Community Education

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Our approach to learning in Cork Education & Training Board’s Adult Education Service comprises both the formal and the informal. Traditionally, the Irish education system has produced passive listeners rather than critical thinkers. Our own ethos here is for inclusive, participative learning where the learner is active. We hope that such learning will give rise to a more meaningful experience for both the learner and the tutor. We focus on the individual. We are flexible.

Our Service will accompany its learners through each stage of development. We monitor the needs of individuals and communities in endeavouring to create a more inclusive society. Community learning can also be outside the formal education sector and not seek certification. It aims to enhance learning and empower people who will contribute to society. It is a distinctive element of the adult education sector in Ireland and has the capacity to reach marginalized people in disadvantaged communities.

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Learners’ Perspectives

Two of our learners have shared their stories in the films below and they give an insight into what Community Education is about. These are just two learners stories but they highlight the valuable work that is being done in Community Education in transforming people’s lives for the better.

Bernie Kennedy attended an Upholstery course in the Q Centre in Mallow and went on to set up her own business. Her participation in this course enabled her to fulfil her dream of working in an area that she is passionate about.

Johnny McGrath attended a Creative Writing class in The Lantern Project in Cork City. In his film he tells he speaks very honestly and openly about the difficulties in his life and how his involvement with the Lantern Project and participation in the Creative Writing classes has helped him to transform his life.

The films were shot and were produced by the talented photographer and film maker Damian Drohan.

The production of these films, which we hope are just the first two of many, was part funded by the AONTAS as the National Coordinator for the implementation of the European Agenda for Adult Learning(EAAL) as part of a national promotional strategy funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme.