Supporting Social Inclusion at the AONTAS STAR Awards 2025
The STAR Awards recognise the very best in adult learning in Ireland. We celebrate and acknowledge the incredible adult learning initiatives going on across the country, in support of learners, as part of the AONTAS Adult Learners’ Festival. This year, there are 24 fantastic shortlisted initiatives. We’ll announce the winners at a special ceremony in Dublin on Friday 7th March – an exciting event to finish our 2025 Adult Learners’ Festival!
Community Education Against Disinformation: Telling stories to create change
Aisling Meyler from our Research Team talks about the power of community education in tackling online disinformation, and how telling stories can bring people together. Aisling also gives an insight into a new workbook for community education practitioners that will soon be available from AONTAS.
Learners As Leaders in 2024: Democracy and Voter Education
The Learners As Leaders programme has been running for several years, helping people to develop skills in areas like critical thinking, communication, and creative problem-solving, and they learn how to advocate for themselves and others with similar experiences.
SWEETS: a project reflecting the core of Community Education
Our Community Education Officer Lorraine O’Connor visits members of the Community Education Network across the country, demonstrating the real impact of their work and the great benefits they bring to local communities.
AONTAS Highlights of 2024
The team at AONTAS have been working all year round to bring about positive change for adult and community education in Ireland and across Europe. Let’s take a look at some of our big moments from the year.
Learner Voice at the Community After Schools Project (CASPr)
The AONTAS team gave a workshop to learners at the Community After Schools Project (CASPr) on self-advocacy and the importance of Learner Voice
Increasing literacy, numeracy, and digital skills across Europe: “Upskilling pathways”
We’re working with our European partners to help people to develop literacy, numeracy, and digital skills, to offer them equal opportunities to participate in our society.
Modelling Wellbeing in Community Education: Fun, Friendship, and Fulfilment in Cork
Our Community Education Officer Lorraine writes about visiting Cork recently for a gathering of community education providers to learn from each other and share the impact of wellbeing practices in community education
“Learner Voices Across Ireland” 2023-2024: Executive Summary
The AONTAS Learner Voices Across Ireland report shows adult learners’ experiences of Further Education and Training (FET) for the academic year 2023 to 2024.
‘Green Skills 2030’: First National Further Education and Training Strategy for the Green Transition launched in Dublin
Our Adult Education Initiatives Officer Larisa Sioneriu writes about a new strategy for FET to move towards a future where all members of our society are well equipped to participate in and adapt to a world shaped by climate change.