Hold an Event
Hold an event
The Adult Learners' Festival has become a firm fixture on the adult learning calendar with events taking place nationwide. Now in its fourth year the theme of the festival is "BETTER TOGETHER". The Festival will showcase collaborative practice amongst stakeholders in the sector and will also highlight the role of adult and community education in combating poverty and social exclusion as part of the 2010 European Year. As the public appetite for learning continues to grow, we need to ensure that providers can cope with the demand for learning. Whether you are part of a large national organisation or a small adult learning initiative, your participation will make the festival a nationwide success. In these ever increasing challenging times it is vital that the profile of adult and community education is raised so that the current infrastructure is maintained.
How can you benefit from holding an Adult Learners' Festival event?
Who should organise an Adult Learners' Festival event?
Visit our useful resources section!
How can you benefit from holding an Adult Learners' Festival event?
The Adult Learners' Festival offers you the chance to do something different and make a difference in your community or workplace. By holding an Adult Learners' Festival event or activity, you could:
- Promote existing training opportunities in your area, or launch new initiatives
- Highlight your organization's commitment to adult learning
- Signpost the local community to further learning opportunities
- Highlight the importance of lifelong learning to public representatives
- Try out innovative new ideas
- Build new partnerships or strengthen existing ones
- Develop new areas of work
- Attract new learners to your organisation
Who should organise an Adult Learners' Festival event?
- Adult Education Guidance Service
- Area Based Partnerships
- Small, medium and large Businesses
- Chambers of Commerce
- Community Development Projects
- Community Education Groups
- Cultural Centres and Heritage Institutes
- FÁS Projects and Training Centres
- Family Resource Centre
- Libraries
- Local Employment Services
- Museums and Galleries
- National Organisations
- Prisoner Education Projects
- Senior Traveller
- Training Centre Skillnets
- Students Unions
- Trade Unions
- Universities, IT's and Colleges
- Vocational Education Committees
- VTOS Centre
- Youthreach Centre
Where to start...
Here are a couple of tips to make sure you have activities that get your learners
interacting and having fun
- Ask your target audience what they are interested in beforehand. If possible involve one or more people from your target audience in your planning group
- Incorporate a crowd puller. Some activities always prove to be popular, such as coffee mornings, cooking skills or taster classes. These can be used to attract people, who may then return to learning
- Take your event to your audience. This could include shopping centres, sports halls or libraries. People prefer to take part in events where they feel comfortable and which are 'everyday' venues. Outreach programmes are a good way to start a relationship that could have them stepping through the doors of your venue at a later point.
- For events ideas please click here
What can AONTAS do for you?
- AONTAS will feature festival activities / events in the E-bulletin and in local and national press releases
- The AONTAS Communications Officer is on hand to answer all promotion and public relations questions from writing a press release to interview tips. For tips on promoting your event, please click here
- AONTAS will add your event to the festival website http://www.adultlearnersfestival.com/yourarea/county.html
- AONTAS can provide you a free information booklet on how to return to learning
- AONTAS will help promote your organisation in our promotional work
