We wanted to gain knowledge and to learn from and be inspired by our Irish colleagues and from Dr. Kirstine Szifris in Sheffield. Our goal was to provide an arena for inmates and teachers to meet, participate in dialogues and discuss in a democratic, respectful and including way philosophical issues regarding all aspects of life. Secondly for inmates to experience and respect different views in a respectful manner. Thirdly for inmates to engage in, learn and practice different ways of thinking and for our inmates to have a possibility to grow and develop within the prison system. Further more our goal was for the participants to encourage, promote and aide the improvement of thinking for action, pleasure, and as an aid to initiating and guiding social action. Furthermore we wanted to develop colleague cooperation amongst the participants to secure further development and implementation of Community Philosophy and to initiate and plan other relevant projects To implement the goals from The National Curriculum 2020, and provide learning and transformation to our inmates. We wanted to develop our models for doing Community Philosophy within our prisons and educational system in Rogaland and to share our experience with others.
Prison education in Norway is subjected to the Norwegian National Curriculum.The focus areas for all aspects of learning are to be implemented in the same manner as in the ordinary education provided in the civil society. We applied for this project because of its´ focus on the use of philosophy in prison as a very specific tool to implement the goals for The National Curriculum of 2020 in Norway. Based on previous meetings and experiences with the Educational Unit at Mountjoy Prison, Dublin -Ireland and the following EPEA conference where Community Philosophy was presented, we were certain of this to be a valid project with the possibilities of useful and specific outcome for our participants and inmates (our students). Our contact in Sheffield, Dr. Kirstine Schifris and her study on philosophy in prison in England has also been an important part of the project.