The Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) will be holding the 9th edition of its iconic LLLWeek on 2-6 December 2019 in Brussels. The LLLWeek has become a milestone in the European education agenda, thanks to the support of civil society actors, Members of the European Parliament, and other representatives of the European institutions (European Commission, European Council, European Economic and Social Council). The LLLPlatform is proud to announce that the LLLWeek2019 will take place in cooperation with the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Youth intergroup and the Lifelong Learning Interest Group of the European Parliament, as well as partners such as CONCORD Europe and ECAS.
The Lifelong Learning Platform will tackle the topic of “Learning democracy, values and participation”, a theme encompassed throughout the year for LLLP. 2019 is a crucial year for Europe, as the political landscape changed with the May elections: through this topic, the LLLPlatform will seek to bring back the discussions around citizenship education, active citizenship, and the values that inform our democracies. Following the many inputs of the Lifelong Learning Interest Group of the European Parliament, the thrust of its membership, and the European momentum, the Lifelong Learning Platform hopes to build an arena in which to debate the importance of civic participation in political life at all levels – local, regional, national, European, and even international – and the role that a lifelong learning approach to citizenship has to play.
Why a lifelong learning week?
Lifelong learning covers education and training across all ages and in all areas of life. It enables citizen’s emancipation and full participation in society in its civic, political, social and economic dimensions. A humanistic and holistic approach to learning, from the cradle to the grave, is of continued relevance in today’s world and a viable foundation for the rethinking of education. The Lifelong Learning Week aims to raise awareness of the fact that lifelong learning answers many challenges of modern societies. Fostering a comprehensive approach to education is especially important when it comes to building learning societies, by making sure that our citizens are fully equipped with the competences they need in the 21st century. The paradigm shift to lifelong learning means recognising that learning is taking place in various contexts – be it formal, non-formal and informal. It implies changing the ways we provide and receive education, the ways we assess learning and the ways we work and live together.
Format
During the LLLWeek, participants will be taken into the topic of choice, starting from the context in which lifelong learning and education operate in Europe to build active citizens. We will subsequently delve into the policy framework that is supposed to provide the tools necessary to understand our society and the changes it undergoes. Different approaches can be deepened, as they all build up to the same overarching objective:
In fact, all of these will contribute to the goal that the Lifelong Learning Platform has always been pursuing: better societies through education and lifelong learning.