Power and joy at the core of EAEA’s new Manifesto for Adult Learning

“The manifesto tells policy makers: Listen, this is what we can do. Adult education is not one small area, but a holistic way of learning and supporting people and communities,” says Gina Ebner, Secretary General of the EAEA.

The Manifesto for Adult Learning developed by the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) has been updated. The new EAEA manifesto was introduced in June 2024. Whereas the joy of learning and the power to change lives remain at its core, the contents of the new manifesto have been adapted to changes in the environment.

“In the last three to five years, a lot of things have happened. We had the Covid crisis, and we have had an increase in conflicts and war situations in and around Europe,” lists Gina Ebner, Secretary General of the EAEA. “A lot has happened, and we have tried to take recent developments into account.”

For example, specific paragraphs in the manifesto discuss artificial intelligence, and more attention has been given to peace as well as to environmental sustainability and the green transition. In addition, new themes in the manifesto are resilience, inclusion, empowerment and social justice.

With the new manifesto, EAEA wants to demonstrate to policy makers and the public that adult education isn’t just one small area, but rather plays an important role in many areas of people’s lives, in many policy areas and in areas of importance for Europe and beyond Europe.

“Looking at sustainability or the green transition, if we don’t have the knowledge, the skills and the willingness to learn how to manage that, we can’t change anything,” says Ebner.

The manifesto comes out at a crucial time.

“We’ve just had the European elections, and we have the next generation of MEPs coming to Brussels. There will also be new decision-makers in the Commission,” Ebner notes.

“With the manifesto, we have the opportunity to introduce ourselves, to meet them and to say, listen, this is what adult education can do. It’s not just one small area; it is a very holistic, comprehensive way of learning, of supporting people and communities, the economy, society and people’s participation.”

The interview was conducted at the EAEA conference in Helsinki in June 2024.

To explore further, view the videos related to this article:

In video 1, Gina Ebner talks about the biggest changes in the new Manifesto for Adult Learning.

In video 2, Gina Ebner explores the role of the new Manifesto for Adult Learning.

In video 3, Gina Ebner discusses the concrete results aimed to be achieved with the new Manifesto for Adult Learning.

Read more:

https://eaea.org/our-work/influencing-policy/manifesto-for-adult-learning-in-the-21st-century/