The project partners met at Akademie Klausenhof in November 2016 to test the draft training material and discuss the further development of the project. The testing sessions were joined by adult educators and journalists as well as “critical friends” that will evaluate the project and give advice on how to improve the training materials developed in the project.
“We need training materials that raise awareness about the role of media when it comes to sharing experiences and expert knowledge about adult education. At the same time, we also need to enable adult educators to write and communicate about their work,” said Ricarda Motschilnig, an adult education expert who moderated one of the testing sessions during the LEK-AE meeting.
“In a large number of countries in Europe, adult education is hardly visible in the media. This means that many people, and particularly those who might benefit most from it, are not aware of the opportunities that it provides. The fact that adult education is often also politically marginalised creates a vicious circle, because the lack of funding for adult education organisations makes it more difficult for them to dedicate staff time to do external communication,” said Michael Sommer from Akademie Klausenhof, one of the lead partners of the project.
In the project LEK-AE (Let Europe Know about Adult Education), the consortium will develop a curriculum on communication for adult education, a simulation game, a training on how to plan and do webinars, as well as a number of other training materials such as a communication guide for adult educators. More information can be found on the project page.
Text: Raffaela KihrerPhotos: LEK-AE project