Berni Brady reacts to recent announcements in Budget 2009, and how they will impact on the adult and community education sector. The recent budget estimates announced on October 14th were expected to be austere but the cutbacks announced for education have sent shockwaves through the entire education system. The raising of the teacher pupil ratio for primary schools was not expected and makes Ireland a leader across Europe for all the wrong reasons. Coupled with the cuts in language supports for our new ethnic groups at a time when the government is consulting stakeholders on the development of intercultural education is such a contradiction that it hardly seems to make any sense. Cutbacks at post primary level, targeting activities such as those delivered through the transition year which is vital to enabling young people to broaden their horizons beyond the boundaries of the formal curriculum, portray a crude instrumental vision of education which does not serve our country or society well at a time of rapid change.
The Cutbacks
Funding for the adult and community education sector will be reduced by €8.5million or just under 5% on the 2008 spend. This represents an estimated 1.82% of the overall education budget which is an erosion from an all time high of 2.8% In 2004. The government has indicated that this will mean an overall reduction of 500 places on the Back to Education Initiative and the number of places available in Senior Traveller Training Centres will also be reduced by 100. VECs have been asked to cut their administration budgets by
Berni Brady speaking at the AONTAS AGM earlier this year
at least 3% and, given that they are the key providers of adult and community education, this is bound to have a knock on effect across the board. The outcomes of a reduction in expenditure will not become clear until 2009.
The Back to Education Initiative
Schemes such as BTEI which was initiated in 2002 were designed to increase the participation of young people and adults with less than upper second level education in a range of flexible learning opportunities leading to formal qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework with particular emphasis on Levels 3 and 4. Almost 26,000 learners took up these opportunities in 2007.
The cutbacks announced for education have sent shockwaves through the entire education system.
AONTAS also welcomed the opening up in 2007 of the BTEI to people earning low incomes. The introduction of this programme and other initiatives put in place following the publication of the White Paper on Adult education in 2000 were seen as a major breakthrough for a sector which subsisted on minimal resources up until 1997. Strategic targeting of people who had gained least from or missed out on formal education system was seen as an enlightened move by government and one which demonstrated a commitment to investing in lifelong learning. It is not only hugely disappointing but it is also extremely shortsighted to now target people who are the most vulnerable groups in the sector.
Making a Case for Investing in Lifelong Learning
Arguments have been put forward by government that we are all in this together and that the pain must be 7
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Budget In Depth 2009
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Focus On... TransnationalIn Practice Depth
Intercultural Dialogue, International Recognition
In October of this year, AONTAS hosted the EAEA Assembly meeting in Malahide, Co. Dublin. A focal point for the Assembly meeting was a presentation ceremony for the Grundtvig Awards for Adult Learning in Intercultural Dialogue. Both awards were presented by Irish President Mary McAleese, who addressed an audience of almost one hundred adult education practitioners from around Europe. In this article, Niamh Farren looks at both projects which won awards.
Minister for Lifelong Learning Sean Haughey with Education Spokespersons
borne by everyone. This argument must be unpicked and strongly contested. We are not all in this together. The groups who access second chance education and training opportunities are singularly the most voiceless people in Irish society and have had no say in the decision making which leads our government to bail out the banking system and shore up powerful interests. Introducing the notion of equality in bearing the brunt of cuts is almost laughable if it weren’t so sad. No-one can predict what the outcome of the current global financial turmoil will be and certainly our government
The groups who access second chance education and training opportunities are singularly the most voiceless people in Irish society... 8
seems to be at a loss when it comes to putting forward imaginative and strategic responses to it. But there is one thing that we do know and that is that the rebuilding and future sustainability of our economy and civil society will be done by people who are equipped with the skills knowledge and attributes to be innovative, imaginative and strategic. That is why governments should invest even more in lifelong learning in critically difficult times. Next year’s Adult Learners' Festival is a real opportunity for adult learners and the organisations which support them to raise their profile and make an impact on politicians and decision makers. During the week we will be showcasing research which illustrates exactly why government should invest in adult learners. Each day will have a particular theme – beginning on Monday 2nd with the call to Celebrate Learning. AONTAS received 152 nominations for the STAR
awards, and the names of the fourteen winning projects will be revealed on that day by keynote speaker Mary Kennedy. Tuesday 3rd is 'Learn in your Community' Day, where we are encouraging groups to showcase community education. Wednesday is Senior Learners Day, which will see the launch of ‘Don’t Stop me Now’, research on the lifelong learning needs of older people. Thursday is ‘Learn @ Work’ Day, and AONTAS has been developing plans for this day together with ICTU, IBEC, the National Centre for Partnership and Performance and others. Finally, AONTAS will host a closing event on Friday which will send a clear message to our politicians about the value of investing in lifelong learning.
‘Today there are men and women from around the world living among us whose full potential is dependent upon access to good adult education to help them with languages, to help them retrain, to help them upskill, to help them attain the qualifications they need for the jobs they want, to help them live happy and contented lives not among strangers but among good neighbours and friends with whom they can communicate easily in a tolerant and egalitarian society.’ (President Mary McAleese. EAEA Assembly, October 2008). Have you ever wondered what it would be like to step into the shoes of an immigrant? Negotiating your way through unfamiliar cultural terrain with only a couple of phrases in another language?
An Eye Opener in Turkey
Keep an eye on our festival website www.adultlearnersfestival.com and see how you can get involved in showing how adult learners are a good investment! Berni Brady, AONTAS November 2008.
It may sound like a bizarre scenario for a reality television programme, but in fact it was the concept behind ROC Tilburg, a European wide Grundtvig project based in the Netherlands which aimed to give professionals working with immigrants an insight into the real experiences of those they are trying to support. The project was the winner in the European Category for this year’s Grundtvig Awards. Armed with a only a few basic greetings in Turkish, some loose change and a hotel address on a scrap of paper, twenty three participants from eight European countries were given instructions to make their way to Antalya, a small town in Turkey to take part in an integration programme which aimed to give them firsthand experience of being an immigrant in a new country. Participants were filmed and their experiences of the week long initiative make up a short documentary film.
President McAleese addresses the Assembly
‘I wanted to show how integration is more than a one-sided process’, explained Noureddine Erradi, who coordinated and developed the project. As a tutor who previously worked with immigrants, Erradi was interested in how immigrants felt about integration programmes that they took part in. ‘At the end of a programme, I asked participants to describe their experi-
ences of the programme, in their own languages’, he explained. ‘I documented their thoughts for nine years, and thought that what was written down would make a book that everyone should read. Instead, I decided to use the content as a scenario for a series of films.’ Erradi first brought a group of Dutch professionals to Morrocco for a taste of integration, and went on to use that experience to inform the European wide project now nominated for the award. A programme which mimicked typical integration programmes for immigrants was set up in Anatalya and a diverse group of professionals working
in integration took part. ‘It was a real eye opener for them’, says Erradi. ‘Part of the programme involves learning the basics in the host language, and I deliberately selected a teacher who didn’t speak any English at all. Many of the professionals got frustrated because they couldn’t communicate with the teacher.’ Participants in the project have since used the experience to inform their
own work, with many of them making major changes in the way they approached the issue of integration. Erradi is busy working on a follow up project which will really bring the issue of integration home. ‘I’ll be inviting organisations in a number of dif9
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Focus On... TransnationalInPractice Action
From Integration in Turkey to Anti Racism in Malaysia The award in the International Category went to Pusat KOMAS, a popular communications NGO established in 1993 that works with poor and marginalized communities as well as NGOs towards the attainment of human rights in Malaysia. Malaysia is a country with a high level of racial and religious discrimination. The political system also makes it difficult for open discussion on overcoming race issues. The country has only known independence over the past 51 years and has been governed by the same ruling party. NGOs such as KOMAS have a very important role to play in terms of promoting anti racist educational initiatives at community level. “We wanted to create an open and safe space where Malaysians can freely discuss and express issues of race and ethnicity” explained Jerald 10
Focus On... International Practice
From No Man’s Land to Men’s Sheds
ferent countries to organise a day long integration programme in their own countries’, he outlines. ‘But the location is really important. For example a programme run in the Netherlands may take place in a Turkish mosque, in Turkish.’ Erradi would like to hear from organisations in Ireland who interested in taking part. At a very local level, Erradi hopes that those taking part in his new project will become ambassadors for integration in their own communities, by promoting new thinking about integration. But he is also hoping to influence and shape policy at European level, through documenting the project on DVD and distributing it to key policy makers. ‘It’s amazing how a personal experience like this has the power to really change policy’, he says.
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In this article, Ted Fleming from NUI Maynooth considers a unique way of engaging men in community education in Australia.
Jerald Joseph from Pusat Komas and Janos Toth outgoing President of the EAEA
Joseph, Director at KOMAS. “We also wanted to locate these expressions within a human rights framework as the reference point for fighting racism and discrimination,” he added. Pusat KOMAS has a video production unit that develops video programmes on human rights issues. In Malaysia human rights issues are hardly covered through the state-controlled mainstream print and broadcast media. Another initiative is the yearly Freedom Film Festival the only kind of human rights film festival in Malaysia which takes place in 4 cities across Malaysia.
Promoting Understanding and Tolerance The unique approach used by KOMAS to spread awareness on racism and non-discrimination is one of the programmes strong points and the secret to its effectiveness over the last 3 years. The programme adopts a highly participatory approach and using creative tools like group dynamics, drama forms, audio-visual tools, and graphics in its training on the subject. For instance the programme has developed different training modules and has also produced three collections of short videos entitled “The Bangsa Malaysia Series” which are used as resource tools for education and discussions on racism in Malaysia.
"Winning the Grundtvig Award is definitely a strong boost to the KOMAS team and our efforts to promote genuine understanding and tolerance in Malaysia,” said Tan Jo Hann founder and current member of the Board of Directors of KOMAS. “Having our work recognised by peers is not only a positive reaffirmation but also a strong impetus to our mission to advocate for inter-cultural understanding and awareness among the different races in Malaysia," said Tan who is currently a local councilor of Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) For more information about Benim Adim Einar – Professionals Experience Integration in Turkey, visit www.newcomersinturkey.com. For more information about Pusat KOMAS, visit www.komas.org.
The winners with their awards
Men, as everybody knows, are largely missing from adult education. But there are some signs of hope and success. For example, the Men Alone In No-man’s-land (MAIN) [www.main.ie] is an Irish example. From Australia comes the exciting possibility known as Men's Shed. There has been a gradual development in recent years of about 250 shed-based organisations across Australia catering mainly for older men. The sheds are designed as mainly masculine spaces in which men can develop men’s learning pedagogies and practices. To quote Barry Golding from the University of Ballarat, who along with colleagues, aims ‘to provide evidence that grassroots, shed-based organisations and practices have the potential to informally and effectively reach, informally teach and support men’ who are not working, socially isolated and retired by building on aspects of their masculinities.
What is a Shed?
It has previously been a personal space in the back garden to which men can retreat from the house and in which men tinker, make and fix things that are broken and shape the environment to their own needs. They are counter spaces to the traditionally gendered spaces of the household especially the kitchen. However, the shed as traditionally understood and experienced may even further isolate some men. But in Australia, these sheds are community sheds or men’s sheds in community environments and the focus of activity is social and workshop-based.
They are popular because men are attracted to them as spaces in which they can feel social, productive and at home with other men. What is new about these community sheds is that men have begun to come out of the individualistic sheds and begun to learn and share in hands-on activities with other men and benefit from this. The benefits are impressive and good outcomes include health, male identity, happiness, well-being and social connection.
Bringing Men Together
These sheds are particularly important because they attract men who are difficult to reach through other community-based education. The research conducted by Golding and his colleagues was outlined at the SCUTREA conference in Belfast recently and sparked interest across a wide range of adult education providers. One of the main reasons why they are so effective concerns the ability of the shed spaces to bring men together and in a positive way to positively and informally experience their masculinity and reconstruct it without the traditional social and peer pressures to conform to some negative masculine stereotypes common in some other men’s settings. This is important for so many men whose need for the affirmation of their masculinity through work can make them more vulnerable to the consequences of unemployment, retirement, disability, and aging. Although some have identified the danger of all-male groups there is a concerted effort in these groups to be positive about masculinity, fair to both genders and also recognise equality
Men’s theatre, as seen at the recent MAIN launch
and value diversity. These sheds are not places that men go to get away from people but to be with other men. So if the predominant model of community education provision is for and about women, facilitated by women and as such is not immediately attractive to most men, then these sheds may be the beginning of an approach and provision that is about men and particularly for men. This development in Australia has also prompted a number of people in Ireland to come together to initiate studies of men as learners and explore the factors that shape men’s attitudes towards learning in community settings. These studies in Ireland with QUB, NALA and NUI Maynooth will hopefully deepen our understanding of men who are not in paid work and find out how to identify and address their learning needs. Watch out! Such a programme could be coming to a shed near you soon. 11
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Focus On... Practice
Novel Interculturalism
Ciarán Murray writes about an intercultural books club organised through the medium of community radio. Every day in Ireland we meet people from Poland, China and elsewhere in shops and garages, but most of us know very little about them. At near90fm – a community radio station in northeast Dublin – we decided to mark the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue (2008) by coming up with a novel way for Irish people to learn more about recently arrived immigrants to our country. We decided that literature would be a great way to learn more about a place. Working with immigrant communities and local libraries and with the support of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism (NCCRI), we selected a modern novel and a classic novel – in some cases an equivalent Leaving Certificate curriculum novel – from each of six countries or regions: Romania, Poland, China, Nigeria, the Islamic world and Latin America. So, why literature? What importance or power do books have? Saul Bellow, the Jewish Canadian writer, summed it up when he said: “A good novel is worth more then the best scientific study.” And German poet Heinrich Heine said: “Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.”
We called the series Novel Interculturalism and each programme is presented by an immigrant from the respective country. We used near90fm’s long multicultural track record to find presenters, whom we then trained – with support from the CDVEC – to deal with a round-table discussion programme. The programmes take the form of discussions, looking at how the books represent the culture of the countries. The final programme in the series turns the idea on its head and invites all the presenters to participate in a programme about Irish culture through the prism of two Irish novels.
Involving the Local Community One of the key elements of the programming is the involvement of our local book clubs, which have contributed to near90fm book programmes for many years. We chose the books by consulting widely, again using our broad range of connections in the immigrant and non-Irish communities, and also through libraries and using magazines and websites. The books attempt to capture some aspect of a culture and are not meant to be representational of the totality
Explore of that culture. Also, we found ourselves on a steep learning curve when it came to the availability of English language versions of the recommended books, especially the Romanian books. Some of the novels proved particularly interesting for the book clubs. Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, as the story of a traditional Ibo society collapsing in the face of western colonialism, exposed much about Nigerian society. This novel is a standard Nigerian school text and passages from it also appear on Ireland's Leaving Certificate syllabus. The Nicaraguan novel The Inhabited Woman by Gioconda Belli also proved markedly different from the typical US or British novel, with its mix of central American revolution and magic realism. And Ferdydurke, written by Polish author Witold Gombrowicz, is a satirical novel giving great insight into central European culture in the early part of the 19th century. Novel Interculturalism was supported by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland’s Sound and Vision fund and the training was funded by the CDVEC. The series will be broadcast, starting January 16th, every Friday afternoon at 3.30pm, with a repeat on Thursdays at 8pm. They will also be available as podcasts on the near90fm website at www.near.ie. Ciarán Murray is coordinator of the Near Media Co-op, which runs near90fm.
THE BOOKS
Nigeria Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was published in 1958, and is one of the most translated and widest read of all African novels. The story centres on a great leader in an Igbo traditional society, whose world is threatened by the coming of white people and Christianity. Published in 2000, Arrows of Rain by acclaimed newspaper columnist Oki Ndibi, is humorous and poignant, it examines the lack of a moral constant against the backdrop of the fracturing, post-independence, modern African state. China Dream of the Red Chamber is regarded as the zenith of Chinese classical fiction. Written by Cáo Xu_qín in the 18th century during the Qing Dynasty, the novel deals with the fall from favour and wealth of two families.
Participants in the Novel Interculturalism project at NEAR fm 12
The widely acclaimed Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China was written in 1991 by Jung Chang, and tells the dramatic and often violent story of three generations of a Chinese family during the 20th Century, through the world wars and the cultural revolution.
Focus On... Practice Latin America The Inhabited Woman by Gioconda Belli was published in 1995 and it mixes the themes of revolution, class and women in war with mythical struggles against 16th-century Spanish conquistadors. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Garcia Marquez was published in 1967 and follows the fortunes of the Buendía family. It is a character driven, lyrical and poignant tale and is often described as a masterpiece. Romanian German-Romanian Herta Müller’s The Land of Green Plums was the winner of the Dublin City Libraries’ Impac award in 1998 and tells the story Romania under Communism, where youthful idealism is crushed by stifling suspicion. Nostalgia by Mircea Cartarescu is a 1989 postmodern novel or collection of stories driven by its prose and shifting from dreams and reality examining the Romania culture. Poland Ferdydurke by author Witold Gombrowicz and first published in 1938, is satirical novel giving great insight into central European culture in the early 19th century. It was banned by the Nazis and Communists. Published in 1979, A Minor Apocalypse by Tadeusz Konwicki is a surrealistic and provocative work, dealing with politics, culture and activism in post-war and communist Poland. Islamic World Published in 2005, Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Does my head look big in this? is the story of a teenage girl growing up in contemporary Australia who decides to wear the Hijab. It challenges the notions of east and west in a witty and pacy story. Leo Africanus, Ami Maalouf’s 1998 historical novel playfully examines our contempory world by exploring the clash of Islam and Christendom in 15th century Granada and follows the adventures of real-life Arab traveler and geographer Hassan al-Wazzan. Ireland How Many Miles to Babylon? written by Jennifer Johnston in the early 1970s, explores the relationship between Anglo-Irish and the native Irish, Home Rule and republicanism through the story of two boys heading to the first world war. The Valparaiso Voyage, a reflection of 21st-century Ireland, was written by Dermot Bolger and has a multitude of overlapping themes: commuter towns, gambling, homosexuality, love, immigration and racism and political and planning corruption. 13
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Grundtvig Learning Partnerships – Promoting Intercultural Dialogue
The partners exchanged and implemented best practices in helping minority/migrant communities to integrate better in society...
Denise Shannon from Leargas describes two examples of intercultural learning partnerships supported by Grundtvig. Grundtvig Learning Partnership Projects support adult education organisations across Europe to work together on topics of common interest. These projects by their very nature involve intercultural dialogue – here are two projects that worked to promote this dialogue through addressing citizenship, language learning, cultural appreciation and understanding.
Smashing Times Theatre Company
Drama and Theatre to Promote Active Citizenship and Language Learning
The Smashing Times Theatre Company embarked on a truly European project experience when it participated in a Grundtvig Contact Seminar on the theme of European Citizenship in Tallinn, Estonia in June 2005. They had been working in a variety of ways to use drama and theatre to promote culture and active citizenship within the
Dublin north inner city community and this was an opportunity to build on and expand this experience and practice. At the seminar, Freda Manwelier, from Smashing Times formed a project partnership with 5 other adult education organisations from Finland, Spain, Greece, Norway and Poland. Their project involved exploring how to use drama and theatre to promote language learning and active citizenship, introducing new arts-based methods of learning into their teaching practice and evaluating the effects and benefits of the work taking places. The partners held project meetings in Greece, Norway, Poland and Ireland. At these meetings the partners had the opportunity to spend time exploring and applying drama methods and practice. For example, in Greece the partners attended a festival of puppet theatre and came together to discuss ways in which the use of puppets could be introduced to the classroom
Their project involved exploring how to use drama and theatre to promote language learning and active citizenship... to promote language learning, culture and citizenship. In Poland, the project conducted a shadow theatre workshop, made shadow puppets and were supported to develop their own shadow theatre performance. All of these activities had both adult learners and project workers participating in the process. The final product of this project was a booklet, which outlines case studies on the use of these and other drama and theatre methods to promote language learning, culture and active citizenship and the recommendations from their experience. For a copy of the booklet please email Freda Manweiler at Smashing Times Theatre freda@smashingtimes.ie.
Immigrant Pathways (Impath)
South Kerry Development Partnership (SKDP) Project partners from the Smashing Times Project with their Shadow Theatre Oscars in Poland 14
Intercultural dialogue was a key element in the Grundtvig Partnership project Impath – Immigrant Pathways,
Shadow Theatre in Finland
undertaken by the South Kerry Development Partnership (SKDP) in conjunction with similar organisations in Finland, France and Spain between 2004 and 2006. This Grundtvig Partnership started with analysing the immigration process/policies in each of the partner countries and evaluating the social conditions, resources and methodologies around working with minority/migrant communities. In a second step the partners exchanged and implemented best practices in helping minority/migrant communities to integrate better in society and challenge their discrimination.
using lighting. The Shadow Theatre facilitates learners from different cultural backgrounds to work together; improve team work skills, self esteem and language skills. This method was adopted by SKDP and at the end of the project nine participants from different countries and some local participants developed and performed a production of the Salmon of Knowledge in Killarney. Involvement in this Grundtvig Partnership was an invaluable intercultural experience for the South Kerry Development Partnership. As well as
learning about different methods and approaches in France and Finland and the integration programmes offered in Spain, the participants, both learners and staff found it culturally and personally enriching. In fact, one tutor, a former refugee, gained the confidence from her involvement in the project to study for a Master's in Theatre at Trinity College, Dublin – a wonderful outcome to a fascinating undertaking. To learn more about how to get involved in a Grundtvig Learning Partnership – please contact Denise Shannon – Grundtvig Project Officer at Léargas dshannon@leargas.ie or Tel: 01 8871213 or check out the Léargas website www.leargas.ie/education. Please note, the next deadline for funding for Grundtvig Learning Partnerships is 20th February 2009.
On a project visit to their Spanish partner in Madrid the SKDP learned about a drama method called ‘Shadow Theatre’ which really captured their imagination. This method involves participants working together on a play and performing it behind a screen
Involvement in this Grundtvig Partnership was an invaluable intercultural experience for the South Kerry Development Partnership...
Shadow Theatre in Norway 15
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From the Personal to the Political
Bashy Quraishy is Chair of ENAR, the European Network against Racism. Bashy was the keynote speaker at the recent AONTAS Conference, ‘Creating Intercultural Communities’. In this interview, he speaks to Sally Galiana from NEAR fm about his personal experience of discrimination in Europe, and how he has transformed that experience into an opportunity to promote interculturalism and human rights.
Bashy Quraishy addresses the recent AONTAS conference
Can you tell us why you decided to go into this area of work? I came to Denmark as a tourist from Canada, and I decided to stay there. Since I have an engineering education I wanted to work as an engineer, previously I learned that if you have a good education, use it. I had heard that Europe is so democratic, and that you can have all the chances you want, but when the reality came and I applied for a job I was told by the manager of a big company; ‘Mr Quraishy your qualifications are fine, but you are the wrong colour.’ I was a little bit astonished by that. He said that people who are invit16
ed to come to Europe and Denmark are not invited to work as engineers and doctors but invited to come to work as ordinary unskilled workers, in factories, cleaning floors etc. On one side I was angry, on the other side happy that he was honest enough to tell me the truth. I took it hard, then decided to work in the field where I can fight for my rights – so that is how I went into in human rights and anti racism. Unfortunately, not much has changed – minorities speak the language and qualifications, but because they have a different colour skin, or nationality, then society makes excuses not to give them
those jobs. At the same time they want them to integrate, they want to be part of society, but when for example they want to go to a disco, they aren’t allowed in. Or they are not welcomed in society. And I think that with the way the economic crisis, things are going to get worse for minorities. I want to ask you about ENAR (European Network Against Racism). Europe is growing and expanding, do you think all this opening of Europe to new states is doing anything to improve racial or cultural discrimination? Racism in the old days was understood as being on the basis of colour.
Explore It’s not the same thing now. Today it is your colour, your culture and your religion. So it has moved from the basis of ethnicity to culture and religion. There are now 23 million non Europeans living here and many of them have citizenship. There are 10 million Roma people living here who are also part of the EU. All in all, a sizable number of minorities are part of Europe but are not looked upon as part of society but as ‘them’ – normally the longer you live the more you are accepted, but when it comes to Roma and others that is not the case. One explanation given for that is that minorities don’t want to integrate, but the hard fact is that many Europeans are suffering from a colonial hangover – as long as the mindset is such that you look at minorities as being deprived, primitive or poor, you will not allow them the same chances as you have yourself. In short, with the expansion of the EU, discrimination and racism has spread, but it now includes race, ethnicity, culture and religion. You spoke about the idea of perception and self perception – that once you move into another country. Consciously or not so consciously, you become a member of that society and that country. You start speaking about the country as your own, but you are still a foreigner. How do you think that impacts on minorities?
Focus On... Profile to do those things. There's a contradiction there. Our children were born in Europe and who have a good education are not going to take it like that. There will be a conflict there. I hope the majority understands that. They can avoid that conflict by opening up the society. Why should European society be only Christian and white? It should be much much more. You have been talking to decision makers and policy makers. What do you think could be the single step that politicians could take to improve the situation of ethnic minorities in Europe? My organisation is advising the European Commission. It is important that people have equal rights, equal responsibilities but most importantly equal opportunities. There are very strong anti discrimination laws in Europe now, but they are not being implemented. The European Commission can name and shame these countries, can fine them, do something practical so that those countries are obliged to have those laws. They can also contact the UN as countries which do not fufil their obligations. At the same time minorities must also take on a role and take part in
debates and not elect politicians who make bad laws. At the end of the day, it’s the politicians who make laws. If you think they do a lousy job, then don’t elect them. You mentioned the worldwide economic crisis – we are seeing how some governments want migrants to leave, because there are not so many job opportunities any more we are also seeing how the cutbacks are affecting the most vulnerable. Do you really think that politicians have an interest in putting their money on interculturalism? You are right. If I ask my intellect, then I know that we are missing European politicians who are courageous and support diversity in society. You can’t throw minorities out. All this talk of sending back the minorities is nonsense. This is a problem for all of us; minorities did not create it. It is the greedy bank system, so why punish the minorities? So I’m asking politicians to be visionary about this. Don’t make excuses. Minorities have also contributed to the development of Ireland. If you want to throw them out, then give them their taxes back. They deserve the same rights of everyone else. Isn’t it Europe that talks about equal rights, and preaches democracy to Africa and Latin America?
The impact of self perception and how society views you has a big impact on your identity, and your socio economic opportunities in society. You cannot on one hand ask people to integrate but deny people the opportunity
It is not nine to five work, I do it because I feel passionate about it, I believe in it.
Explaining Multiculturalism 17
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AONTAS recently made a submission to the Department of Education and Science on the development of a new Intercultural Education Strategy. In this article, Niamh Farren outlines the main points of the submission.
It will be beneficial if society defines what is intercultural dialogue. It will not be helpful if it is the majority
As the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue draws to a close, the Integration Unit within the Department of Education and Science has initiated a major consultation process with the aim of developing a new intercultural education strategy. The process invited written submissions from practitioners in education, and will also involve a series of focused roundtable discussions on different streams within the education sector.
Bashy Quraishy with President McAleese
Intercultural Education Conference
So can you give us a definition of what interculturalism means for you? Inter means together or between. So for me, interculturalism means when majority and minority meet each other in the middle. They work in the same places, they live in the same places, they attend the same schools and colleges, they have the same opportunities and rights, but they have the possibility to live with a different identity, eat different food, wear different clothing, listen to different music. So it means both majority and minority both decide what are common values. This is a very simple thing – we have to listen to each other, compromise, and find common solutions to our problems.
I think that with the way the economy is going, things are going to get worse for minorities.
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Focus On... Policy
Adult Education and the Intercultural Education Strategy
We are here at an adult education conference. AONTAS is currently researching development education. What role do you think teaching globalisation can play in promoting intercultural dialogue?
that defines what interculturalism is. Secondly, those people that you want to integrate – you cannot tell people what to do – you must sit around the table with them. Thirdly there must be funding available. Fourthly, we have to respect other people the way they are and not try to turn them into a photocopy of ourselves.
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Bashy Quraishy with AONTAS President Marian Duffy
2008 has been the Year of Intercultural Dialogue. What do you think have been the main achievements of this year? To be honest, I think it is a very good initiative from the European Commission – it’s been very much about inclusiveness. But I just hope that it doesn’t stay just eating kebabs, bellydancing and listening to reggae music. I think it’s a good thing that the Commission has set in motion, but I think we need to go further. There should be mass education of majorities, so they understand that they are no longer living in a mono culture.
And there should be a mass education of minorities, so they understand that they have to adapt. This awareness will enable them to live together in harmony. Sally Galiana is the Manager of NEAR 90 fm. You can hear a podcast about the conference if you go to the NEAR fm website www.nearfm.ie/podcast.
So it [racism] has moved from the basis of ethnicity to culture and religion.
The strategy started with a conference at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, hosted by the Department of Education and Science and the National Committee on Racism and Interculturalism. The Minister for Integration, Conor Lenihan outlined some of the key principles of the strategy. These included the "mainstreaming of education provision through inclusive practices by and for all involved in the education of both migrant and host community at national and at local level, a focus on knowledge of English (and Irish) for all residents, partnership and engagement through dialogue with the wider education community, and a focus on the fact that rights and responsibilities, high aspirations and high expectations should be the same for all students." The conference presented a new approach to education, bringing together both the Minister for Integration and the Minister for Education and Science. At the opening of the conference, Minster O’Keefe commented on the positive impact that immigration was having on Irish society, and highlighted the consequences of immigration on the Irish education system. ‘The changes we have experienced in society generally over the last number of years provide the backdrop for the challenges now facing the education system in providing solutions for an increasing variety of needs’ he remarked. In relation to adult migrants, the Department will focus on English language training as a priority area. Regarding fur-
The Paper is underpinned by three core principles one of which is interculturalism...
Benedicta Attoh, one of the Facilitators at the ‘Creating Intercultural Communities Conference’
ther education, 10% of all higher education students are not Irish, where this figure stood at 4% ten years ago. The conference heard from a number of research developments, both nationally and internationally. Those particularly important to the adult and community education sector included a presentation on the Qualifications Recognition Service. The service was set up in response to the issue raised by employers, education providers and immigrants, for a system which allows for the recognition of qualifications from other countries. The service operates as part of the NQAI (National Qualifications Authority of Ireland). According to the last CSO figures the majority of immigrants fit into the 18-44 age group, and are more likely to hold third level qualifications. So migrants in Ireland generally constitute a highly educated group, with high educational aspirations and who are often unable to access the types of employment that they are actually skilled and qualified to do. The recognition of qualifications is an important stepping stone to reversing this trend. ‘Creating Intercultural Communities’, a conference hosted by AONTAS marking the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, provided the opportunity to draw together experiences of adult and community education relevant to intercul19
Explore turalism. Workshops on different aspects of adult education allowed participants to reflect on models of best practice, and consider the implications for their own work, as well as government policy. The conference highlighted a number of issues relevant to the development of a strategy for intercultural education. The White Paper on Adult Education, Learning for Life, published in 2000 was a key development for the sector as it was the first policy framework for adult education in the history of the State. The Paper is underpinned by three core principles one of which is interculturalism, the other two being equality and a systemic approach. When the Paper was being written Ireland had just begun to benefit from the most rapid economic growth in Europe and was experiencing its first wave of inward migration. The entire education system from primary school upwards now includes people with a wide range of cultural backgrounds and languages. The adult and community education service was one of the first of the educational services to take up the challenge of catering for the many and varied needs of immigrants whether they were migrant workers, asylum seekers or refugees. In many cases education was one of the few activities that could be pursued by many of these people and the adult and community education service proved to be responsive and flexible in its actions. One of the first demands was for language classes and in the absence of any planned and resourced provision these have been largely supplied through the literacy service. Over one third of the current adult literacy learners are people who are learning English as a second language. Many of these learners are already well educated in their own language but find that the adult literacy service is their only option to avail of language education at a low or no cost.
Focus On... Policy
David Walsh from Open Minds
• T raining in all aspects of diversity, discrimination, racism and interculturalism must be part and parcel of the staff development of all public servants from the Ministers right through the system.
Beyond the Economy
Talking Intercultural Dialogue at the Conference
• C ommitment to long-term strategic planning (joined up thinking) at government and institutional level must be real and serious. • I ntegrated agency work between service providers must be explored and nurtured. 20
Over the past number of years there has been an increasing emphasis on the importance of certification in education and the acquisition of skills appropriate to employment. A second issue in AONTAS's recent submission draws attention to the necessity for dialogue and communication for its own sake. While AONTAS acknowledges the importance of the acquisition of skills and qualifications for the labour market, government must also recognise the important social purpose of adult and community education and its ability to organise and include people in their own and their communities’ development. This will entail a number of developments, including the following: • Groups must be supported to develop new and diverse approaches to learning which include the sharing of information, history , language and culture. • Groups should be supported and resourced to maintain their own native languages and heritage, as well as learning English language skills.
AONTAS submission firstly calls for a shared vision of what interculturalism means. This shared vision requires a number of conditions, as follows:
• Work begun by the National Qualifications Authority in relation to the recognition of qualifications must be prioritised with a view to making the best use of the abilities and skills of everyone living in the State. Gavan Titley from NUI Maynooth, facilitating the media workshop
Facilitators, tutors and teachers must include those from minority cultures...
Focus On... Policy A strategic approach means having joined up thinking between agencies and departments, taking a whole organisation approach to facilitating interculturalism...
Government must also recognise the important social purpose of adult and community education and its ability to organise and include people in their own and their communities’ development...
A Shared Vision of Adult Education and Interculturalism
• P olicies must be framed to value social justice, collective action and to challenge inequality, and not only to measure economic outcomes.
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An Adequately Resourced Sector
In the submission, AONTAS calls on the government to provide adequate resources to the adult and community education sector. Funding is needed so that providers can disseminate information in a number of different languages, and engage in community outreach. Funding is required to
implement a long overdue policy on ESOL, and also for anti racism training for tutors. The submission also points out that the sector relies heavily on the contribution of volunteers, and this makes the issue of resources all the more crucial.
Involving Minority Groups in the Planning and Delivery of Educational Initiatives
Much concern has been expressed over the need to include existing minority groups in Ireland, for example Travellers, in the development of an intercultural education strategy. AONTAS believes strongly that if the strategy is to be successful then all groups need to be included. This will require supports to be put in place for those involved – to cover the costs of participation, including transport, childcare and eldercare. There is also a need for the promotion of role models in the delivery of training and education initiatives. Facilitators, tutors and teachers must include those from minority cultures. Regular monitoring and evaluation of programmes must take place to ensure that the needs of a diverse range of learners are being met. Finally, it is most important to acknowledge that this process will not happen overnight. A strategic approach means having joined up thinking between agencies and departments, taking a whole organisation approach to facilitating interculturalism, learning from our mistakes and having an evidence base for the approach we take. The vision of a diverse education system designed to suit a diverse society as outlined in the White Paper is still a long way off but is one which we have no option but to develop if we are to embrace the rich opportunities which a truly intercultural society captures. AONTAS submission to the Intercultural Education Strategy was submitted to the Integration Unit in the Department of Education and Science in October 2008. AONTAS also participated in the roundtable discussion hosted by the Department of Education and Science on November 17th this year, to further highlight the role of adult education in interculturalism. To read the submission in full, visit the AONTAS website or contact the office on 01 406 8220. 21
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Focus On... Networks
DARE to take the Human Rights Challenge!
out to clarify unanswered questions.
on citizenship and human rights edu-
There will be some really interesting
cation amongst almost forty nation-
and innovative workshops that will
alities through the medium of thirty
challenge the participants to discuss
languages? This isn’t a riddle, but the
and reflect on important issues. And
challenge for a three day conference
we will present new teaching methods
in Vienna, hosted by the appropriate-
for EDC/HRE which we hope will be
ly named European Network ‘DARE’.
helpful to the participants when they
The conference explored the theme of
return to their organisations.’
Intercultural Dialogue in human rights and citizenship education through a
believes that marketing is fundamentally about the selling of ideas, and
series of workshops and discussion groups all conducted through the medium of Euro English.
Olöf Oláfsdottir (Head of Division for Citizenship and Human Rights Education, Council of Europe) who emphasized, that in her opinion it is
Workshops covered anything from
not acceptable that social and cultural
how to teach complex issues like glo-
groups in Europe live separated from
balisation in adult learning, tools and
each other, sharing just mutual igno-
strategies for combating gender dis-
rance, but not sharing values.
crimination in adult learning, addressing issues of discrimination against people with disabilities through adult education, and using Information and Communications Technologies such as
The conference ended with a presentation by Bashy Quraishy (European Network
Against
Racism),
who
explained the difference between
the members of the network. The participants will have the opportunity to meet, exchange business cards and points of views and help each other 22
ferent approach to how human rights and diversity are traditionally promoted. The first step involves listening
year olds in 49 different countries. The main difference in the campaign was a shift from a campaign against racism to promote diversity and human
Europe. He favours the model of an intercultural society where majority and minority groups coexist at an equal level in their separate private spheres and share a common public space (employment, housing, culture etc.) – versus a model of multiculturalism, where minority cultures are merely tolerated on the periphery, but
rights participation in a more positive light. The campaign employed a number of successful tactics – from using imagery that was exciting, to a graffiti campaign and themed weeks, as well as a very distinctive logo. Although it is difficult to measure the outcomes of this campaign, Raphael believes that it was a success. He outlined the main challeng-
not accepted.
es as different cultural understand-
Social Marketing
and diversity, also that quite often the
ing of issues such as human rights
One of the sessions I attended was
on the concept of Social Marketing. Co-ordinator of the 'All Different, All
opportunities for cooperation between
Social marketing represents a dif-
Campaign campaign targeted 18-30
Network, explained what she hoped ing. ‘I expect that it will create new
education issues.
approach. The 'All Different, All Equal'
Michael
Marketing is fundamentally about the selling of ideas, and that just as a product can be sold, so can social concerns and human rights education issues.
can social concerns and human rights
and shifting from the top- bottom
Web 2.0. Daniela Kolorova, Chair of the participants would achieve by attend-
that just as a product can be sold, so
to the needs of the target audience,
lip service and intercultural reality in
The conference was opened by
Focus On... Networks
rights and equality issues. Raphael
Niamh O’Reilly and Niamh Farren of AONTAS recently attended a conference in Vienna hosted by DARE. DARE is the Democracy in Human Rights in Education Network, which was established in 2003. The network currently brings together 37 members from 26 different countries in Europe, with the aim of promoting Education for Democratic Citizenship (EDC) and Human Rights Education. The conference was attended by 163 participants from 37 countries. In this article, Niamh Farren writes about the conference, and some of the ideas and challenges emerging. How do you promote a discussion
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Raphael
is
the
former
Equal' Campaign which aimed to promote the idea of diversity and human rights across Europe. The campaign applied some of the principles of social marketing, which as Raphael explains, use the techniques of classic consumer marketing and applies them to human
complexity of concepts was difficult to communicate. If you would like to read more about the campaign visit www.alldifferent-allequal.info.
Vasliki Tsekouris from the NILE Partnership
people together. This provides for the
Europe and the European Commission.
exchange of ideas and the building
Daniela says that she would like to
of new partnerships. According to
see Citizenship and Human Rights
Daniela Kolorova, one of the major
Education become a solid part of the
challenges is how you provide commu-
educational system in all European
nication and co-operation. ‘Often these
countries. ‘This would be a huge step in
problems are related to a lack of funds,
the right direction. Some issues related
but for us international meetings are
to EDC/HRE are already being dealt
essential. We believe that direct con-
with in some schools across Europe,
tact and face to face meetings are
but that’s not enough. We are trying
crucial for our work. Other ways of
our best. We are training teachers, con-
communication are important, but
sulting politicians, providing tools and
phone calls can’t replace human con-
holding meetings, but there is still a lot
tact. International meetings like this
of work to do.’
conference increase the dialogue and help us become much more informed and tolerant about other cultures.’ The network has very strong connections with both the Council of
About DARE
The network faces many challenges
in terms of promoting human rights and citizenship at a European level. The network operates on the ethos of intercultural dialogue, by bringing
A Call to Action
The network has organised a
Synchronised Action Days initiative in order to raise the profile of citizenship and human rights education. This initiative is about making the connec-
We believe that direct contact and face to face meetings are crucial for our work.
tion from the grassroots level to policy makers. The idea is to showcase the initiatives at local, regional, national and European level. The Synchronised Action Days are primarily about lobbying, and take place up until the 10th of 23
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Focus On... Networks
December. Around two hundred different activities are taking place up until the 10th of December. Details of the activities will be collected and included on the DARE website, but will also be put together as a brochure and forwarded to them to relevant stakeholders at National and European level.
The group has developed a number of questions which help organisations
Future Plans
The network has a number of plans
in the pipeline. Daniela explains, ‘One is organizing a spring academy for young people, multipliers of Human Rights/Citizenship
We are training teachers, consulting politicians, providing tools and holding meetings, but there is still a lot of work to do.
Education,
in
Sonnenberg in Germany. We are also thinking about a campaign of dissemination of audio visual materials related to Human Rights and Citizenship Education through television and the
working in adult education to reflect on how intercultural their own work is. This tool is called a Scan – a series of nine questions which your organisation can work through. Those involved in developing the scan emphasise that it is merely a preparatory step to developing a strategy on intercultural issues.
Internet. Those methods are not being
The questions are as follows:
used enough yet, but they are pow-
1. What is your organisations vision
erful tools and we think that they will be helpful for Human Rights and Citizenship Education.’
Developing your Intercultural Work
One of the presentations during the
conference focused on how NGOs can integrate interculturalism and intercultural dialogue within their work. From 2005 a working group established in the framework of the Network on Intercultural Learning in Europe, NILE, developed a set of questions to enable public organisations working in different fields, but specially in the field of adult education to take a first step in a process of intercultural opening in their own working environment.
or mission statement on intercultural issues?
2. Has your organisation developed a policy based on the vision or mission statement?
3. (A) In terms of personnel composition, how representative is
your organisation of the diversity in society? (Percentage of ethnic minority/migrant population).
(B) What specific intercultural poli-
cies on recruitment and selection
of staff does your organisation
have? (e.g. positive discrimination, development of new networks and advertisements).
4. On the basis of your organisations
main activities, which concrete action plans for an intercultural opening have you developed?
24
Explore
Learners
5. How is your public relations policy
Dear Jenny,
influenced by intercultural issues?
6. What kind of educational opportunities, courses and coaching about
intercultural issues are available to staff members in the organisation?
Jenny Gunning from AONTAS Information Referral Service answers your adult education queries.
7. Does your organisation have plat-
forms or forums that allow staff members active involvement in the decision making process regarding intercultural issues?
8. How are individual staff mem-
bers involved in getting informa-
tion, promoting and implementing intercultural opening?
9. Does the institution gather infor-
mation that can be used to identify the cultural and educational needs
of the specific target groups? Does the organisation offer a way for the clients to voice their needs and
how does the institution adapt its
services and programmes to the cultural needs of the clients?
For more information about the Scan and how to implement it, visit www.intercultural-learning.net.
Becoming a Member of DARE
If you would like to read more infor-
mation about DARE, visit their website www.dare-network.eu. For a fee of €100 you can become a member of the network. You must be an organisation which works in the field of EDC and HRE. This must be backed up by evidence of educational practice undertaken in the field. A full list of members is available on the website.
Dear Jenny,
d refugee Ireland and was grante I am currently living in d ago. I am really intereste status 3 and half years e som with a view to doing in returning to learning a third on training or pursuing form of further educati my ver I am not too sure of level qualification. Howe e? a. Can you please advis entitlements in this are Many thanks, Sam. Hi Sam,
news query. Well I have good Many thanks for your ee ve been granted refug for you! People who ha just education and training status have the right to s are sh citizens do. Refugee in the same way as Iri ing to approved Post Leav entitled to free access ate in . You can also particip Certificate (PLC) courses ided ies Scheme (VTOS) prov Vocational Opportunit hed eligibility criteria attac you meet the normal third regards to pursuing a to VTOS schemes. With are entitled to free third level qualification you ve ge) education if you ha level (university or colle u may for 3 years or more. Yo been living in Ireland nts. level maintenance gra also be entitled to third on regarding funding More detailed informati tus is le who hold refugee sta entitlements for peop bsite rtment of Education We available on the Depa re you wish to find out mo www.education.ie or if n visit ioned schemes you ca about the above ment e download a copy of th www.aontas.com and Booklet. AONTAS Information
My name is Jozef and I am from Poland. I move d to Ireland 7 months ag o and plan to stay here for at least another year wi th a view to improving my English. I have looked at several websites but I’m not sure which courses are recognised? Can you sug ge st the best way for me to go about finding/enrollin g in an approved course? Many thanks, Jozef. Hi Jozef, As you have not stated what part of Ireland I would recommend yo u take a look the webs ite; www.acels.ie. ACELS is the Advisory Council for English Language Sch ools in Ireland. This de tailed website provides a ful l listing (including cont act details) of all the recog nised English languag e schools in Ireland. Alt ernatively you can cont ac t your local Vocational Ed ucation Committee (V EC) to see if they are running any courses in your are a. If they aren’t providing courses you can contac t the Information Officer in the local Guidance Servi ce to see if there is any other ones being delivered th at they are aware of. There are also a number of pr ivate colleges that run Engli sh language courses bu t the courses advertised on this particular website are recognised by the Depa rtment of Education an d Science. Costs may va ry; however it might be worth your while phoning AC ELS as they can advise you on what course would be st suit your needs. Good luck! Jenny.
Best of luck, Jenny.
Contact AONTAS on 01 406 8220, or visit our website www.aontas.com. AONTAS recently produced an Information Booklet for adults returning to education – give us a call and we’ll send you a copy free of charge. 25
Explore
Tribute
Walter Hammond – A Gentleman and a Scholar Ray Lucey remembers a unique and inspirational adult learner.
It was with great shock and sadness in March of this year we learned of the sudden death of Walter Hammond. He was a great teacher and well loved in Ballyfermot College of Further Education. An inspiration to us all, during his seventy one years he lived a full life and made a lasting impression on many people. To a get a real sense of where Walter came from I interviewed Walter’s two older brothers, John and Charlie, in Dublin’s Liberties. In their youth one got whatever work one could get it as there were no real career opportunities available at a time when sons followed their fathers into a certain trade. Walter was a bright child, yet quiet and sensitive, particularly in school. Some childhood experiences left a deep impression on him. He left school aged 14 and he never had a secondary education. Walter sat the Guinness entrance exam and was one of only 10-15 teenagers from throughout Ireland. He was successful and entered the Guinness brewery. Most young people would embark on their career in Guinness’s as a messenger boy. However because Walter achieved 2nd place in the exam he got a brewers laboratory placement. During his time in Guinness’s Walter became active in Workers Union of
Ireland (WUI) where he became a shop steward and eventually got a seat on the executive. In articles that Walter wrote for the union magazine Walter was brave and sincere, as well as very critical of management at Guinness’s. His brothers feel that his union activities may have stunted his career there. In 1952 Walter joined the staff with a clerical position where most officers were TCD graduates. A staff association was there as an alternative to the union so it was so like treason for Walter to be so active in WUI. He refused to join it and remained an active and militant member of the WUI. However on the other side of the coin, his promotion in Guinness’s stopped him from becoming a full-time union official. Throughout his life Walter was determined and principled yet fair in his dealings with people. He was a socialist in the 1950s and became involved with different campaigns to assist the underprivileged in society.
Further Education
Walter studied for the Leaving Cert at night and got grinds from a retired school teacher named O’Hara who had a great influence over him. Afterwards he went back to study at night in UCD and eventually acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Philosophy and History
An inspiration to us all, during his seventy one years he lived a full life and made a lasting impression on many people. 26
Walter Hammond
and a Higher Diploma in Education. At this stage he wanted to leave the brewery and become a teacher. Walter built a house in Nenagh and had plans to move there to embark on a teaching career. However his degree allowed him to earn a higher salary in Guinness’s and Walter had to consider what would be best for his family. By the time he retired, Walter had worked his way up to Production Manager, Brewing Materials, and was very committed to his role. He used to head up projects and was a troubleshooter. Walter opted to take early retirement at 55 years and afterwards was asked to become an external consultant. Yet he declined this offer.
Fulfilling His Ambition
In 1993 Walter realised his long held ambition and became a teacher at Ballyfermot College of Further
Explore Education. He initially taught on the Business Higher National Diploma (BTEC) course. It was in this career that Walter really lived out his philosophy of life long learning. His interest in education prompted him to do an MA in Educational Management with the Open University which he found fascinating. He went on to do a Doctorate in Education. Walter had great empathy with students and many admit that he was because of him, and his encouragement, that they stayed in education. He was also often called on to offer advice on personal matters when he was, invariably, a rock of sense and sensitivity. Past student Ross Donegan had much respect for Walter. “He helped me focus and pointed me in the right direction”. Another former student Derick Moloney feels that Walter was a warm, genuine and encouraging mentor. He was a grandfather figure and a shoulder to cry on. He had a logical approach and simplified complex problems. Walter could move mountains by what he said. He was a critical thinker and encouraged students to think for themselves. He was not afraid to be controversial and had a great bond with young students. Walter’s own family benefited greatly from his belief in the value of education and his commitment to lifelong learning. He helped extended family members who had no interest in school secure work and prepared people for entrance exams for various jobs. On one occasion he went through the snow on a bicycle to give someone grinds!
Tribute
Walter Hammond was a student all his life and a true advocate of lifelong learning.
Words From Those Who Knew Him
Walter Hammond was a student all his life and a true advocate of lifelong learning. He was selflessly devoted to education all his life and this commitment still lives on in many of his former colleagues and students today. In respect to Walter shortly after his death a Book of Condolences was available in the college. Here is just sample of what people said about him. He was generous, inspirational, and philosophical. He had a unique wit and was a pleasure to know. Many past students of Walter’s agree that without mentoring and advice from him we would not be holding our degrees today. We are forever in his debt. Diarmuid O’Brien, Vice-Principal, BCFE says that Walter’s passion for his work seemed to grow with each passing year he knew him. He admired greatly his “never say never” attitude to any obstacle placed in his path. To him they were merely challenges to be overcome so we could move onwards. Another former colleague, Oliver Sweeney, says he came to know Walter as a man of great intellect and gentleness, whose concern for others was always a first principle. “While his humour was always to the fore, his questioning nature, and his abhorrence of cant meant that one disregarded his word at one’s peril. His concern for his students was all-consuming,
Throughout his life Walter was determined and principled yet fair in his dealings with people.
evidenced by their strong numerical presence at his removal and funeral, and he could regularly be found offering advice and guidance to a learner long after most of the rest of us had quit for the day. That advice was always taken in the spirit it was given, his desire that the student would work and achieve to their maximum potential always in the foreground. It is no exaggeration to say that Walter touched us all deeply, and his loss is as keenly felt today as it was in the aftermath of his passing.” Maureen Conway, Acting Principal, BCFE adds, “It was on the morning that he died that the letter congratulating him on the awarding of his PhD arrived. Walter lived his philosophy in life. He truly believed that unless a teacher is engaged in lifelong learning their freshness of approach and relevance of subject matter may suffer. He was a committed educationalist who gave the greatest gift all to colleagues and students – the gift of time. Walter was generous in his ability to listen and support all who went to him for help. Our students were privileged to be taught by him.” May Walter’s love of learning inspire us all in adult education to achieve our true potential for ourselves and the improvement of our communities. In his memory we should all strive to achieve to realise his dream, that of the transformation of Ireland into an authentic knowledge society.
Walter Hammond (1937 – 2008)
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Adult Learners’ Festival 2009
• • • • •
Monday 2nd February: Celebrate Learning Tuesday 3rd February: Learn in Your Community Wednesday 4th February: Senior Learners Day Thursday 5th February: Learn @ Work Friday 6th February: Lobby for Learning