The aim of Lifelong Learning Week, organised for the first time in 2011 by EUCIS-LLL, is to raise awareness on the social dimension of education and training, as the important factor to reach the headline targets of Europe 2020 in this field. With this year edition, we wanted to tackle topics such as active inclusion, social innovation, equity and social cohesion in all forms of education and training, with the intention of putting an emphasis on the development of peoples’ skills and competences, as prerequisite to enable full participation in society in its civic, social and economic dimensions.

Events organised during the LLL Week 2012

• Introducing Historiana – History Education and 21st Century Competences-Based Learning, 26 November 2012, European Parliament

EUROCLIO presented its programme “Historiana, Your Portal to the Past”, an on-line multimedia tool that offers a framework for comparing and contrasting the impact on and responses by Europe’s nations to a range of different events and developments which have shaped Europe from the distant past to modern times. This online tool to teach and learn history is a result of EUROCLIO’s 20-year-long commitment to improve excellence and equity in education, a pillar of the new EU policy framework. The event was followed up by a cocktail reception to celebrate the 20th anniversary of EUROCLIO.

www.historiana.eu

The conference brought together key European stakeholders and social service providers to discuss the results of Eurofound’s major study in 11 EU countries on policies to integrate young people with health problems or disabilities into the labour market, using the active inclusion strategy. Social service providers as well as training and education organisations  discussed how the EU’s active inclusion strategy has been implemented in practice at the national and local level. Exchange of successful examples of innovative social services and lifelong learning for active inclusion will also take place.

• EPA workshop: “Parents –Pivot in Lifelong Learning”, 27 November 2012, EUCIS-LLL offices

During this workshop, EPA presented its activities and look at parents as providers of informal learning and partners of the formal education system that progress in parallel by non-formal learning. The winner of EPA’s ALCUIN-Award 2012, the Austrian programme “Parents’ Health Platform” (Plattform Elterngesundheit) was introduced by the initiator Ingrid Wallner. This initiative is an encouraging example of how to bridge the sectors and cooperate with education, health, social and other policy fields.

• EUCIS-LLL Public Hearing on “Basic Skills for Inclusive Growth: A civil society perspective”, 28 November 2012, European Economic and Social Committee

As the Commission was about to release a Communication on “Rethinking Skills in Europe” partly aiming to raise the level of basic skills, EUCIS-LLL dedicated a public hearing on the role of basic skills in lifelong learning strategies in a context of crisis, on 28th November in Brussels. Contributing every day through grassroots initiatives to equip people with the right competences to become fulfilled, active and employed citizens, civil society can help framing the concept and fostering basic skills in lifelong learning strategies. The public hearing included the presentation of three cases studies from EUCIS-LLL members, followed by an open discussion with the participants and representatives from the EU Institutions.

• SOLIDAR – CEMEA Round table on “Building learning societies: Recognition and validation of learning outcomes of social work and volunteering”, 28 November, European Economic and Social Committee

Currently one can observe a severe increase of inequalities in Europe: more than 120 million people are living in poverty or are threatened to fall into poverty and 14 million young Europeans are not in employment, education and training (NEETs). In order to diminish inequalities and to promote the well-being of our society at large, the inner potential of communities has to be unlocked. The promotion of Learning Societies in which each member’s personal contribution is being utilised, and knowledge, skills and competences are both shared and developed has to be at the core of this endeavour.

SOLIDAR and CEMEA invited education and training practitioners, social service providers, representaties of EU Institutions and researchers to discuss how recognition and validation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes can be better integrated into policy strategies on national and European levels.