#AdultConversations was ‘born’ in a #JoyFE ideas room in autumn 2020. It came out of a conversation, wanting to put adult and community education back into the national conversation.

When we read in the press or on social media or hear people refer to teaching and students, often people think young people under 19 and those working with them. Regardless of whether those teachers and lecturers are working with those over 19 or not.

As for policy influence on post 19 education … well, how long have you got? For now, we’d love you to know that as a way of putting adult community education back in the limelight we are hosting 5 regional conversations for those in adult community education to share their thinking on what adult community education can look like and inviting you to contribute and influence the broader conversation.

It is a campaign for 2021 which will incorporate a set of events. Join us?

1. Regional #AdultConversations: The regional conversations will be hosted on ZOOM in March /April – look out for booking information by following @jfletchersaxon on Twitter or LinkedIn.
2. National ‘52 weeks – 52 speaks’ #AdultConversations: We invite you to be one of the 52 pieces we will put out over as many platforms as possible over 2021. Articles, poems, stories, podcasts, photos, films, talks, blogs – anything which is about adult community education in any form and space – putting adult community education back into the national conversation.

The gathered outputs from all of the above will be curated, amplified and shared with the aim of making adult community education and its impact very visible during 2021.

As a starting point, the campaign was launched when Jo Fletcher-Saxon hosted a #UKFEchat session on Twitter in October. The response was phenomenal with over 350 comments in that hour gathered up (into a Wakelet collection) showing a thirst for conversation about adult community education.

So … join the conversation and be heard.