The Community Education Map is a visual directory of all community education groups and organisations in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
This project originated from the AONTAS Community Education Network (CEN) Census research we conducted in 2020. Our research identified a gap in relation to the physical mapping of Community Education around Ireland. Our CEN agreed that an interactive map displaying community education organisations would be of great benefit to the sector for:
• research
• advocacy
• networking purposes.
The goal of the Community Education map is to:
• show the depth of community education across the island of Ireland
• highlight where exactly community education is taking place.
Finding moments of solidarity and connection can be difficult. We can sometimes struggle to get the opportunity to see and feel it in our community and county, let alone across our island. This map looks to change that and to shine a light on the powerful work of the amazing community education groups and organisations on this island.
Developing strong relationships and solidarity as well as gathering concrete evidence of our sector’s needs can help us all in building a structure for collective advocacy. This means that our sector can have a strong voice in our discussions with policymakers and funders.
The community education and learning sector often faces a great deal of pressure and stress. Through a collective approach we can build evidence of the ongoing positive impact of our sector for communities across the island of Ireland.
We see this map as being a useful tool for a variety of groups.
• Learners looking for courses and course providers
• Community Education providers looking to network with other groups and organisations in your county and region
• Local, regional, and national funders (such as Education & Training Boards (ETBs), SOLAS and government departments interested in finding out how funding community education can help meet their strategic priorities, for example)
• ETB staff (such as Adult Guidance Counsellors looking for courses to refer learners to).
There are many positive impacts we hope to achieve with this map such as:
• Identifying where community education is happening across Ireland and Northern Ireland
• Highlighting the variety and depth of community education provision
• Informing research and policy in the sector
• Identifying gaps in community education provision
• Connecting organisations, groups, and learners at a local and national level
For your organisation or group to appear on the map, a short survey must be filled in by a member of staff. This information will be reviewed by our Community Education team in AONTAS before approval is given to appear on the map.
For further information contact Leo at lgilmartin@aontas.com