New education series moves 'outside the box' and 'beyond the classroom'!
24 Feb 2010 03:37 PM
A series of new television programmes which tell the story of a small but significant player in Irish education was launched today, Wednesday 24th of February, by Dublin's Lord Mayor, Cllr Emer Costello, at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield.
'Beyond the Classroom' is a series of four programmes which tells the story of the development of community education in Dublin as it was experienced by the communities of Tallaght, Kilbarrack and Dublin's inner city. The programmes were funded by the BAI (Broadcasting Authority of Ireland) through the Sound and Vision Fund, and produced for broadcast by Dublin Community Television. Four stories span the last 30 years and provide an insight into what community education is and how it has been used in past by Dublin communities.
Speaking at the launch, the Lord Mayor said 'As an elected representative, I recognise the important role of education in contributing to more politically aware, engaged communities. This is also the European Year of Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, and education has a key role to play in meeting that particular challenge. It is wonderful to see the achievements and work of these providers and learners documented through the medium of television for the first time.'
Ciaran Kissane from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland said: "The provision of funding for programmes made by the community for the community is a key objective of Sound & Vision - The Broadcasting Funding Scheme. To date the scheme has allocated over €2.5 million to projects like these for broadcast on community television. While the finished product and the broadcast often attract the most attention, the BAI is very aware of the huge effort that goes on behind the scenes during the production phase. We congratulate all those involved."
'The launch of this series of programmes is timely for a number of reasons', said AONTAS Director, Berni Brady. 'Firstly, this is the week of the Adult Learners' Festival, with almost three hundred events taking place throughout the country promoting adult learning- so it's a great place for us to show community education in practice. Secondly, the community education movement in Dublin really strengthened in the 1980s, responding to poverty and unemployment in communities in Dublin. For communities such as Tallaght and Kilbarrack, profiled in this series, community education equipped them with the skills and confidence to tackle the social problems they were experiencing - including unemployment and heroin addiction. Much of the material is relevant to what we are experiencing today.'
Community education is a distinct form of education which focuses on the learning needs of people participating, but also the needs of the particular community where it is based. This series introduces a number of different community education initiatives - including an Cosán in Tallaght, MAIN (Men Alone in No Man's Land), Kilbarrack Community Development Project, and Pavee Point Travellers Centre.
Community education in Dublin started in the most unlikely places. From its beginnings in a kitchen in West Tallaght to a pub in the inner city, education was recognised as a driver of change. In the early 1980's, a high level of youth employment and poverty resulted in a serious heroin addiction problem in the community. A group of passionate community activists tried to respond to the problem, but recognised a skills deficit and approached an Cosán, a community education centre in the area for help. What followed was the design and delivery of the first Diploma in Community Drugs Work, aimed at community activists to help respond to drug addiction within their community, and which was certified by UCD. 'We were giving them the education they said they wanted', says Liz Waters, CEO with an Cosán.
AONTAS recently carried out a short study of 40 community education organisations to find that they were funded by up to 78 different funding streams. On average, groups accessed five different funding streams in order to carry out their education activities.
The series also promotes the innovative use of the medium of television. Programmes will be broadcast on DCTV (currently broadcasting on Channel 802 Digital) - but will also be made available to tutors and other relevant parties as a resource following the broadcast.
ENDS
For more information/ contacts with participants, contact
Niamh Farren Communications Officer 01 406 8220/ 087 911 0569
Irish Language speaker also available.
Notes to Editor
1. Beyond the Classroom - will be broadcast on DCTV, on NTL Digital, Channel 802 at 7pm this evening, February 24th.
2. About AONTAS - AONTAS is the National Adult Learning Organisation, funded by the Department of Education and Science, and includes approximately 600 members. AONTAS recently established the Community Education Network, which includes 110 groups and networks active throughout the country.
3. About the Adult Learners Festival - The AONTAS Adult Learners' Festival runs 22nd to 26th February, more information is available from www.adultlearnersfestival.com.
4. Sound & Vision, the Broadcasting Funding Scheme was established to provide funding in support of high quality programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, and programmes to improve adult literacy. The Scheme has been in operation since 2005.
