Community Education
Defining community education is not a simple task as there are differing views on its role, principles and outcomes. In the White Paper on Adult Education, Learning for Life, (2000) community education is defined in two respects:
Firstly, "as an extension of the service provided by second and third-level education institutions into the wider community". This view could be seen to incorporate almost all adult learning opportunities provided by the formal education sector at community level-it is education in the community but not of the community (DES, 2000 p110).
The second view sees community education in a more ideological sense "as a process of communal education towards empowerment, both at an individual and a collective level...it is as an interactive, challenging process, not only in terms of its content but also in terms of its methodologies and decision making processes" (DES 2000 p110.)
AONTAS describes community education as follows:
Community education is education and learning which is rooted in a process of empowerment, social justice, change, challenge, respect and collective consciousness. It is within the community and of the community, reflecting the developing needs of individuals and their locale. It builds the capacity of local communities to engage in developing responses to educational and structural disadvantage and to take part in decision-making and policy-formation within the community. It is distinct from general adult education provision, due both to its ethos and to the methodologies it employs (AONTAS, 2000)
The AONTAS Community Education Network developed the following definition of community education in order to provide a strong basis for lobbying, profile raising and recognition.
Community education is a process of personal and community transformation, empowerment, challenge, social change and collective responsiveness. It is community-led reflecting and valuing the lived experiences of individuals and their community. Through its ethos and holistic approach community education builds the capacity of groups to engage in developing a social teaching and learning process that is creative, participative and needs-based. Community education is grounded on principles of justice, equality and inclusiveness. It differs from general adult education provision due to its political and radical methodologies.
Please download the information leaflet which describes this definition in more details.
Developing the definition of Community Education
