ALCN Helps to Grow Learning Communities
The Australian Learning Communities Network Inc (ALCN) is a national network of leading-edge practitioners building sustainable communities using learning as the key element.
Adult Learners’ Week – 1- 8 September 2021
Make sure you encourage members of your community to join events as part of Adult Learners’ Week.
Organisations who take part in Adult Learners Week include neighbourhood houses, community centres, libraries, training organisations, community colleges, employers, local councils, not for profit organisations, TAFE colleges and other adult education providers across all states and territories.
Adult Learners Week events and scholarship nominees are featured across social media platforms as part of a national campaign so it’s a great opportunity to highlight the work that these organisations do and the achievements of their learners.
This year eligible events include adult learning activities and programs run during 1–8 Sept that are virtual or face to face; one off or ongoing and low or no cost.
#ChangeYourStory
Melton Learning Festival – Postponed until November, 2021 10 – 17 September, 2021
The City of Melton Lifelong Learning Festival (LLF), organised and delivered by Melton City Council, is returning to the municipality in 2021 from September 10-17. Following a tumultuous year in 2020 for all, coupled with the postponement and pivot to a fully online 2020 celebration, we are excited to have the opportunity to showcase a smaller but higher quality program of free events to our community in 2021.
This annual event, now running for a 4th consecutive year, is a community wide celebration of the ongoing pursuit of knowledge where local lifelong learning opportunities are showcased, absolutely free. Following on from previous years, this year’s program features a mixed mode of face-to-face and online events for all ages, abilities and interests covering a range of topics.
If you would like to learn about the 2021 festival and spreads the word to your networks, you can do this by checking out our Facebook page, website and official festival poster.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MeltonLearning/
Website: https://meltonlearning.com.au/festival/
Poster: https://bit.ly/mllfposter2021
Wyndham Learning Festival – 1-5 September 2021
Planning is underway for the 6th Wyndham Learning Festival (WLF) scheduled for 1-5 September 2021. Building on the success of previous Festivals, this year’s Festival promises to be more diverse, and full of a variety of learning experiences sure to engage the Wyndham community and beyond. Following a challenging year for all in 2020, the 2021 Wyndham Learning Festival will feature a smaller, curated program ensuring that all members of the community find a learning event that interests them.
The annual Wyndham Learning Festival is a whole of community event that provides opportunities for FREE learning activities across the City of Wyndham. The festival has activities for all ages and interests, promoting lifelong learning for all and welcoming new events, sponsors and participants to reflect this diverse and dynamic learning community.
See the WLF website – https://www.wynlearnfestival.org.au/ for program information.
If you’re on LinkedIn, feel free to follow the Wyndham Learning Community page https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13977495/
You are also warmly invited to ‘like’ or follow the WLF Facebook page, so please check out our page and like it when you have time https://www.facebook.com/WynLearnFestival/
For more details contact Diane Tabbagh, Coordinator Learning Community diane.tabbagh@wyndham.vic.gov.au
Ripples August Newsletter
The Australian Learning Communities Network newsletter features a paper by Peter Kearns, AO, about Building Resilience in Turbulent Times with strategic planning suggestions for learning cities and learning communities; also Adult Learners Week, Learning Festivals, and Webinars on Workability.
The August issue is featured here, with past issues available here
Global Learning Festival – 8 -11 November 2021 – register your event
On behalf of the Global Learning Festival partners and co-leads, Melton City Council, Diane Tabbagh, Coordinator Learning Community, encourages you to plan your Global Learning Festival event and consider registering it soon. All events must be registered by 1 September 2021.
If you’re on LinkedIn, feel free to share or copy the GLF event https://www.linkedin.com/events/globallearningfestival6817678409746018304/
We would also invite you to ‘like’ or follow the GLF Facebook page, so please check out our page and like it when you have time https://www.facebook.com/Global-Learning-Festival-111052414017575
FEATURE STORY
Enable Social Enterprises – Renew Tech for Good Initiative
Hume Learning Community
Written by Julie Mckay, Founder and Director, Enable Australia
Since 2015, Enable have supported hundreds of people from disadvantaged backgrounds to connect with community, environment, and improve their prospects of employment through innovative work and learning programs.
Enable operate commercially in the Computer decommissioning and recycling, warehousing, fulfilment and storage and Online Retailing sectors with 100% of the profits from trade re-invested to operate and support a total of nine (9) work and learning stations to support participants with skill-building, confidence, and career decision-making.
FEATURE PAPER
Building Resilience for Turbulent Times
A key objective for learning communities
Written by Peter Kearns, AO
Communities and cities across Australia have been challenged by a series of critical disasters in recent years. These have ranged from bushfires, droughts, floods, to the current COVID 19 pandemic. These critical challenges have tested the resilience of communities, so that building resilience should now be seen as a priority objective for learning cities and communities.
Building resilience in a community enables a community to develop new relationships with broader partnerships that enhance awareness of potential dangers. This may be seen as what the Wyndham Learning City called “a new model of partnership with empathy” (Gomez, 2020:20)
What is a Learning Community?
A learning community is one that address its own learning needs through partnership. It uses the strengths of individual, social and institutional relationships across sectors to bring about cultural shifts in the perceptions of the value of learning. Learning communities explicitly use learning to enhance social, economic, cultural and environmental conditions on a sustainable, inclusive basis.
Image: Ballarat Work and Learning Centre receiving certificates for a cooking class.