In an editorial, Christoph Jost, Director of DVV International, reflects on new societal challenges and the approaches adult education must take to meet them.
In order to include the indigenous languages spoken in the Mexican state of Chiapas in educational activities, DVV International initiated a bilingual indigenous education model together with Mexican government partners in 2016. The training focuses on literacy, building communicative skills and teaching the right to lifelong learning.
In the last decade, at least in Europe, ALE was mainly understood as a service to improve people’s potential to get work and offer them some additional possibilities for basic education. DVV International and the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) initiated the BILDUNG project that intends to provide inspiring and forward-thinking concepts, ideas and good practices for the ALE sector.
Since 2005, DVV International Georgia has been engaged in the establishment of Adult Education Centres. The centres often represent the only opportunity for further education of the adults and the youth in the regions. They provide education and lifelong learning opportunities for all regardless of class, gender, education, age, religion, ideology or nationality.
South Africa faces a youth crisis of unemployment, poverty and a range of difficult living conditions that has the potential to fuel a state of youth apathy. Unfortunately, many unemployed young people who have dropped out of school do not have the confidence to go back into a formal learning environment. This is why DVV International South Africa in collaboration with its partner is promoting non-formal education programmes that are relevant to the learning needs of youth.
In a central Malian village, the members of a REFLECT circle have not only learned to read, write and do arithmetic, but have worked to keep their community together. In response to the increasing loss of agricultural land and the resulting tensions between the villagers, the circle decided to build a stone wall.