Join us for the final event of the Tale Erasmus+ project, which has connected adult education organisations with learners, communities, and grassroots initiatives—including social movements and green activists—to explore how we can advance the green transition.
At the event, you will hear about collaboration pilots between adult education organisations and grassroots initiatives carried out in six different countries. We will delve into questions such as:
- What kind of learning is needed to create a sustainable future?
- How can people be encouraged to act alone or together for the benefit of the environment?
- What could adult education learn from environmental activists or grassroots citizen movements?
Agenda
- 9:00 (CEST) Welcome. Lauri Tuomi, CEO, Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation
- 9:05 Key lessons learnt in the Tale project. Sari Pohjola, Finnish Lifelong Learning Foundation
- 9.15 Collaboration pilots between adult education organisations and grassroots initiatives. Presentation of two experiences from Finland and Germany:
- Diversifying participation – insights from Kivikko forest events. Mira Grönroos, Kivikko Forest Protection Network
- Civic engagement and adult education – experiences from Groß-Gerau. Philip Smets, German Adult Education Association (DVV) & Bettina Krauss, adult education centre (kvhs) Groß-Gerau
- Discussion
- 10:00 Policy recommendations created in the project, Ricarda Motschilnig, International Council for Adult Education (ICAE)
- 10:10 What kind of learning is needed to create a sustainable future? How can we facilitate transformative learning experiences that inspire changes in values, behaviors, and lifestyles?
- Dialogue between Fergal Finnegan, Associate Professor at the Department of Adult and Community Education, Maynooth, National University of Ireland and Sanna Iranta, Community Manager at Jalotus NGO. Facilitated by Laura Kaestele, European Network for Community-Led Initiatives (ECOLISE).
- 10:55 Closing words. Tina Mavrich, European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA)
Register for the event by 21st October
Read more on the Transformative Adult Learning for Green Transition project
Speakers
Sanna Iranta
Sanna Iranta is a sociologist working as a Community Manager in Jalotus, a NGO which operates locally and nationally in Finland and in global networks to promote a sustainable lifestyle. During the past 15 years Sanna has worked in several projects which promote participation, inclusion and voluntary work in communes and NGOs. Sanna has also experience in adult education, facilitation and pedagogy. Sanna is especially interested in inclusion: how people from various stages of life and with different abilities and backgrounds can feel they are a part of a sustainable community and transition.
Fergal Finnegan
Fergal Finnegan is a senior lecturer at the Department of Adult and Community Education, Maynooth, National University of Ireland. He is one of the editors of the Journal of Transformative Education and of The European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults. He is also an active member of the European Society of Research on Education of Adults (ESREA). Fergal worked in literacy and community adult education before becoming an academic, and these experiences had a lasting impact on him. He has a longstanding interest in equality, democracy and education and at the moment is working on an international popular education initiative, the Movement Learning Catalyst which seeks to link issues of social and environmental sustainability. His publications include the books Access and Widening Participation in Irish Higher Education, Doing Critical and Creative Research in Adult Education and European Perspectives on Transformation Theory. He is currently editing a special issue on sustainability for the European Journal for Research on the Education and Learning of Adults.
Laura Kaestele
Laura Kaestele is a network weaver, designer, grower, project manager, and facilitator in integrative design, ecological regeneration, community and organisational development, permaculture, and holistic living with 12+ years of practical experience. She currently works at ECOLISE - European Network for Community-Led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability. She has supported various networks, non-profits, sustainable communities, eco-projects, and regenerative farms around Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Central America to connect, synergize, and take transformative action for regeneration. Laura holds an MSc in Regenerative Development and a BSc in Integrative Ecosocial Design from Gaia University, along with Permaculture and Ecovillage Design certificates as well as participatory leadership, facilitation, coaching, and sustainability education training.
Philip Smets
Philip Smets is specialist in education for sustainable development at the German Adult Education Association. He is responsible for the Tale project and represents the DVV in the National Platform for ESD at the Ministry of Education in Germany. After studying sociology and political science, he worked in the field of political youth education for several years.
Bettina Krauss
Bettina Krauß is Deputy Head of the "Society" department at the Adult Education Center (Kreisvolkshochschule) in Groß-Gerau, Deutschland. She studied Cultural Sciences at Leuphana University in Lüneburg and has worked as a freelance consultant in intercultural communication, media, and communications. Since 2015, she is part of the team of kvhs Groß-Gerau, where her work focuses on transformation processes and fostering political awareness in the dynamic fields of society and sustainable development (ESD).
Mira Grönroos
Mira Grönroos is a local activist and a researcher. She has been active in Kivikko Forest Network since its formation in 2021. Kivikko forest is a relatively large forest within Helsinki Capital Region. Construction projects have reduced the area of the forest in recent years, and new plans are threatening the existing forest. Kivikko Forest Network aims to influence decision-makers and to organize forest activities for local residents.
As a researcher, Grönroos studies how nature contact affects human microbiota, health and well-being and by what means these contacts can be increased. Thus, although Grönroos attended TALE project as an activist, her research interests are also related to the project’s goals.
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