Crandi

Community Education Local Lifelong Life Changing Aontas

Leo Migdal
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community education local lifelong life changing aontas

Home Advocacy Campaigns Community Education: Local, Lifelong, Life-Changing Running from Monday, 22nd September to Sunday, 28th September, the Community Education: Local, Lifelong, Life Changing campaign highlights the importance and impact of community education across the country. We are celebrating the transformative power of community education and calling on Government, North and South, to address the critical issues facing workers and learners in the sector. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #CommunityEducation Under the slogan ‘Local, Lifelong, Life-Changing’ we will share inspiring learner stories on local and national media that shine a light on the transformational impact of community education. From 22 to 28 September, the AONTAS Community Education Network (CEN) will run an all-island campaign to highlight the value and impact of community education across Ireland.

Using the slogan “Local, Lifelong, Life-Changing”, the campaign will share inspiring learner stories through local and national media, showcasing the transformational role of community education. Updates will also feature prominently on AONTAS social media channels. On Tuesday, 23 September, the campaign will mark the National Day of Visibility for Community Education. On this day, community education organisations throughout the country will use social media to celebrate the campaign slogan with learner photos and videos. The campaign will also draw attention to the pressing challenges faced by CEN members, particularly issues around funding and recognition. Broadcast, print, and social media will be used to raise awareness of these concerns across the island.

In the Republic of Ireland, the focus will be on the AONTAS Budget 2026 submission, which calls for a 12% increase in the Further Education and Training budget, with ringfenced funding for community education. In Northern Ireland, the campaign will urge policy makers to establish a framework that fully recognises the value of community education, and to implement recent AONTAS research findings on impact evaluation in adult education. Last week, Kate Galvin, one of AONTAS’ Local, Lifelong, Life Changing learners, was featured in the Irish Independent in a piece highlighting the financial realities faced by many Irish citizens ahead of Budget 2026. 🗞️ Speaking about the importance of funding community education providers, Kate said: “𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲.” 💬 Kate is a former learner and volunteer with The Lantern Project in Cork and a brilliant example of how lifelong learning strengthens communities... 💪📚 #NEAAL #CommunityEducation #LocalLifelongLifeChanging

Community education helps people who want to return to education or learning, but may not have the confidence or opportunities to do this in a formal setting like university or further education. It is rooted in values of equality, justice and empowerment. It creates a voice for those who are furthest from the education system. It is based on what people need and is driven by communities. Community education often helps people who have been let down by the traditional education system in Ireland, and who need some care and guidance to get back into learning again, or take up a... 77% of community education learners are women and more than half of learners are over 55 years of age.

Many people come from homes and communities where staying in school or going to college just doesn’t happen. Or people have a lot to cope with, including disabilities, caring responsibilities, or the impact of the pandemic or the cost-of-living crisis. Many people are impacted by addiction. Many are living in Direct Provision. Many people – an increasing number – find themselves homeless. These people cannot be ignored in the Irish education system.

Community education can be a place of safety for them, and offer a way to learn that is tailored to encourage them to believe in themselves and discover their own potential. The Community Education Network (CEN) was established in 2007 by AONTAS. It is a network of independent community education providers who work together to share information and resources. Membership of the Community Education Network is free for AONTAS members. Please note CEN membership is subject to criteria. All members must be local, self-managed, independent community education organisations committed to social change.

For access, Click to Login or Become a Member Our campaigns raise awareness of why adult learning matters and how it changes lives for the better. We show the public, politicians, and policymakers the importance of adequate funding for adult and community education, and the impact this has on individuals and communities across the island of Ireland This September 2025 campaign in collaboration with the AONTAS Community Education Network highlights the importance and impact of community education across the island of Ireland. September 2024. This campaign showed the barriers to learning that are holding people back from the education and the life they want.

Our Manifesto “Transforming Adult and Community Education” calls for transformative and progressive policy changes that will ensure those furthest behind in our education system are prioritised first. This is essential if we are to have equality in Ireland. Our campaigns have reached over 70 million people across Ireland, and internationally. Here are some examples of media outlets who have featured our campaigns Download the Brochure for AONTAS Adult Education Summit! Community education means that everyone can learn new things, feel cared for, and feel they matter.

Everyone deserves to feel like that. With community education, a young man on social welfare might be recommended to do an IT course and all of a sudden find themselves doing drama and poetry. With community education, an older man who dropped out of school decades ago might start doing an art course and find he’s great at it. He might start talking to other men on the course about what it was like growing up and how hard things were sometimes. A single mother looking to feel less alone might find herself doing a business course somewhere that offers on-site childcare. She might learn from other women, not just about business skills, but about how to cope, and she might start to feel more confident in herself.

Running from Monday, 22nd September to Sunday, 28th September, the Community Education: Local, Lifelong, Life Changing campaign highlights the importance and impact of community education across the country. We’ll celebrate the transformative power of community education and will also call on Government, North and South, to address the critical issues facing workers and learners in the sector. Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #CommunityEducation Read all about the campaign on our dedicated campaign page on aontas.com To download resources so that you can get behind the campaign, visit our Community Education: Local, Lifelong, Life Changing Resources page on the Members Hub.

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