EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

Back in my days as a student, I suddenly had this incredible urge to participate in international student exchange. I kept thinking, “If I don’t go now, I may never have an opportunity like this again.” The potential destinations ranged from Oxford to a village in the mountains of Nicaragua, but I finally ended up visiting one of our Nordic neighbours: Roskilde, Denmark. The experience was very important to me and left me with the hope that, after graduation, my career would also include opportunities for international activities.

The many dimensions of adult education

There have been opportunities, thanks to a wise employer and the internationalisation options of the Erasmus+ programme. In September, I got to spend a week in Brussels in the Younger Staff in Adult Education training where about ten future professionals of adult education delved into themes that are topical to all of us. At the moment, European adult education is strongly connected by the enhancement of adults’ digital and basic skills as well as language and integration training, among other things. In addition, we learned about the individuality and emphases of each country in the field of adult education and shared functional policies.

The high-quality course had been structured ingeniously from a pedagogic standpoint and was implemented by the EAEA, a European cooperation association for non-formal adult education. Its headquarters are located in Brussels, offering the participants a great opportunity to also learn about the European Parliament and the significance and promotion of adult education at the EU level. Participating in the training was enabled by the project on European expertise on education as support for the civic society by three study centres: KSL, Sivis and the Citizen’s Forum. Its purpose is to improve the pedagogic skills and international networks of professionals operating in organisational liberal adult education. 

Finding fresh viewpoints and dusting off mental cobwebs

I have personally found learning and education in an international environment meaningful because it is such a comprehensive and intensive experience. Functioning in a new environment with new friends, often in a language other than Finnish. It is a breath of fresh air in your everyday work routines and, at its best, it can make you discover new types of professional challenges and development needs in your own work. It is such a wonderful resource to be able to learn how different countries have successfully solved the same challenges that you are facing in your own work. On the other hand, international encounters help you see what is good about your work, something that is easy to forget in the rush of everyday life. As a phenomenon, I found it interesting and surprising that the week in Brussels helped me better understand and perceive the Finnish adult education system. At an everyday level, we rarely think about the considerable share of our adult population the system is able to reach and how many options it offers to such a diverse range of learners.

In adult education, internationalisation is perhaps not yet seen as an opportunity as extensively as in higher education, for example, but there are various options for intercultural learning in our field as well. In addition to professional work and training, various types of volunteer work in an international environment are available to participants of all ages. I warmly and gladly encourage you to set off on a brief or perhaps even longer journey of learning in a new environment. The friends and colleagues you meet in international activities and the opportunities of surpassing yourself are the type of social and cultural wealth that will give you strength even years from now.

Minna Lepistö,
Education Coordinator, Citizen’s Forum study centre

This article is part of a series of articles about learning experiences in the field of adult education in an European context. Our ERASMUS+ KA1 project is called “European Educational Know-how Supporting Civil Society”.