Last month there was a gathering of co-operative, educational and social enterprises in Cardiff sharing ideas for broadening adult education and learning with impacts designed to benefit the wider community.
We have set ourselves the task of promoting equality of wellbeing through adult and community learning in a collaboration across three sectors: adult and community learning, the co-op movement, and the third sector. Groups including Adult Learning Wales, Cartrefi Cymru, the Co-operative Group, Co-operative College, Wales Co-operative Centre, Drivers For Change, Co-ops and Mutuals Wales and Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
It may sound straightforward, but actually further work is needed so that for example we recognise positive impacts from education, which are not formally measured or accredited. Collective benefits could be more valuable than individual achievements and curriculum development must closer reflect a mapping of local community needs. So with some investigative research underway there will be another gathering of these groups to plan a way forward early in 2019.
