News

Report from International Council of Adult Education World Assembly
and The 7^th World Social Forum,
Nairobi, January 2007.

Report by Jennifer Margaret
Auckland Workers' Educational Association
and Manukau Institute of Technology

Background on events

The International Council of Adult Education is a global network of adult learners and adult educators and their organisations. ICAE has a strong emphasis on promoting education for all and the basic right to lifelong learning. The first ICAE World Assembly was held in Tanzania in 1976 so it was seen as significant that another assembly was being held in Africa 30 years on. Timing the World Assembly to precede the 7^th World Social Forum was a strategic decision by ICAE. The purpose of the Assembly was to develop collective action, coordinate and synergise and this approach aligned with the WSF, an annual event where civil society movements from throughout the world gather under the slogan of 'Another World is Possible'. ICAE's involvement in WSF emphasised the crucial role of adult education in the resolution of major social issues such as war, poverty, inequality and discrimination.

ICAE plenary sessions focused on some key broad issues, such as state accountability to adult learning, and workshops or commissions focused on a range of topics such as HIV/AIDS, Health and Poverty; Environment and Sustainable Development; Migration and Cultural Diversity; the Adult Learners' Movement and Mobilisation; and Adult Literacy. The Assembly was also a civil society preparatory event for CONFINTEA VI, UNESCO's Sixth International Conference on Adult Education, which will take place in 2009. There were between 250 and 300 people at the ICAE World Assembly including two from New Zealand.

The World Social Forum was held over 5 days. Three and a half days were devoted to workshops – a 54 page spreadsheet listed the 1152 self-organised events. In addition there were major plenary sessions, an arts programme, stalls, rallies and informal gatherings. In 2004 WSF in India was attended by an estimated 150,000 – 200,000 people. A number of organisational issues impacted on attendance in Nairobi where there was an estimated 50,000 - 60,000 participants.

Summary of key issues

The following are some of the key issues emphasised during the ICAE some of which were echoed in WSF sessions.

• Democracy and diversity – the need to democractise democracy to ensure it is inclusive
• Need to strengthen work for social justice through inter-movement linkages – ending silo working
• Challenge of working at local level while maintaining national and international level networks
• Diversity – how do we work together respectfully
• The need to challenge assumptions. Who are the educators and who needs to be educated? Often the focus is on marginalised groups rather than industry, politicians, business, middle classes. e.g. Peasant farmers may be polluting but not necessarily lack of knowledge but due to lack of alternatives.
• The importance of using a community development approach in Adult Education - recognising and valuing existing knowledge and working from that point.

One key concern raised in plenary sessions at ICAE was the government imposed focus on adult education for vocational outcomes. This narrow agenda is at odds with the critical role of adult education in progressing social, environmental and political issues and adult education's role in fostering empowerment and participation. There was discussion around the tensions and trade-offs between the need for government funding versus independence and how adult educators and their organisations can stay grounded in their own reality of what is important, but still have a voice with government.

Another key issue that was raised in both ICAE and WSF was the real challenge of developing collective action that respects diversity in a globalised environment, but ensures that we are addressing important issues at both local and global levels. The Portuguese sociologist Boaventura de Souza Santos shared his response to this challenge, the theory of cultural translation. For further detail of this theory and its relevance to Aotearoa refer to the ACEA Newsletter article and ACEA conference paper (details below).

In the context of the WSF with its massive programme, large venue and emphasis on panel presentations, I was struck by the power of different forms of art as a medium. At global events much is lost in linguistic translation. Ideas expressed through art, story-telling, drama, visual arts and music can reach and influence people in different and potentially more effective ways. The ICAE Assembly was structured in 'traditional' conference form with long plenary sessions and hurried workshops. Participants could have benefited from the integration into the programme of a range of ways to network and connect with the issues.

Some highlights

• Working with two other women, one from the Cameroon and one from Brazil to draft the recommendations to the ICAE World Assembly on Adult Environmental Education
• Experiencing an eco-tourism initiative which is having positive impacts for indigenous people in the Maasai Mara
• Learning from discussions regarding community development issues in Kenya
• A one-hour one-woman performance on the history of Kenya
• The arts space at WSF which featured music, films, theatre, visual arts and discussions focused on the theme of 'Moving Peoples' – displacement, disapora etc.
• Learning from indigenous people and migrant 'slum dwellers' of some of the issues for these peoples in Kenya
• Considering the relationship between local and global issues in Adult Education
• Meeting people and discussing possibilities for participation / collaboration at WSF 2009

Follow up activities

My time in Kenya reinforced for me the valuable and relevant learning that can come from sharing at global level and the importance of then locating that within the local contexts in which I work.

So despite the demands of returning to work after 3 weeks away I have been focused on sharing the learning and experiences from Nairobi in a range of forums. To date that has led to the following articles, presentations and follow-up activities.

Articles

'WEA at the World Social Forum' FWEA Newsletter, February 2007

'MIT makes positive contribution to international conference' MITNews, 7 March 2007

'Ideas and inspiration from Nairobi' ACE Aotearoa Newsletter, upcoming issue

JustChange magazine - expression of interest submitted for an article in next issue. (To be co-authored with Yvonne Underhill-Sem, University of Auckland)

Articles will also be distributed via email lists.

Presentations

'Adult Education and Community Development, Global issues and local contexts.'

Counties Manukau Community Development Practitioners Network 1 March 2007

'Sustainable Development – Global issues and local contexts'

Proposed title for presentation to Manukau City Council staff. Date to be confirmed.

'Ways of working for change, changing ways of working: approaches for adult educators to progress sustainable development.'

Proposal submitted to present at ACE Aotearoa Conference. June 2007.

I am happy to respond to requests to present on these or other topics e.g. Adult education – global issues, Eco-tourism, Working cross culturally.

Other follow-up activities

Responding to United Nations Environment Programme requests for contacts with indigenous peoples' organisations to participate in development of UNEPs Indigenous Peoples Policy.

Discussion with regarding indigenous peoples involvement in WSF 2009.

Sharing of ideas and approaches with:

• Community Sector Research Clearing House staff
• Families Commission staff
• MIT / Community Research Group
• Treaty Resource Centre
• Colleagues in social justice networks
• Members of the Learning and Teaching for Transformation email group (hosted by Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex)

Thanks

I am grateful to the Federation of WEAs and Manukau Institute of Technology for the financial support they contributed towards my attendance at these events.

I am also extremely grateful to Mariana Cifuentes and Jonathan Caseley who hosted me in Nairobi and contributed greatly to the richness of my experience of Kenya.

Thanks also to Yvonne Underhill-Sem, Abigael Vogt, Alison Greenaway, Ngahuia Murphy, my colleagues at Treaty Resource Centre and others who support the on-going activities which have resulted from participation in these events.

Further information: jennifer.margaret @ manukau.ac.nz.

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