Development Education in Adult Learning

White Paper on Irish Aid

 

 

"Every person in Ireland will have access to educational opportunities to be aware of and understand their rights and responsibilities as global citizens and their potential to effect change for a more equal and just world."

 

What is Development Education?

 

 

We hear the word development in many contexts:

• personal development focuses on individual growth:
• community development enhances the life of the community:
• the National Development Plan aims to build our capacity as a nation.

 

Development education focuses on the global.

Development education aims to raise awareness about the situation in our world today where 20% of the population controls 80% of the world's wealth, opportunities and resources. Development education encourages us to consider what we can do to change this inequality. How can we, acting in our homes, workplaces, classrooms and communities, help to transform the Earth into a just world where all our global citizens are equally respected and valued?

 

What is the Clare DEAL Project?

The Clare DEAL Project is a one-year pilot project funded by Irish Aid. It was set up to integrate development education into adult learning programmes provided by Clare VEC Adult Education Sevice.

 

The Clare DEAL project aims to:

• encourage and support tutors to integrate development education topics into their course materials and lesson plans;
• design and pilot a module on Global citizenship;
• raise awareness of development education work in adult education through the project's website.