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The first LLLP Days will bring together education and training stakeholders for three events: the Lifelong Learning Lab , the Inclusion Box (iBOX) trainings for CSOs and LLLP's General Assembly from 17 to 19 June in Brussels. How to register for the LLLP Days Before registering to any of the events take into consideration the following details: The Lifelong Learning Lab 2024 will take place on 17 June at the European Parliament Visitor Centre Zweig in partnership with the European Parliament and visitbrussels . The LLLAB is open to all (LLLP members and externals) but participants must pay a fee which is a small contribution to the costs induced by the organisation of the event (catering, communication, etc). The fee for LLLP members is 50€ . The fee for non-LLLP members/externals is 100€ . If you are a student, get in touch with us at communication@lllplatform.eu for a free entry coupon! Take a look at the agenda of the LLLAB and save your spot here ! The iBOX (Inclusion Box) trainings for Civil Society Organisations will take place on 18 June also at the European Parliament Visitor Centre Zweig in partnership with the European Parliament and visitbrussels . The trainings are entirely free and open to all! Review the topics of the training modules and register here . If you wish only to attend the iBOX trainings select the "Everyone else" ticket and insert the following coupon on the right column: IBOXTRAINING. LLLP's General Assembly will gather members on 19 June at Ateliers 29 and it is free but only open for LLLP members . Members that are only attending the General Assembly can register here and select the "Everyone else" ticket and insert the following coupon on the right column: LLLPGA2024. Have any questions? Send us an email to communication@lllplatform.eu !

The European Commission published the results of the evaluation of two key EU initiatives: the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and the Europass framework. These tool have become daily companions to learners and workers and came to life to support the recognition of their studies, knowledge, and skills (including transversal skills). Now, the evaluation processes took stock of the achievements of the two initiatives as well as of lessons learned, paving the way for future improvements. European Qualifications Framework What is the European Qualification Framework? The EQF is "a translation tool to make national qualifications easier to understand and more comparable" as it seeks to harmonised different levels across EU Member States. The EQF aims to improve the transparency, comparability and portability of qualifications and to facilitate lifelong learning. It aims to contribute to the modernisation of education and training systems and increase in employability, mobility and social integration of workers and learners. As such, focuses strongly on formal education settings - which are, by nature, easier to compare. Harmonisation (or progress towards it) outside of the formal sectors has been sketchy. The evaluation pointed at the EQF as a strong tool, which delivered good results. and the progress achieved corresponds to what was expected, even if further efforts are needed in some areas. For instance, consulted citizens, local and national authorities are three times more likely to expect a qualification from the formal domain to be recognised in another country, compared to qualification awarded outside the formal system. Europass evaluation Europass is one of the 12 actions of the 2020 European Skills Agenda, which aims to help individuals and businesses develop more and better skills to support upskilling and reskilling. The new platform was launched in July 2020. Europass is seen as a valuable one-stop-shop bringing together skills, qualifications and labour market mobility tools. It is most popular with young users at the early stages of their careers. The potential of Europass can be further increased by providing more information on qualifications and learning opportunities as well as information in the areas of career guidance, validation opportunities and recognition of qualifications with stronger links to national services. Europass has proven to be effective in facilitating mobility for work and study in the EU, as a solution to present knowledge, skills, and competences in a standardised format. This is because Europass offers tools, services, and information especially relevant to those seeking job and learning opportunities across borders. Further developments in data analysis and AI could support the provision of more tailored services to Europass users and unlock the platform’s potential to address skills and labour shortages. Want to read more? The following documents are now publicly available: European Qualifications Framework evaluation – Staff Working Document evaluation (EN); Executive Summary (EN, DE, FR); External independent supporting study (EN). Europass evaluation – Report to the European Parliament and the Council (available in all EU languages), the accompanying Staff Working Document (EN), External independent supporting study (EN);

Mark your calendar for the first LLLP Days on 17, 18 and 19 June! 17 June: the 2024 edition of the Lifelong Learning Lab – National Training for Education Stakeholders will take place in Brussels, where education stakeholders from European and Belgian contexts will come together to stir the new generation of cooperation in education and training. 18 June: the iBOX (Inclusion Box) trainings will include 3 sessions on the following topics: participation and access gap, inclusion and diversity gap and digital divide gap. 19 June: LLLP's 2024 General Assembly will gather LLLP members to discuss some key strategic development in the LLLPlatform, including its advocacy strategy and the potential revision of membership criteria. Members will also elect three Steering Committee representatives. The LLLP Days will take place at the European Parliament Visitor Centre Zweig in partnership with visit.brussels and the European Parliament. Stay tuned for the launch of the registrations!

During the first edition of the Civil Society Week on 4-7 March organised by the European Economic and Social Committee over 800 representatives from civil society gathered under the #RiseForDemocracy theme to discuss a wide range of topics from misinformation, artificial intelligence, EU elections and polarisation. On 7 March, the Lifelong Learning Platform alongside the Evens Foundation , the Philea – Philanthropy Europe Association , the Learning for Well-being Foundation , Re-Imagine Europa and the EESC’s Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC), co-organised an interactive session on “Education to Tackle Polarisation and Enhance Democracy” where participants reflected on four topics: How to change classrooms in terms of climate, activities, environments, etc. to support democratic dialogue rather than polarised thinking (school practices) How to change narratives that drive to polarised thinking in the educational formal setting (schools staff together with school stakeholders) How to change the educational system to allow education tackling polarisation (political level) How to change narratives in the community to decrease polarisation and enhance democratic dialogues ( non- formal and informal educational settings)   The main takeaways of the Civil Society Week and messages from the participants to EU leaders can be reviewed here .

The 2024 General Assembly will take place on 19 June 2024, in Brussels. Members of LLLP will convene to discuss some key strategic development in the LLLPlatform, including its advocacy strategy and the potential revision of membership criteria. As usual, members will also elect three representatives of the Steering Committee, as three other finish their mandate. Crucially, they will also nominate a new President for the mandate of Elisa Gambardella, current President, will come to an end. The General Assembly is a milestone in an association live, and this year it will take place back to back with two other important event: the Lifelong Learning Lab (17 June) and the annual training for members (18 June). Save the dates!

Teachers of Europe is a podcast by the European School Education Platform , created to support practicing teachers across Europe in addressing common classroom challenges, featuring teachers that can inspire others to follow their footsteps. Listen to the episodes here .

On 4 and 5 March, LLLP participated in the European Conference for Just Transition organised by the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU. The event explored the social divides in Europe and a key conundrum for achieving a just transition: public support for social and climate policies follow these social divides. EU institutions need to face the reality that environmental and social policies tend to have different support bases and that this situation will only worsen if Member States choose a pathway of austerity and force citizens to compete over public resources. LLLP welcomes the approach of Minister Khattabi of including a cross-sectoral representation from civil society as part of the Conference. Despite the constraints of the ministerial configuration, it is very encouraging to see the Belgian presidency taking crucial steps in implementing a true whole-of-government approach, especially on such a transversal area as Just Transition which requires it the most. Only by developing strong education and training systems as a whole, we ensure education does not become another cause of inequalities and resentment from citizens who we want to bring on board; when it should be the opposite. It would be a risk to only focus on upskilling and reskilling, as it would endanger education becoming a short term tool to close patches when it should be a foundation for achieving a just transition to sustainable and resilient societies. Support for upskilling and reskilling has to go hand in hand with ensuring education and training, from cradle to grave, remains a public good.

The EU-funded project COMANITY has been running since 2017 helping to improve the skills of youth workers to reach disadvantaged youth in local communities. LLLP is in charge of the organisation of its final conference where a policy round table will bring together the views of the different European institutions with the presence of MEP Kostas Arvanitis and Head of Unit at DG EAC, Florencia Van Houdt, along with civil society and other European stakeholders. One out of every six young Europeans are neither employed nor following formal education and training, youngsters with migrant background are more likely to struggle in attaining in our educational systems and those young people not involved in civic participation are often too difficult to reach by youth services. COMANITY stands on the side of youth workers to tackle all these challenges by developing the role of the Community Animateur and providing them with materials and assistance to enhance their emotional intelligence, digital and specific community competences. During the conference, participants will learn which efforts are being done by very different stakeholders to empower youth and will hear examples of successful stories on this matter. Youth workers will share their stories, a band from Greece will delight us with live music in the reception after the conference and the open agenda format will make the event as unique and participatory as it can get. How are the youth workers of the future? What skills do they need to address the challenges they will face? Join us on 13 November at Mundo-B (Rue d’Edimbourg 26, Ixelles, 1050) and have your say, help shaping the next generation of Community Animateurs! Find here the agenda, and much more in the conference website! >>> REGISTER HERE <<<

During the LLLWeek17 Reception, the awardees of the LLLAwards 2017have been unveiled! Drum roll for the LLLAwards! And the winners for the 2017 edition are… “Education and Innovative Pedagogy”:Historiana eLearning Environment by EUROCLIO, for its outstanding work in declining digital tools and empowerment of citizenship educators. “Education and Social Inclusion”: Learning Circles, by the Peer2Peer University andCentre for Research and Interdisciplinarity, for its efforts in bridging education and digital tools for all age groups. “Education and Democracy”: Youth e-Perspective on Migration by ALL DIGITAL, was awarded as best practice in “Education and Democracy”, thanks to the combination of interactive courses and the focus on migration and refugees. The LLLAwards 2018 will be launched shortly! Stay tuned on these pages for more information in the coming weeks Widget not in any sidebars The LLLAwards aim to celebrate outstanding initiatives in favour of pushing LLL policy forward, building inclusive societies and making lifelong learning a reality for all. The Awards celebrate educational practices from all over Europe that can demonstrate the use of creative and inclusive learning methods with outstanding results and the potential to be replicated and/or of inspiring others. The Award is not limited to a particular sector, since the Platform believes lifelong learning covers education and training across all ages and in all areas of life be it formal, non-formal or informal and shall enable citizens’ emancipation as a framework for personal development and well-being and citizens’ full participation in society in its civic, social and economic dimensions.

The meeting of the Lifelong Learning Interest Group on 1 December 2021, taking place online and chaired by MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen, was held under the theme “Funding Education for Wellbeing”. Well-being in adult learning is in the New European Agenda for Adult Learning Ema Perme, representative of the Slovenian Presidency, highlighted the recent adoption of the New European Agenda for Adult Learning as one of the most important achievements of the Slovenian Presidency. “Well-being will be one of the cornerstones in the work on adult education in the next decade.” She stressed that adult education in Europe is still very fragmented, but that it nevertheless has a central role in addressing megatrends such as demographic change, digitalisation and climate change. “We need to focus on the quality of adult education, raising awareness among all stakeholders and promoting inclusion and equal opportunities,” said Ms Perme. ‘Whole-government approach’ needed to boost investment into learning systems Dr Borhene Chakroun, Director for Lifelong Learning policies at UNESCO, said that citizens are facing a number of major transitions and uncertainties related to societal aspects. These include not only the green and digital transitions, but also demographic and economic changes, some of which are related to the current COVID-19 pandemic. “If we look at how education systems around the world are responding, we find that the resources allocated to education are less than 3% of GDP. We need a ‘whole-government approach’. The stimulus packages offer an opportunity to invest in education, let’s make sure that this is in line with the Paris Declaration. The Declaration on “A Global Call for Investing in the Futures of Education” aims to sustainably strengthen the financing of education systems to meet the challenges of the present and the future. “For well-being in and through education, we need to focus on three things: mobilisation of resources, equitable use of resources, and efficiency of use,” pointed out Dr Chakroun. Learning for well-being promotes public health Dorota Sienkiewicz looked at the debate from a public health perspective. Euro Health Net had analysed the national recovery and resilience plans and found that while biomedical research and disease management had taken centre stage in these funds, they did not pay sufficient attention to resilience aspects, such as using community care, primary care, etc. “Disease prevention still plays a minor role in public funding. There would be a lot of potential here, for example in digital health literacy, mental health literacy and social skills” and “this requires working across sectors.” MEP Sirpa Pietikainen stressed that we put too much emphasis on the individual and not enough on society. “We should really focus on people when we think about what causes health inequalities.” Focusing on technology and pharmaceutical solutions in the current crisis does not meet people’s needs, and “we need lifelong learning that promotes equity, sustainability and social well-being.” Learning is primarily a social-relational enterprise The results of the latest Survey on Social and Emotional Skills go in the same direction and highlight that the mindset we develop is the best predictor of learning success. Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills, said that “Learning is not a transactional enterprise, but primarily a social-relational one. The decline in social and emotional skills between 10- and 15-year-olds found in the survey is a sign that education systems are robbing students of their motivation to learn, creativity and curiosity. This gap widens with age”. It is also clear that art activities can enhance students’ curiosity and creativity, as well as their well-being and that positive interactions lead to better outcomes. Interestingly, the pressure placed on students by learning environments, teachers or parents is not the only predictor of student well-being. On the contrary, we can find high levels of well-being among students in highly competitive learning environments. It is the quality of relationships within the school that determines well-being. “The distinction between curricular and extra-curricular activities is a thing of the past”. Integrating different learning spaces is a good solution, especially in a situation where we see a trend towards commodification of education. In recent years, we have increasingly narrowed teaching and taken away many tasks from teachers that actually make teaching fulfilling. We need to return to a ‘whole of society approach’ to education. Demand for quality of learning and targeted funding The speakers agreed that several factors are needed to promote well-being in lifelong learning. Stable funding seems a necessity in this scenario, especially when it comes to education for vulnerable groups and non-formal adult learning in particular. Public funds need to be focused on those most in need of developing their skills and abilities. On this topic, civil society organisations are encouraged to take lifelong learning to where people are: participation in lifelong learning tend to increase where this happens. “If we don’t learn, we don’t exist.” Including all in European lifelong learning MEP Radka Maxová closed the debate with a plea for better access to education, but also for stronger exchange and networking at European level on good practices. “Everyone regardless of socioeconomic background should be provided with good quality education. For this, we need collaboration and open dialogue at the EU level. The EU should foster the exchange of good practices as well as promote investment in technologies.” Susana Oliveira, Vice-President of the Lifelong Learning Platform, concluded the session highlighting that learners should be seen as agents of change. We need to address the fragmentation of lifelong learning in Europe while embracing the diversity of the lifelong learning landscape. “Let’s use the momentum created by the launch of the New European Agenda for Adult Learning and make sense of the tools we already have.” Initiated by the European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) and by the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) together with a number of MEPs, the European Parliament’s Interest Group on Lifelong Learning brings together civil society representatives and MEPs to discuss key issues connected to lifelong learning with strong emphasis on adult education. Sirpa Pietikäinen (EPP, Finland) serves as the Chair of the Interest Group, supported by Vice-Chair Dace Melbarde (ECR, Latvia).

The Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP), in cooperation with Springer’s International Handbook of Lifelong Learning , launches a new series of webinars to present cutting-edge research on lifelong learning to an interested audience. In a compact format, individual research findings and critical reflections on burning issues, such as the ecology of lifelong-lifewide learning for sustainable generative futures or learning for climate justice will be presented and discussed in the focus of social/political and the economic.   The first webinar will take place on 23 May, and will include a talk with the main editor of the handbook in addition to a research keynote. Stay tuned for when registrations open!

The Lifelong Learning Platform is part of the 200 civil society organisations that have endorsed the manifesto for better civic space and civil dialogue all over Europe in the context of the upcoming EU Elections. The Civil Society for EU: Unlock the potential of EU democracy is a campaign coordinated by the Social Platform and Civil Society Europe that aims at strengthening civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders and protecting them from attacks in key areas. You can find out more about the campaign in the Civil Society for EU website , the endorse the manifesto here and get in touch with the campaign coordinator Riccardo Rossella at riccardo.rossella@civilsocietyeurope.eu .