Adult learning and education in the responsibility of local communities: A delegation from East and Southeast Europe as guests in Germany

About 30 guests met with German colleagues and exchange ideas about the topic “Adult learning and education (ALE) in the responsibility of local communities”.

The participants during their visit to Siegburg

From 23-25 September about 30 guests from partner countries in East and Southeast Europe accepted an invitation from DVV International to meet with their German colleagues and exchange ideas about the topic “Adult learning and education (ALE) in the responsibility of local communities”. The participants included deputy mayors and representatives from the business community, as well as from adult education and civil society from Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova and Ukraine. The programme included visits to the adult education centres in Bonn and Siegburg, in addition to a conference.

It all started with a one-day conference in Bonn on 23 September. Through presentations and discussions, the participants exchanged information and their thoughts about topics like the adult education system in Germany and the Learning Cities initiative from UNESCO. The representatives from German adult education centres (Volkshochschulen – vhs) and their colleagues from the six partner countries also outlined their experiences in shaping policy at the local level and in promoting inclusive local ALE programmes.

The conference attendees emphasised the meaningfulness of the exchange of information with their European colleagues in order to maintain a grip on the constant challenges presented by the ever-changing political and societal environment in Europe.

Further education as the key to implementing local development strategies

On the second day of their trip the guests arrived in the county capital of Siegburg to pay a visit to the vhs Rhein-Sieg – at the invitation of Mayor Stefan Rosemann – and experience the work being done there by the adult education centres in North-Rhein-Westphalia (NRW) and the support they get from the municipality and the state of NRW.

The delegation learned what functions the vhs Rhien-Sieg fulfils for its community and why further education is key to implementing local development strategies. This information was imparted in talks from Mayor Stefan Rosemann, Mayor Claudia Wieja of the Lohmar community association, as well as from Holger Hansen, head of the local vhs.

Heike Maschner, a representative from the ministry, and Celia Sokolowsky, chairperson of the vhs state association, travelled from Düsseldorf to talk with the group about the NRW further education law and the role played by the adult education centres in society.

On the third day, the international guests visited the adult learning centre in Bonn. Frau Gabriele Tillmanns, the director of the vhs, took them on a tour of the teaching facilities before a variety of topics – politics, science, internationality, foreign languages, careers, IT and the digital world – were presented by the relevant subject area heads and then discussed in Q&A sessions.

In a subsequent evaluation round, the delegates from the different countries shared their take-aways from the conference and the visits. They also assessed what actions could possibly be implemented in their communities or adult education centres, and how DVV International could support these processes in the future.

Celebratory reception in Bonn City Hall

A celebratory farewell reception for the group was held in the Bonn City Hall at the invitation of Representative and First Deputy Mayor Nicole Unterseh. In her speech she emphasised the importance of ALE for her city and thanked the guests for their interest and engagement with lifelong learning in their respective countries. In reply, Serhii Koreniev, Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv (Ukraine), and Xhenet Syka, the Culture Department head from the city of Peja (Kosovo), declared their thanks for the reception and the support, and spoke warmly in favour of future cooperation.

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