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 26 fantastic shortlisted initiatives. We’ll announce the winners at a special ceremony in Dublin on Friday 10th March – an exciting event to finish our 2023 Adult Learners’ Festival!
The shortlist is divided into five categories of adult learning initiatives that support people with:
The STAR Awards is judged by an independent panel of educators, policymakers, adult learners, and other adult learning experts. Let’s take a closer look at the shortlisted initiatives for the category of Global Citizenship Education.
This category, which is sponsored by SAOLTA, is open to adult learning initiatives that empower people into active citizenship roles in their own communities.
Six years ago, Knit & Natter started by knitting hats and selling them to raise money for local national and international groups. Now each year they focus on different projects, like Monasterevin Youth Action, The Hospice, and the Brazil Group, which are the most recent. Members of Knit and Natter come from the local community and the Direct Provision Centre, and they’re building a growing integrated community. The core group has about 15 members, and they reach up to 50 adult learners each year, with information nights attracting up to 150 people to hear about the work that projects are doing. Voter Education nights were a particular success before the last local and general elections.
This is a two-year, part-time blended Master of Education programme from Mary Immaculate College focusing on climate justice, outdoor learning, biodiversity, citizenship, intercultural education, peace studies and students’ agency. The programme has been designed to equip educators—in both the formal and non-formal sectors—with the pedagogies and theoretical frameworks to consider these issues. It focuses on current challenges to injustice, inequality and sustainability including climate change and loss of biodiversity. Through Global Citizenship Education, the programme aims to focus on empowering students of all ages to assume active roles, both locally and globally, in building more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive and secure societies.
Open Hearts Open Minds is a Stained Glass project that enables a group of people living in Northeast Inner City Dublin to explore themes inspired by the UN Social Development Goals in local and global contexts. Seven adults worked with an artist and facilitator to consider issues having an impact on their own lives, and how these might connect to wider global issues. Personal stories inspired early ideas and concepts, which were deepened as global justice themes were teased out. Each participant then created a unique piece of art in glass. The stories behind each piece’s conceptual development are where the core of Community Education and Global Citizenship Education connect.
This creative dance programme works with 28 individuals with intellectual disabilities. Participation helps learners to develop their movement, and nurture their verbal and physical communication through dance. The group used interpretative dance to explore the impact environmental issues have on everyone, including those with a disability, and identify the role that every citizen plays in protecting our environment. They produced a video for the general public to empower others to have a voice about their views and concerns on climate change.
Because the STAR Awards ceremony is focussed on the nominees, particularly the learners, it is an invite-only event. But we'll be sharing the ceremony as it happens on our social media, and spotlighting the winners.
Find us on aontas.com or on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIN for the latest updates.
The Adult Learners’ Festival, happening this year from 6th to 10th March, is a nationwide celebration of adult learning. It offers organisations and groups the chance to promote the value and benefits of lifelong learning for communities, families and workplaces. It is a chance for groups to reinforce existing partnerships in the community, and to establish new ones. This year’s theme is Create Your World – because life is not about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. Visit this page for more details about the Festival
For more information, contact Charis Hughes, Head of Communications at chughes@aontas.com