The aim of this project is to strengthen the capacity and ability of organisations providing learning opportunities to adults by developing a strategic approach that empowers educators with the competence to reflect global dimension in adult education; effectively opening a window on the world to help see the ‘bigger picture'. The main objectives are to: 1. Provide information about the adult global education landscape in Europe 2. Identify the global competences required by adults and adult educators 3. Empower at least 14 adult educators to facilitate the development of adults’ global competences 4. Improve the knowledge and understanding of global and international developments of 600 adults through participation discussions, debate, seminars and training. 5. Create resources including guidance for embedding global and international development issues in adult education. The project is being developed against a background of unprecedented challenges and opportunities facing the world such increasing globalisation, a digitally connected and interdependent world, international and religious conflicts, mass movement of people from conflict zones and poor countries to Europe, the refugee crisis, climate change and environmental degradation, the Sustainable Development Goals, BREXIT, the rise of populism and the right, and the recently published OECD “global competency for an inclusive world”. In order to address these issues successfully, citizens will require new capacities, and it is crucial therefore, that they understand the forces that drive these challenges, the threats they pose, the opportunities ,and how citizens and decision makers can contribute to a more sustainable world. In the increasingly globalised interconnected world, most people come into contact frequently with people of other cultures and from other parts of the world, are affected by events in other countries, have multiple global relationships (at work, in business, socially, through family ties, travel etc.), and will have to negotiate and collaborate across social, cultural, ethnic, racial, political and geographic differences. Education has a crucial role to play in ensuring citizens develop these new capacities, address the challenges and opportunities. However, if educators are to facilitate the development of adults’ global competences, it is essential that they themselves are globally competent, because creating globally competent citizens require globally competent educators. The project activities will be achieved through a number of activities that include intellectual outputs, joint staff training, and blended training. The main activities will include analysing global adult learning in Europe, identifying the global competences required by adults and adult educators, developing learning programmes and resources, joint staff training and blended learning of adult learners. The activities are expected to produce the following results: 1. A comparative analysis of adult global learning in Europe 2. Global competency frameworks for adults and adult educators 3. A course for adult educators on global and international development issues 4. Learning resources including guidance for global education 5. Guidance for educators on delivering global education. The global and development issues to be addressed in the project affect everyone, no matter where they live, so there is added value in carrying it out transnationally. It will provide different perspectives to the issues and opportunities to share experiences, learn from each other, generate solutions capable of replication internationally, and foster future partnership working on issues of common European interest. In addition to learning about global and international development issues, the project provides opportunities for adults to develop and improve their core competences, especially those of digital competence, social competence and cultural and artistic expression. The results of this project has the potential to generate debates at all levels on the issue of global competence, and could lead to some kind of consensus on the specific global competences for citizens and educators, and how they might be developed.
This project was about promoting and reflecting global education in adult learning in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals. It was developed and implemented against a background of unprecedented challenges and opportunities facing the world such increasing globalisation, a digitally connected and interdependent world, international and religious conflicts, mass movement of people from conflict zones and poor countries to Europe, the refugee crisis, climate change and environmental degradation, the Sustainable Development Goals, BREXIT, the rise of populism and the right, and the recently published OECD “global competency for an inclusive world”. The aim was to build and strengthen the capacity and ability of organisations providing learning opportunities to adults by developing a strategic approach that empowers educators with the competences to teach adults about global and international development issues; effectively opening a window on the world to help see the ‘bigger picture'. The objectives were to: 1. Provide information about the adult global education landscape in Europe 2. Identify the global competences required by adults and adult educators 3. Empower at least 14 adult educators to facilitate the development of adults’ global competences 4. Improve the knowledge and understanding of global and international developments of 600 adults through participation in discussions, debate, seminars, and training. 5. Create resources including guidance for embedding global and international development issues in adult education 6. Improve the intercultural competence of participants. The main project activities were undertaking transnational project meetings, organising blended learning of adults, joint staff training, multiplier events in each partner country and producing 5 major intellectual outputs. All transnational meetings took place as planned, each attended by representatives from all partner organisations. Except for the final meeting which as virtual, the other meetings were face-to-face and took place before restrictions were put in place. The main groups of participants were adult educators and adult learners from partner organisations with involvement of a few stakeholders in adult education. They participated in the training activities and attended some of the multiplier events. Multiplier events were held in each partner country, most virtually, but some face-to-face. A few partners held the events over different dates in view of Covid-19 restrictions around socialising and large gatherings. The multipliers attracted 234 participants across the partnership. The partnership produced 6 intellectual outputs 1. A report on the adult global education landscape in each partner country 2. Global competence frameworks in the context of the ESDGs for (a) Adults and (b) Adult Educators stipulating the global competences required adults and adult educators 3. Course in Global Education for Educators – consists of two courses: a blended course and an online course. Materials for delivering the blended course was also produced as part of this output. 4. Embedded materials – curriculum materials in which global themes/issues are embedded. 5. Guidance for Adult educations- this publication provides guidance for adult educators and organisations wanting to introduce and embed global education in their work with adults. 6. Thematic Workshops – based on the global themes identified in the competence frameworks these consist of resources to deliver global education workshops on a standalone basis in each of the global competence areas contained in the framework. The overall feedback from participants was positive. The main feedback from the multiplier events was that the project would make a valuable contribution to helping adults understand some of major challenges facing us with training organisations and they could engage sustainable development. Those attending the training activities said that they now had a better knowledge and understanding of global issues. Some educators were sufficiently inspired and expressed an interest in organising global awareness workshops in their local areas. They also welcomed the resources developed by the project and said they would be extremely useful, as global education was something new to most of them and would need help and support in reflecting global themes in adult education. The overall feedback from the multiplier events was that the project would make a valuable contribution to helping adults understand some of major challenges facing us with training organisations, especially NGOs expressing an intention to engage more actively with the whole issue of sustainable development. One unexpected impact of the project was recognition of the importance of digital skills in delivering global education. The educators were very keen to improve their digital so can include the use of digital technologies in their teaching which, which led the development of a digital skills module in the course on global competence for educators.