Context is relational While we may attempt to gain a better understanding of con- text, we can often see context from a perspective, either in- fluenced by the specific objective of the workshop and/or the profile of the participants. It is important to remind ourselves of how context is very much complex and interconnected. So, one cannot simply identify a specific concept or skill that needs to be learned without situating this within the larger purpose for learning. For example, many of us have been engaged in some form of economic livelihood training as a poverty alleviation intervention. One of the most common ones that I have come across has been with regard to handicraft production, like basket weaving, often in the context of creating locally-made souvenirs for tourists. However, one soon realises that intro- ducing local handicrafts that rely on the use of local resources needs to be accompanied with an appreciation of how these local resources are limited. Therefore, a rush to collect raw materials, like leaves, for basket weaving, may in fact result in short-term livelihood gains, but can, if not well-managed, cause long-term damage to the environment. While as an adult educator we can include a discussion of the need to sustain the source of raw materials, it is eventually neces- sary to develop a more holistic approach to local livelihoods that will require the involvement of different key players in the local community, recognising the need for the different skills involved, from the planting and harvesting of the raw materi- als, the design and production of the product, to the market- ing of the baskets. One might argue, is that still the respon- sibility of the adult educator? If the overall objective was to ensure a sustainable livelihood, then we need not only to provide the knowledge and the skills, but also to recognise that we need to work with others if our adult education work is to become effective and sustainable. I would argue that this is central to the “new professionalism”. “ And just when you thought you had got it – the perfect training design – ready to write it up into a manual and scale it up, you discover that the only constant is that context changes.” It is therefore not sufficient for us as adult educators to un- derstand and engage with context in designing learning pro- grammes, but it is as important, if not more important, to also facilitate an appreciation of the interconnected reality of context for learners in order to enable them to effectively optimise this new knowledge or skill. Therefore, another key capacity of a professional adult educator, as Paulo Freire (1985) said, is that it isn’t enough to “read the word”, we want our learners to be able to “read the world”. Furthermore, I would argue that it is not only about un- derstanding the interconnected nature of context, but it is just as much about how, as adult educators, we have a re- sponsibility to facilitate the interconnections between the dif- ferent key players. I was involved as one of the facilitators in the design and implementation of the Curriculum globALE in Laos (see Gartenschlaeger et al., in this issue). As the ar- ticle will illustrate, it was only through our attempts to ensure that our participants were going to continue to be supported after the 18-month-long training was completed that we were able to identify and nurture partnerships between different key players at local and regional levels and across different sectors of government, academia and civil society. Therefore, we don’t just “read the word”, or “read the world”, we help to shape the world. Context is dynamic And just when you thought you had got it – the perfect training design – ready to write it up into a manual and scale it up, you discover that the only constant is that context changes. In fact, it must change if we are to be truly effective in our adult educa- tion practice – because while we argued that context shapes practice, I will also argue that effective practice changes con- text. It is this dynamic reality that we need to not just recognise, but in fact embrace. As Freire (1985: 18) himself argued, “We can go further, however, and say that reading the word is not only preceded by reading the world, but also by a certain form of writing it or rewriting it. In other words, of transforming it by means of conscious practical action.” Therefore, it isn’t enough for the professional adult edu- cator to read and respond to the interrelated and dynamic nature of context; it is also important for us to be aware of how we ourselves can be or are changed by context. Robert Chambers (2017: 163) has identified reflexivity, or “critical reflection on how we form and frame our knowledges” as a key capacity of the “new professional”. He argued that “Rapid change demands rapid learning and adaptation and, as noted earlier, being alert, nimble, in touch, and up to date. There is more to this than just learning. Rapid change also implies rapid unlearning and learning.” (Chambers 2017: 163) Similarly, Egetenmeyer et al. (2019: 20) have affirmed that adult and community education “providers do not only respond to societal developments, they are also active mem- bers and shapers of societies”. Therefore, our curriculum is not just based on life, but it can potentially transform lives, and our classrooms can potentially be found in all places where people gather, whether it be to work, play, worship or socialise. What this “new professionalism” model further emphasises is how our very institutions are not just deliver- ing adult and community education, but that we have a role to play in the transformation of our own institutions to ensure that they are, like us as individual adult and community edu- cators, committed to professional practice. Advocacy and the global development context Finally, as adult educators, we find ourselves responding to the current global challenges and aspirations of the UN Sus- 14 Adult Education and Development