AONTAS Learner Networks
It's Your Network - Don't Stop Now!
AONTAS Senior Learner Network Meeting
The last Senior Learner Network Meeting took place on Monday, 28th September 2009. The report from this meeting will be available shortly.
The date of the next meeting has yet to be confirmed. Details of the meeting will be sent out to learners as soon as possible.
If you are a Senior Learner this is your chance to come together and voice your needs, to share your knowledge and experience and work together to create a strong Senior Learner Network.
Online Discussion Forum for Adult Learners
In order to raise the voice of adult learners in Ireland we have created online discussion forums. This 'googlegroup' is simply an online forum that you join, using a gmail email address, and you can add discussion topics, respond to topics, share your experience, raise awareness about a policy issue etc...
The idea of this forum is to create an opportunity for learners to discuss their ideas and issues with each other and to help each other reach a solution together. AONTAS will also participate in the forum to ensure that we are aware of the issues of learners and we will respond by hosting meetings, writing press releases and position papers as required.
To join the google group go to this website
If you need help with starting this, just download this user factsheet or email Niamh O'Reilly or phone 01 4068220.
Manifesto for Senior Learners
The manifesto was created from the outcomes of the Senior Learner Network Meeting, which took place on Wednesday 4th February. This Manifesto is based on the views of learners themselves and we hope you will use it to influence local and European Election candidates when they come looking for your vote. This is your Manifesto, it reflects all the discussion that participants were involved in at the meeting and we endeavoured to accurately reflect the main areas that senior learners feel are important. To download a copy of the manifesto click here. If you would like us to send you out a hard copy contact Dympna Larkin or phone 01 4068220.
The idea was to create a list of demands and how they can be achieved. We would ask you to share these demands with local election candidates by tearing off one of the two demands cards at the back of the Manifesto. You can also use it to share with other education providers in your area so that they are aware of the needs of senior learners. If you have any questions about the manifesto contact Niamh O'Reilly on 01 4068220.
This manifesto is the first step for increasing momentum and support for senior learners, please get involved in this work in the run up to the local elections and follow up on what happens afterwards in your area: do newly elected councillors know about the needs of senior learners, are they doing anything about it? We believe that the interests of learners are best served by those who have a direct experience of adult learning in Ireland: the learners themselves.
Join a Learner Network!
Learner Networks are all about bringing learners together: to allow learners to meet and share experiences; to ensure that we are aware of the challenges facing learners so that we can lobby for your needs; and to empower learners to take action on their issues locally and through AONTAS nationally. Are you interested in getting involved email Niamh O'Reilly or phone 01 4068220.
Senior Learner Network
The last Senior Learner Network meeting took place on Wednesday 4th February 2009 in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin 4 and had over 110 learners were in attendance.The aim of this meeting was to launch the AONTAS research report on the lifelong learning needs of older people - Don't Stop Me Now and to share the main outcomes of the research. It also acted as a space for learners to discuss, as part of a group, the areas that they want to promote to your Local Elections Candidates and the message they wanted AONTAS to promote nationally regarding senior learners. The meeting was part of the AONTAS Adult Learners Festival, which aims to promote and celebrate lifelong learning, therefore we had an input from a Senior Learner who shared their experience. The morning session had inputs by Prof. Tom Collins (NUI, Maynooth), Paul Maher (Age and Opportunity), Berni Brady (AONTAS), Ger O'Neill (Hear Our Voices) and Minister Maire Hoctor. The Forever Young Chorus provided some entertainment by singing a few songs. The afternoon discussion sessions resulted in the creation of a Manifesto (a hard copy will be available soon).
The Manifesto for Senior Learners is outlined below:
1. Collectively we must help people maintain their dignity and sense of purpose
2. Senior Learners need a one-stop shop of information in a central location
3. More day-time adult education courses are needed
4. Need for funding adult and community education courses for senior learners
5. Need to keep the Minister of State for older people at all costs (with enhanced powers)
To view photos from the event go to this link
The first AONTAS Senior Learner Network took place on the 16th July in Galway. An unprecedented attendance of over 70 older learners convened in the Galway Bay Hotel where they had the opportunity to share experiences, highlight the challenges of older learners and to engage in discussion groups. Ger O'Neill, an older learner shared his experience to a captivated audience, this sparked further discussion and ideas in the workshops sessions.
Adele McKenna, Policy and Research Officer with AONTAS, gave an overview of what government policies affect older learners and spoke of the outcomes of a piece of research pertaining to older learners. Louise Richardson, CEO of the Older Women's Network was the guest speaker, she drew on her experience of the strength of networks and successful national lobbying campaigns for older people.
Older learner network 16-7-08
A report on the day is available for download here. For more information please contact Niamh O'Reilly or Dympna Larkin or phone 01 4068220 for more information.
Background to Learner Networks
As part of the AONTAS Strategic Plan 2007-2010 Learner Networks were identified under Practice as an area of work:
'Further develop adult learner networks as fora for exchange of information and practice and support learners to participate in the work of AONTAS.'
From the learning obtained since the first set of networks a number of key links are required to engage learners. Existing learner groups and active learners from our membership are excellent at garnering support for the creation of networks. Also the involvement of, and collaboration with, organisers and providers of adult and community education who express an interest in being a part of the networks is pivotal to their success. What this network would look like and how it could grow and evolve is outlined below.
The aim of the learner network
1. To act as a local representative body for learners
2. To be an action driven forum for learners
3. To give learners the opportunity to meet each other in their area
4. To share experiences with each other
5. To facilitate and empower learners to take action on issues that affect them
6. To use the information obtained to feed into the policy work of AONTAS and ensure we are responsive to the needs of learners
7. To feed into the policy work of the member organisation
8. To share information on policy at national level
Information obtained will feed into the following areas of work:
- Policy - It will feed directly into policy work and will be used as a space to identify and gather information on specific policy areas. Learners will have the opportunity to contribute to focus groups for other organisations (HEA, FETAC etc.)
- Promotion - It will provide information on: the experiences of learners and links for case studies. It will raise the profile of AONTAS and feed into the Adult Learners' Festival.
- Practice - It will be part of increasing the capacity of our members by feeding outcomes of meetings into the member organisation. It will inform best practice on creating adult learner networks
- Partnership - It will allow learners from various backgrounds and organisations to come together and share experience. Networks will involve the collaboration of a number of organisations.
- People - It will be a space for the networking of learners
An Example of the Content of the day
It is envisaged that a number of fora will be held initially and a large forum for all networks later in the year.
Time: approx 10.30am - 2pm
- Introductions and networking
- Presentations
- What is happening at national level
- Resources useful to adult learners
- One student's experience
- Exploration of the themes
- Discussion groups
- Feedback on agreed areas to feed into AONTAS
- Evaluation of the day
- Networking session
If you are interested in being part of the learner networks please contact Niamh on noreilly@aontas.com phone 01 4068220 or leave a message here
