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Andragogical studies 2 / 2015

asnoveAndragogical Studies is a scholarly peer-reviewed journal, devoted to theoretical, historical, comparative and empirical studies in adult and continuing education, lifelong and lifewide learning. The journal reflects ideas from diverse theoretical and applied fields, addressing the broad range of issues relevant not only for Serbia, but also for the whole of Europe, as well as for the international audience. The journal publishes research employing a variety of topics, methods and approaches, including all levels of education, various research areas – starting with literacy, via university education, to vocational education, and learning in formal, nonformal and informal settings. Innovative and provocative scholarship informed by diverse orientations and methodologies is encouraged. An individual articles or entire issues of the journal are available at web site: www.as.edu.rs

Adult Education Scoiety became the member of Humanas Network

HumanaS logo CMYK mBelgrade, December 2015. At the annual meeting of the Association Humanas, with majority of votes it was decided that the Adult Education Society receives the call to join the Association. The Network “Humanas” is the largest national network of humanitarian organizations and associations dealing with elderly. It was established at the initiative of the Red Cross of Serbia in 2004, and it’s members are also: Gerontological Society of Serbia, Caritas, DFSPC Philanthropy, Amity, Victoria, Swallow, Society for care of the elderly, the National Foundation for Humane Old Age, University of the Third Age, Circle of Serbian Sisters, Bread of Life, Association of pensioners… Given that lifelong learning is essential for a healthy and active aging Adult Education Society will make a significant contribution to the Network by providing expertise in the area of adult learning, and disseminate relevant information in this field at the European and global level. On the other hand, admission to the Network Humanas is the best confirmation for fifteen years of studious work in the field of third age learning, but also a huge responsibility in the future of the Society.

Adult Education Society supported ESREA conference in Belgrade

esreagenderBelgrade, October 2015. In the beginning of October, the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade held an international conference on Contemporary Issues and Perspectives on Gender Research in Adult Education. History, Philosophy, Methodology and Practice. The conference was organized by ESREA (European Society for Research on the Education of Adults) in cooperation with the Faculty of Philosophy, Adult Education Society and the Institute of Pedagogy and Andragogy. Participants from all over the world presented their researches and discuss about topics such as the role and status of women in the history of adult education theory and gender in lifelong learning, gender research in educational practice, etc. Participants had the opportunity to see the theatre play “Macho men” in Bitef theatre and then to talk with authors and actors about a process of creating this piece. Also, the last day of the conference, there was organized presentation of the book “Men’s Shed Movement” written by one of the participants Barry Golding. The idea of the organizers was, through the conference, supporting young and talented entrepreneurs who was engaged in catering and production of materials for participants. The next conference of ESREA Research Network on Gender and Adult Learning is in 2017 in Germany.

AES participeted in dicussion at Manifestation “Senior Days on Zvezdara”

SeniorsDayBelgrade, September 2015. Manifestation “Senior Days on Zvezdara” was opened this year on 21st of September, with expert meeting “Activation and Activism of Seniors in Belgrade – the Needs and Opportunities”. This is a traditional gathering of social partners and professionals, who are working in the field of social work, education and the health of seniors, organized by Voluntary Centre Zvezdara Municipality. The discussion was focused on prevention and treatment of dementia, because of the World Alzheimer’s Day (21st of September). The representatives of the Adult Education Society accented the importance of learning for preventing a onset of dementia. Furthermore, with respect to the experience of the older population they were recognized as a main resource for running educational activities in society. Forthcoming Adult Learning Festival was announced, and existing and a new partners were invited to join the initiative for establishing centres for community learning. Represetatives of Adult Education Society brought a few copies of the book “The Golden Age of Life – Ideas for an Enjoyable and Active Old Age (examples of good practice)”, that caught significant attention of the new partners and additional copies of the book were requested. The meeting finished with great enthusiasm for implementation of presented ideas for improvement of the quality of elderly life.

International Literacy Day in Kragujevac

ildkgKragujevac, September 2015. The action “Adults let’s return to school!” was organized in Kragujevac in the context of International Literacy Day, with the aim to motivate the potential participants of the Functional Elementary Education for Adults (FEEA) to join the programme, provided in Kragujevac by the elementary school “Dragiša Luković Španac”. The action was organized by non-formal group of high school students from Kragujevac, with support of Adult Education Society. On the spot, the action was supported by members of the school FEEA team, school director, representative from local government, and Roma coordinator. Promotional flyers were distributed to citizens and they were asked to share this information with the neighbors, without elementary school, and to motivate them. Also, the notebooks and pencils were given to potential participants of FEEA as motivation to comeback to education. This shows that everybody can motivate adults to participate in education, which can improve overall quality of life in the community. The main outcome of this event was 13 new applications for the new school year. Potential participants from Roma community ask organizers to do promotion of FEEA at their municipalities and motivate more people to come back to the education. The action was a good opportunity to announce forthcoming Adult Learning Festival.

The Adult Education Society supported ESRALE Summer Academy

Belgrade, September 2015. ESRALESummerAcademyThe Adult Education Society supported ESRALE Summer Academy, which was realized at the Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy from the 14th to the 20th of September 2015. The host of the Academy was the Department of Andragogy and Institute of Andragogy and Pedagogy at the Faculty of Philosophy University of Belgrade. The aim of the Summer Academy was to strengthen the quality of skills and competencies in relevant subject areas/disciplines which impact on the interdisciplinary area of adult learning and education. This year the topic was Empirical Research in Adult Learning and Education (Conceptual and Methodological Problems). The conference was held at the Faculty on the first day. On the following days the workshops for MA and PhD students were organized by many professors from partner Universities. The Adult Education Society provided a half day study visit to self-organized learning communities and community learning organizations. This was an opportunity to rethink the practice and consider different possibilities for the future development of adult learning. The feedback from both sides shows that organizations received significant input from the students, and the students were satisfied with the possibility of being introduced to a community learning initiatives.

Adult Education Society participated in 20th Learning festival in Switzerland

lucernefestivalLucene, September 2015. SVEB – The Swiss national Umbrella Organisation for Adult Education organized 20th Learning festival in Switzerland in the period 11th-20th of September. On the occasion of this significant anniversary, Adult Education Society, as organizer of one of the important European learning festival, have been called to participate in the central activities. During the central festival ceremony at 16th September, history of the Learning Festival in Swiss was presented. Nikola Koruga, representative of Adult Education Society presented on that occasion development of the Adult Learning Festival in Serbia and innovative festival activities introduced in recent years. The ceremony was closed with Ruth Jermann’s (national coordinator of the Learning festival since the founding) emotional speech and introduction to the SVEB’s team that will take over the Festival coordination in the future. On the next day at Symposium on lifelong learning Nikola participated in panel discussion on future of festivals in Europe, while in the second part of the Symposium, during the World Café session, he hosted the table with topic “The criteria for the Festival evaluation”. The meeting finished in atmosphere of the new enthusiasm and energy for the future of learning festivals in Europe.

Meeting with partners interested in community learning initiative

kcgradBelgrade, September 2015. The first phase of the Adult Learning Festival 2015 finalised with the meeting with social partners and interested organizations, group and individuals – initiatives for learning in community. Adult Education Society organized the meeting in KC GRAD on September 14th with the aim to present and network initiatives for learning in Belgrade’s communities and to discuss possibility for establishment of community learning centres. Final poster of the meeting was a convincing testimony of the significant capacities, in the context of programmes, space and organization, that partner have, as well as testimony of partner’s enthusiasm that welcomed this idea. The next step will be to provide support to partners in respect of training and creation of concept of community learning centres. In the third step festival promotional events will be organized in order to promote learning initiatives and the new model to the wider audience.

DIE included Andragogical Studies in their database

asznakBelgrade, September 2015. Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning of the German Institute for Adult Education (DIE) approached Andragogical Studies Journal in the beginning of September, with request to be allowed to take over and print copies of issues printed so far, and a future ones, in order to preserve it in it’s library in order to provide future generations of researchers with the journal’s issues. Having in mind the role and the importance of DIE and its library for adult education in Europe, this request was accepted with pleasure and honor. We see this “request” as another acknowledgement of the high quality of the Journal, and as an encouragement for future efforts. (http://www.as.edu.rs/)

International Literacy Day 2015 in Belgrade

literacydaybgBelgrade, September 2015. On the occasion of 8th September, the International Literacy Day, Adult Education Society in cooperation with City-Guerilla organized in Spanish House (Belgrade, Savamala district) activity with the aim of promoting the upcoming Adult Learning Festival. Event was organized for the members of Savamala community, though students of educational sciences and linguistics joined the activity. Volunteers from the Students’ Andragogy Club helped the organization of the event. The first point on agenda was lecture on historical understanding of the concept of literacy. Discussion followed. Than adult learners’ testimonials were presented. Participants also had the opportunity to exchange personal items that symbolise learning, take books from mobile open library, and listen to popular songs about adult education and learning. The members of Savamala community initiated discussion about community learning and their educational needs. The final point on agenda was decisions about future projects and actions regarding adult learning and urban development.

Preperation the national GRALE Progress Report

graleiiBelgrade, August 2015. The Adult Education Society provided strong technical and expert support, during July and August to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development in production of the national GRALE Progress Report. This triennial report will provide data for the third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE III). The purpose of GRALE III is to review the progress achieved in implementing the Belém Framework for Action (2009). This kind of reporting is significant for the field of adult education and learning on the national level because systematized data will provide a comprehensive overview that is important for the country. The cooperation between the Adult Education Society and the Ministry influenced the comprehensive character of the provided data from different perspectives. In conclusion, GRALE III will be one more significant document for the process of reforms in the area of education in Serbia.

AES collaborator participated in the conference of International Society for Education Through Art

majaLisbon, July 2015. The InSEA (International Society for Education Through Art) conference Risks and Opportunities for Visual Arts Education in Europe took place in Lisbon in the period 6-10 July 2015. The event addressed current problems and alternative models of artistic education and education through the arts in Europe in formal, informal and non formal contexts, through practice informing research. The conference integrated room for dialogue and reflection through oral presentations as well as virtual presentations in the blogosphere, exhibitions, workshops and performances. The conclusions of the conference have the form of a declaration for art education advocacy purposes. A declaration intended to reply to official discourses about art education, education through the arts and the arts in education (UN Global Education Goals, Education, sustainability and the post-2015 development agenda, OCDE and EU Reports). Art based methods in adult education are often used in addressing issues such as conflict resolution and human rights. Adult Education Society supported participation of its collaborator Maja Maksimović on the conference. Maja, assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, gave a presentation on how drama and movement can be used in adult education to work on gender equality.

Announcement of the Adult Learning Festival Invitation Call

ucenjeuzajedniciBelgrade, July 2015. Announcement of the Festival invitation call, marked a beginning of the IX Adult Learning Festival in Serbia. This year Festival moto is “Learning in Community”. The aim of the Festival is to highlight the importance of learning in community, to empower it and to promote it. Festival address all initiatives for learning in community – non-profit, voluntary activities of the members of community in which are characterised by exchange of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Activities organized by smaller or bigger, formal or non-formal groups, sporadically or regularly, either temporarily or permanently, in private or in public space. Initiated and/or financially supported by local government, some local institution or by external initiative, but also those self-organized, self-sustainable and self-managed. In the first Festival phase initiatives will be identified and networked. In the second phase they will be supported by training, and the promotional spots will be made. In the third phase a promotional events will be organized in the cities where clouds of initiatives exist. Apart from Belgrade, the network of Adult Education Society’s partners provided additional support in Festival call distribution and partner motivation in another 5 cities of Serbia.

AES Contributed to Public Hearing on the Draft of the National Strategy for Creating an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development

jrpBelgrade, July 2015. The Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, in cooperation with The Office for cooperation with civil society on 29th of July in Belgrade, in the Deputies’ Club, organized a public hearing on the Draft National Strategy for creating an enabling environment for civil society development in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2015-2019, which was attended by over a hundred representatives of civil society organization and state institutions. After the introductory part of the public debate, the consultants hired to develop the Strategy, presented the section of the Strategy and the measures and activities envisaged in the accompanying Action Plan, and open a dialogue with the present representatives of civil society organizations and institutions of state administration. During several hours of dynamic discussion, participants addressed a number of useful comments, criticisms and suggestions, both within individual chapters and sectoral policies, and in terms of the process of creating the Strategy and its potential for further development of civil society in Serbia. The representative of the Adult Education Society presented the current activities of the organization that coincide with most of the activities envisaged by the Action Plan in the section “Non-formal education” and asked what concrete measures of support the Republic of Serbia will provide to the civil sector which implements part of the activities in the field of responsibilities of the institutions of the Republic, as envisage by this Strategy.

Adult Education Society participated in discussion regarding NQF in Serbia

noksBelgrade, June 2015. Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence with Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development organized the conference as part of the EU funded project “Towards Employability of Knowledge – Development of NQF in Serbia as a Common Language between Education and Labour (NQFS)”. The event had been organized on June 26th, 2015 in two parts. The conference was opened with short exposures of Minister of Education, Science and Technological Development Srđan Verbić, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport and the adviser of the Minister of Commerce Dušan Korunoski. In the continuation of the conference the discussion with the audience was open. One of the conclusions was related to expectation of Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development that NGO sector will take care over continuous education in Serbia. The second part of the conference was intended to views and expectations of National Employment Service, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, vocational schools and other key stockholders. The main conclusion of conference was willingness of the every stakeholder to help process of development and adoption of the high quality NQF in shortest possible time frame.

Scientific papers of researchers from Serbia were presented at the ESREA conference

esrealivingLjubljana, June 2015. Three Serbian representatives took an active part in ESREA (European Society for Research in Education of Adults) Conference Perspective on Community Practices – Living and Learning in Community, organized at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Ljubljana, from June 18th to 20th 2015. A representative of the Society for Adult Education, Nikola Koruga, presented the research Adult Learning Festivals a the Global Initiative and the Regional Prism. Representatives of the Society of the Serbian andragogues (Violeta Orlovic-Lovren) and the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy (Aleksandra Pejatovic) presented joint research The Role of Adult Educators and Fostering Learning for Community Resilience. Serbian delegates had the opportunity to participate in UNESCO panel, organized within the conference, A theme of a panel was a new set of recommendations for the development of adult education that will be adopted on the UNESCO General Conference in fall 2015. This conference was a great opportunity for networking experts from the region and Europe, but also a place where had been initiated the idea for a new cooperation and exchange. Support for the participation of all three Serbian representatives at this meeting is provided in the framework of the regional project of DVV International EU Harmonization.

Adult Education Society on IX ICAE World Assembly

icaewaMontreal, June 2015. The Institut de coopération pour l’éducation des adultes (ICÉA) has been mandated by the International Council for the Adult Education (ICAE) to organise its 9th World Assembly which was held at the Université de Montréal from the June 11 to June 13. The University of Montreal was hosted the largest international gathering of civil society in adult education. The participation of the representatives from SEE was supported by regional project of DVV International. Maja Maksimović, an assistant professor in Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Department for Pedagogy and Andragogy and member of Adult Education Society, represented Serbia on ICAE World Assembly as delegate of Adult Education Society. The host organization invited the second person from Adult Education Society, Nikola Koruga to present experiences from Serbia about the concept of the Adult Learning Festival. Participation of the both delegates was vary notable, because the workshop Power in/of adult education, examples about trainers’ professionalization in Serbia and innovative methodological and theoretical approach in this field were presented. The representatives of Serbia were actively participated in preparation of the new ICAE declaration and organization of the event. During the IX ICAE World Assembly the new board were elected by the votes of members including Adult Education Society, which become the member this year. Adopting the new declaration ICAE sent the powerful and clear message of the support to the draft of the sustainable development aim, which addressed education inside the Agenda of sustainable development 2015 – 2030, which will be adopted on the UN summit in New York, on the September this year.

 

Adult Education Society on The Red Cross conference about abuse of older population

nasiljenadstarimaBelgrade, June 2015. Red Cross of Serbia and Commissioner for Protection of Equality organized on June 15th 2015. conference „On reducing discrimination and abuse of older people in the Republic of Serbia“. The aim of the conference was to identify the main problems that exist in the system of protection of elderly from discrimination and violence, as well as to give recommendations how to solve these problems more efficiently, starting with the rights-based approach. Besides the organizers of the event and representatives of the Office for Human and Minority Rights, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Interior, a representative of the Society for Adult Education, Dusan Zdravkovic, addressed the gathering noting the importance of participation of the elderly in learning activities and community education, as well as discrimination of seniors in this domain. The examples of good practice from the country and the world gave a clear recommendations for improving the situation in the education and learning of the elderly in Serbia.

The Learning Parking on The Mikser Festival

ParkingposterBelgrade, June 2015. Adult Education Society promoted the potential of alternative places to study in the local community on the Mikser Festival 2015, within EDU Zone. It was an interactive exhibition named Learning Parking. The central part of the presentation was a short documentary film about examples of good practice – initiatives for learning and knowledge sharing in the community and community improvement through learning, self-organized groups of citizens, non-governmental organizations and local governments. The film was supported by exhibition of photographs and texts of initiatives for learning. Visitors were asked to update the list of self-organized learning groups with initiatives that they know, also to express need for start-up some of the initiatives in their part of the city. They had a chance to share what they could learn others in such a group, as well as what they want to learn. This activity was an announcement for the 2015 Adult Learning Festival but also and opportunity to inspire and encourage citizens to join of the study groups in their community, or perhaps they themselves initiate the establishment of such a group.

The 3rd partner meeting of AE-PRO project

aepromalmeMalmö, May 2015. The 3rd AE-PRO partner meeting was held in Glokala Folkhögskolan Malmö, Sweden on 19th and 20th of May. The meeting was significant, because it was dedicated to realization of the first sessions on the AE-PRO on-line platform (http://www.ae-learning.eu/) and agreement about the future ones. During the meeting the first feedback from participants were analysed and discussed. Representatives of Adult Education Society (AES) presented the results of the Initial questionnaire, which was filled out by registered participants on the platform. In the continuation of the meeting evaluation on the different levels, responsibility of AES, has been recognized as one of the key activities for upcoming period. Representative of Learningpool company, that created the on-line platform participated in the meeting to allow project partner to introduce in details the platform and all functions of the platform tools for course creation and run. The meeting was finished with fruitful brainstorming about platforms` future development.