The 9th edition of the LLLWeek tackled the burning topic of “Learning Democracy, Values and Participation”, and took stock of the EU Elections in May 2019. MEP Dace Melbarde was the host of the LLLWeek, and we organised 15 debates on the most various topics: from citizenship education to students’ rights, from career guidance to adult learning and education, from validation and volunteering to global citizenship education. We are proud to say that we brought together learners and educators, field workers and policy-makers, researchers and political representatives, and gave us all the opportunity to discuss today’s greatest educational challenges.

This publication aims to present the outcomes of the exchanges that took place within our platform in 2010-2011. It includes policy recommendations as well as some very concrete initiatives taking place around Europe that ought to be better known, shared and supported. 39 good practice examples from the different sectors of education and training are thus presented under each priority action in order to illustrate concrete ways forward.

AR17 The Lifelong Learning Platform is happy to announce that our Activity Report for the year 2017 is finally out! “2017 has been a year of momentum: full of challenges and opportunities for the Lifelong Learning Platform, its members, partners, and Europe at large. We celebrated 60 years of the European Union, the proclamation of the of European Pillar of Social Rights, 30 years of Erasmus, and to conclude the year the European Education Area was announced”. Annual Conference, LLLWeek, “Reimagining education in a digital world, a lot has happened: relive the year with us!

In the autumn 2011, the LLLPlatform conducted a survey and feasibility study on National Stakeholders’ Forums, on the model of the European Stakeholders’ Forum organised every year in partnership with the European Commission. Those Forums would be the tools to implement a genuine cooperation between different kinds of stakeholders and educational sectors, and perhaps consultation mechanisms with decision-makers of all levels on European lifelong learning strategies and policies.

The “well-being” dimension of learning is becoming key in today’s society. In partnership with the Educational Disadvantage Centre, Institute of Education, Dublin City University and Cedefop, the LLLPlatform has addressed the key issue of Community Lifelong Learning Centres as hubs for the blooming of a true lifelong learning approach in our societies. We analysed the current policy context and built on the latest recommendations to advocate for the “learning for well-being” paradigm and to call for coordinated action at EU level to support Member States.

The LLLPlatform believes monitoring the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme is of crucial importance to verify that application procedures are as user-friendly as possible and to assess how the programme can be improved for an even better experience from next year on. Following the 2014 success, the Platform reconducted its Erasmus+ Implementation Survey in 2015, gathering close to 300 answers from across Europe (the survey was available in EN, FR, ES and DE). The survey closed mid-September, results have been compiled, and the Platform presented the results on 30 November, as opening event to the LLL Week 2015.

The LLLWeek2015 was the opportunity for the LLLPlatform to launch its new Manifesto on Building the future of learning in Europe. “A humanistic and holistic approach of learning, from cradle to grave, is of continued relevance in today’s world and a viable foundation for the rethinking of education in knowledge intensive societies.” After the launch of its new visual identity and name in the context of its 10th anniversary, the Lifelong Learning Platform is proud to share its political Manifesto. Fed by all its members during a one-year consultation process, it is a call to policy-makers and educational actors from all over Europe to take action to make lifelong learning a reality for all!

The Erasmus+ Survey 2017 is launched! The LLLPlatform makes an annual review of the Erasmus+ programme implementation and shares its results with policy-makers to enhance the application process and the content of the programme. This survey is conducted by the Platform to evaluate how beneficiaries (like you) have experienced the past round of applications of the Erasmus+ programme: what do you think of Erasmus+? Are you satisfied with its new features? What problems did you encounter? What suggestions for improvement would you make? The survey is available in English, and answering should not take more than 5 to 10 minutes of your time, but it will contribute greatly to improve the programme! Deadline to reply is 30 June 2017. Results will be presented at launch of the LLLWeek2017, in November 2017.

The 8th edition of the LLLWeek tackled the burning topic of “Lifelong Learning Culture – A partnership for rethinking education”. MEP Jill Evans was the host of the LLLWeek, and we organised 10 debates on the most various topics: from citizenship education to access to culture, from validation and volunteering to consumer education. We are proud to say that we brought together learners and educators, field workers and policy-makers, researchers and political representatives, and gave us all the opportunity to discuss today’s greatest educational challenges.

Aligning with the most important and burning topics of the year, the 10th edition of the Lifelong Learning Week addressed “Lifelong Learning for Sustainable Societies”. The reflection, carried out online, involved dozens of policy-makers (including Members of the European Parliament, representatives of the European Commission and of the Council Presidency) as well as the organised civil society, whose contribution to the definition of European policies remain indispensable. The events and workshops organised during the LLLWeek represent both the culmination of LLLP’s stances on the matter, and the beginning of a new awareness on the role of education and training in sustainability.

The LLLP Activity Report for 2019 is out! With so many things in Europe, 2019 has been a year full of opportunities and challenges for civil society and for the field of education, especially around the EU Elections in May. We ran our activities with the polar star of “Learning democracy”, and explored its many facets. Read through our events, policy statements, partnerships, EU-funded projects, and all the many ways in which we seek to increase the relevance of lifelong learning, education and training in our societies!

The LLLWeek17 was a wonderful ride! We hosted debates around the need to transform our learning systems into something closer to a society based on Industry 4.0 (and the proposed model is indeed “Information 4.0”). We have seen digital project related to helping teachers and volunteers with their daily work (D-Clics numérique, by La ligue de l’enseignement), but also alternative approaches to the digital world, such as the “De-Google” workshop held by Ficemea and Framasoft. A full-immersion in the education tools to keep up with the digital revolution!