Concept (E-Journal)
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Train Tracks and Tailored Learning: Is this the end of the line for government funded community education?
Full text linkThe number of people participating in state funded ‘community learning’ has diminished over the last decade from a figure of 657,200 in 2013/14 to just 274, 090 in 2022/2023. Although there are many different interpretations of what community learning is, this article’s key concern is for learning being offered ‘in’ and ‘for’ local communities. From next year, at least from a UK government funding perspective, ‘Community Learning’ will be no more in England. From August 2024 the new term of ‘Tailored Learning’ will be adopted instead, despite having scant provenance within adult learning. Such a name change suggests a neo-liberal political ideology and strengthens the current argument that adult learning which is paid for by the state should be for employment purposes, or a steppingstone to employment only. Will the new term act as a marker of increased focus on meeting individual needs, or will learning be increasingly tailored to meet employer needs? It can of course be argued that ‘Tailored Learning’ will seek to achieve both ends but, even if this is the case, the pendulum may well have swung even further towards state-funded adult learning being the facilitator of a relationship between the individual and employers. With an election looming, ‘Tailored Learning’ could either be a short-lived or a long-term change. On the surface, a change of name and re-categorisation of purposes does not mean that adult learning cannot continue to take place ‘in’ and ‘for’ communities. However, it does take adult learning further along the tracks of ‘efficiency’ and ‘utility’ and is therefore worthy of continued critical debate
The Golden Thread: Strengthening Community Education professionals\u27 practice in Higher Education through Shared Principles and Values
Full text linkAbstract:
The community education team at the University of the West of Scotland engaged in a critical planning day that sparked rich dialogue and critical debate. This article reflects on the insights and evaluations from this session, aiming to unify the community of practice in higher education around core principles and values. The goal is to establish a consensus on these shared values and principles, supporting future co-production, scholarship, and the development of the programme at UWS.
Central to our identity are the shared values of social justice and human rights, aligning with both community education policy and the civic engagement principles of the University. This paper highlights our commitment to these \u27ideals\u27 and their influence on our teaching, learning, and assessment practices. Our work is grounded in theoretical foundations from John Dewey, Antonio Gramsci, and Paulo Freire, emphasising community, democracy, cultural hegemony, and critical consciousness. These principles guide our critical civic praxis and our collective approach to teaching and community engagement.
Higher education plays a crucial role in promoting diversity, social inclusion, and community. By fostering grassroots activism, we aim to empower and engage in democratic processes and challenge regressive ideologies. Our objective is to inspire students to embrace these values and sustain movements for social change
Family Secrets: Questioning the Past
Full text linkI opened the antique chest I inherited from my great-great uncle Alexander and began unravelling the strands of his life as an evangelical minister in late nineteenth-century Italy, bringing to light the cover-ups in Britain’s history of Empire and the ways in which a handful of families even today continue to shore up their wealth
A Playful Approach to the Five Ways to Wellbeing
Full text linkIn 2008, the New Economics Foundation (NEF) was commissioned to develop a set of evidence-based actions that would improve personal wellbeing and consequently, demonstrate \u27real economic wellbeing\u27 (Aked et al, 2008). Acknowledging the importance of personal, social, cultural, environmental, and economic determinants of health, the NEF replicated the ideals of the 5-a-Day campaign using advice from the World Health Organization to promote the need to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day, due to the significant health benefits this brings (NHS, 2022).Consequently, the NEF developed a new and creative approach to health promotion and developed the Five Ways to Wellbeing (Aked et al, 2008), which encourage us to Connect… Be active… Take notice… Keep learning… Give. These five simple steps can be followed every day to enhance mental health and wellbeing (Mind, 2023). 
The Kirkwood Papers
Full text linkOver many years, Colin and Gerri Kirkwood have made a significant, distinctive and influential contribution to the practice of community-based adult education in both Scotland and the UK as well as further afield. In this article, they provide a brief introduction to the archive of their work which has recently been established at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Theatre of the Oppressed and its Times: A talk by Julian Boal
Full text linkI’m always impressed by someone who can stand up and speak coherently without notes. It’s an underrated art form, and one that Julian Boal performs with conviction and authenticity, all the while in a second language. He is promoting his new book, Theatre of the Oppressed and its Times (2023), at an event jointly hosted by Active Enquiry Theatre Company and the University of Edinburgh’s Moray House. I arrive at Boal’s talk intrigued by what it’s like to be the son of a revolutionary theatre practitioner, probably the most famous theatre maker ever. 
Déjà Vu: The story so far (right)
Full text linkIn the process of writing this article, I reflected on my experience of the transformation of Ireland from an avowedly theocratic state, to one that has been the first in the world to vote for marriage equality by a margin of two to one. In addition, Leo Varadkar, the current Taoiseach, that is, Prime Minister, is openly gay, and his father was from India. Further, five years ago, in 2018, Ireland voted by 66.4% to 33.6% with a turnout of almost 65% to delete an anti-abortion clause in the Constitution of Ireland following a long and arduous campaign (Fitzsimons, 2021)
A guide to the Micro-Adventure approach for those working outdoors with children and young people: Facilitating a sense of wild adventure in urban environments
Full text linkAre adventure/wilderness type therapies limited to geography? Can they only take place in what are traditionally considered \u27wild spaces\u27 or is it possible to facilitate a sense of adventure and wilderness in urbanised areas? This article explores the idea of micro-adventure/wilderness therapies for children and young people both for group work and one-to-one support, and demonstrates how to deliver adventure type interventions in highly developed areas
Editorial: The politics and practices of care
Full text linkThe notion that we are in the midst of a generalised \u27care crisis\u27 has steadily gained momentum in public discourse over the last 15 years, often acting as an index of other crises----crises of welfare reform, the pandemic and the unfolding cost-of-living crisis. As useful as this notion may be for galvanising people to act, much rests on the ideological framing both of \u27care\u27 and \u27crisis\u27. Since crisis suggests a deviation from the norm, the notion of a care crisis can be mobilised to either highlight perenial inequalities of care or to obfuscate them. It can be mobilised to defend or critique the status quo. Given that this is the case, it is crucial to unpack not only the meaning of care itself but also to ask, \u27who cares?\u27 and \u27crisis for whom\u27? (Dowling, 2022). This special issue of Concept explores these critical questions by providing a space for practitioners, academics and activists to explore different ways of thinking about and practising care
Lack of care? The Scottish Government\u27s Consultation on A National Care Service for Scotland
Full text linkThis is a personal account of being involved in the consultation both as a disabled person myself, and as a community worker supporting a group to take part. For many community workers, our own experiences relate to those of the people we work with. This brings knowledge and passion to our work and helps us connect to people, but sometimes the work can affect us more deeply than if we were working with people with whom we didn\u27t share a background. This was my experience with the National Care Service (NCS