MOJA

MOJA invites adult educators to a conversation with Astrid von Kotze, adult educator and activist. Astrid is and education activist working with organisations and people in poor working class communities in/around Cape Town, South Africa. Until 2009, she was Professor of Adult Education and Community Development at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, subsequently professor emerita at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa. Astrid has been deeply involved in cultural activism, and published widely on popular education, health and sustainable livelihood security.

In the conversation with Astrid, we will focus on the topic of Adult Education for Resilience? COVID-19-induced pondering for practice.

Resilience has become a buzzword ‘touted as a protective talisman against the effects of trauma, which individuals, communities and whole economies are told to cultivate. ‘ (Saner 2020) It has taken on the quality of moral virtue with ‘resourcefulness’ reframed as praise for one’s ability to continually adapt (Ames & Greer 2021). In this way, resilience is akin to the aspiration for education for ‘sustainable development’, a continuation of the same-old, with slight adjustments.

The questions are: what does ‘resilience’ mean? Should adult education go with the same-old? What are community/adult educators’ assumptions, and how do they relate to the realities of learner / participants on the ground? What ideas should be dropped, and what imaginings be taken on now, for the future? What are new ways of shaping adults educating and learning, in a (post-) Covid-era?

This webinar will critically examine notions of ‘resilience’, spotlight some of our assumptions about ALE, and propose a a life-affirming adult education for the future.

On 12 and 13 October 2021, EPALE is hosting its annual Community Conference, which will be held entirely online. The conference will provide an opportunity to discuss how adult education and learning can help reshape our society, promoting inclusive and sustainable models.

The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated vulnerabilities in our globalised and interconnected world, with profound and long-lasting effects. Fast-paced changes on multiple levels – digital, demographic, and environmental – have been the norm in recent times. In this context, the conference revolves around the concept of transition. Transitions are full of uncertainty and instability, but being inherently transformative, they also provide an extraordinary opportunity to sketch out new models, paying particular attention to the challenge of not leaving anyone behind.

The conference’s plenary sessions (public events available to view via the EPALE platform) will be split across two days.

But the conference doesn't end here!

Far from it! The following week, on the 18 and 19 October, the conference will continue, opening the stage for collaborative discussions. Participants will have the opportunity to have their say, taking part in four participatory workshops to be attended upon registration.

The EPALE Community Conference will also host 8 national panels to allow participants to deepen and discuss national priorities and practices… in national languages.

The full agenda will be available soon on this page.

UNESCO, Regional Office of Southern Africa, is hosting International Literacy Day celebrations 2021 under the theme ‘Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide’. The regional event will take place on Friday 10^th September 2021, 10:00-12:00 hrs.

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), in partnership with DVV International, will host a webinar as we join the rest of the world to mark International Literacy Day (ILD). Our theme is: "Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide” with specific focus on youth and adult literacy. The webinar will take place Friday, 10th September 2021 from 09h30 – 12h00. It will also be streamed live via the MGLSDs Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences may last many years and the world as we knew it may never be regained. Adult learning and education (ALE), like other forms of social and economic activities in Uganda and elsewhere, have been affected. Whilst this pandemic has drawn attention to a global health crisis, we recognise that its effects are felt across many sectors causing devastating social, economic and political crises that are bound to leave deep and lasting scars on local, regional and global economies.

By the end of this webinar, we expect that participants will have:

• shared experiences on technology-enabled literacy learning programmes as part of activities to mark ILD 2021;
• analysed national responses and strategies for recovery and resilience-building beyond the pandemic; and;
• considered appropriate mechanisms to deliver ALE services in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cape Agulhas municipality in partnership with WESTERN CAPE DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, CAPE NATURE, OVERBERG DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY, DEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING, INSTITUTE FOR POVERTY, LAND, AGRARIAN STUDIES, AND THE OVERBERG DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION will host a climate change webinar themed “Climate Change and the impact on the livelihood of women in rural areas” on August 13, 2021 from 10h00 – 12h00. The webinar will be streamed via the the Cape Agulhas municipal Facebook page and YouTube page

The objective is the bring diverse voices together from civic, government and the academia to discuss where are in the climate debate and what practical steps needs to be implemented to assist the livelihoods of women who severely affected by global warming in the rural areas e.g., fishing communities and women in agriculture.

CONNECTING TO FREIRE AND CO-CREATING ACTIVISM BEYOND COVID-19

The 5 day Introduction Workshop is an initiation to Training for Transformation (TFT) methods, skills and tools designed for development practitioners, activists and community organizers from CBOs, NGOs and FBOs. It explores Paulo Freire's approach to critical conscientization and how to apply it in a changing environment.

KEY THEMES

- Personal Mastery

- Introduction to Transformative Development

- Political Economy of the Environment

- Introduction to Paulo Freire

- Facilitation or Animation