The Adult Learners’ Festival – taking place from the 4th-8th March 2019 – is a nationwide celebration of adult learning coordinated by AONTAS, the National Adult Learning Organisation. Over the past thirteen years the Festival has become a firm fixture in the Irish adult learning calendar, showcasing the range of learning opportunities available across the country and encouraging adults to try something new. Hundreds of FREE events will take place nationwide during the festival, including information and taster sessions, tours, lectures, walks, demonstrations and workshops, in a variety of locations including libraries, museums, colleges, community centres and workplaces.
Visit https://www.onestepup.ie/calendar/ for a full list of events taking place.
Why You Should Get Involved
The Festival is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in a national celebration of adult learning and to promote your organisation. By holding an event as part of the Adult Learners’ Festival and submitting it on the One Step Up website you:
- Highlight your organisation’s work and commitment to adult learning
- Raise awareness about adult learning opportunities in your local area and encourage adults to take the first step back to learning
- Put your organisation on the map and gain national exposure:
- As part of the AONTAS Adult Learners’ Festival we will share and promote your events across our social media platforms which had a combined reach of over 1.7 million people in 2018
- We will include your event in our national advertising and media campaign which reached over 4.5 million people in 2018
- Enter our Early Bird Competition to win fantastic prizes to promote and support your organisation & events (see below for more details)
AONTAS Events
On Monday, 4th March, we will host the AONTAS STAR Awards, where shortlisted adult learning projects from across Ireland will convene and the winners of these prestigious awards will be announced on the day. Find more information about the event here.
On Friday 8th March, 10am – 1.30pm, in the Richmond Education and Event Centre, AONTAS will host an International Women’s Day Policy Event: The Impact of Community Education on the Lives of Women. The event will highlight the purpose and value of community education for learners and wider society and highlight the need for long-term and sustainable funding to ensure its continuity. Find more information about the event here.
How to get involved!
AONTAS encourages everyone to get involved in the Adult Learners’ Festival. Organisations are invited to hold an event as part of the Festival and help to collectively showcase the range of learning opportunities happening in communities around Ireland. From Education and Training Boards (ETBs), to Community Education Centres, to Higher Education Institutes, lots of groups are organising learning activities or courses to showcase their work.
Benefits of getting involved
- Highlighting your organisation’s work and commitment to adult learning
- Raising awareness about adult learning opportunities in your area
- Gaining in media exposure as part of the National Adult Learners’ Festival
- Supporting adults to take the first step back to learning
- Putting your adult learning organisation on the map!
Promotional Support from AONTAS
In order to support groups to take part in the Adult Learners’ Festival, AONTAS has created a range of promotional material including posters, flyers, balloons, t-shirts and mini hashtags #EveryDayImLearning. Organisations can register their adult learning events here to be included in our nationwide advertising campaign.
As part of the Festival, AONTAS will be running an extensive social media campaign. Using the hashtag #EveryDayImLearning, groups are encouraged to share details of their events, or events in their local community.
Access our full communications toolkit here
For more Information
For more information on how to get involved in the Festival, contact AONTAS at:
Email: Barry Dolan bdolan@aontas.com
Phone: 01-4068220
Website: https://www.aontas.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aontas
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AONTASAdultlearning/
