Community Learning Development Resource 602 – 09
EQUALITY AND EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITYARE FUNDAMENTAL IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORK
SUMMARY
Having equality and equality of opportunity as core values at the heart of any community learning and community development strategy guards against any interventions and activities being exclusive, discriminatory and oppressive.
‘’Access to learning opportunities for some, whilst the needs of others are ignored,
may reinforce inequality in society’.
COMMENTARY
- Through access to learning opportunities, intending learners, existing learners and confident learners, can have their personal and community development capacity enhanced through their learning. They can benefit from the experience, and improve their self-confidence and self-esteem, etc.,
- Learning outcomes and experience in adult and community learning may empower the learner as a community developer, as a community volunteer and as an agent for change
- Non-confident, hard to reach, inexperienced and non-intending learners may not have their own learning capacity and community development capacity enhanced in this way and thus any inequality gap can widen
- If learning does not effectively empower the learner then personal and community development possibilities may be reduced
- Provision that may target or tends to recruit, from an existing learner market only, for example – the traditional middle-class adult education market, has the potential to reinforce inequalities in society and by default, oppress other market sectors – those communities, minorities and individuals who have been excluded
- At worst, there may be discrimination (oppressive behaviour) against some sectors and communities, if for example, adult and community learning opportunities are only advertised and promoted through a written brochure or prospectus, whilst it is known that some adults cannot or do not read.
PROMPTS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION:
- How much does this analysis represent the current state of adult and community learning?
- How does your work or that of your organisation, stand in relation to the above analysis?
- Is the analysis an important plank in a rationale for targeted widening participation and capacity building?
- How can providers of adult and community learning opportunities address inequality of access?
- What would an entitlement curriculum, prioritised on the basis of the learner needs in your patch or local area, look like?