Launch meeting of the ESF Learning Network Ex-OffenderCommunity of Practice (ExOCoP)

Bremen (DE), 28 May 2009

Alan SmithGrundtvig Coordinator

Deputy Head of Unit EAC – B4 Adult Education; Grundtvig

PrisonPrison EducationEducation in in thethe contextcontext of of European Initiatives European Initiatives forfor LifelongLifelong LearningLearning ––

Potential and Potential and expectationsexpectations of of thethe ExOCoPExOCoP NetworkNetwork

Overview

European Commission engagement with prison education – the Lifelong Learning dimension

Lifelong Learning and Adult Education : Policy initiatives

The «Lifelong Learning » Programme: support for education and training related to (ex-)offenders

Potential of the ExOCoP Network from theperspective of DG Education and Culture

Lifelong Learning – the EU role

European Union mandate: improvement of qualitythrough European cooperationEducation : a key component of « Lisbon » strategyfor more competitive yet socially cohesive EuropeEducation remains the responsibility of MemberStatesEU contribution therefore via policy coordination, exchange of experience through transnational projects and mobility

Policy initiatives

Lifelong Learning in general

Adult learning

Vocational training

Through policy papers, ‘peer-learning’, studies, conferences etc.

Policy initiatives on adult learning

Memorandum on Lifelong Learning (2000)

Commission Communication 2006 (« It’s never too late to learn »)

Commission Action Plan 2007 (« It’s alwaysa good time to learn »)

Council conclusions on adult learning 2008

Policy initiatives on lifelong learningin general and on vocational training

Key competencesEuropean Qualifications FrameworkRecognition of prior learning

Credit accumulation and transfer in VETQuality assurance in VET

The need for action

Rapid economic development in other regions of the world 80 million low-skilled workersNearly 7 million early school leaversDemographic trends – ageing populationPoverty and social exclusionHigh percentage of people with low literacy skills

Efficient adult learning sector

Policy: meet the needs of economy and societyGovernance: quality, efficiency and accountabilityDelivery: flexible access, recognition and validation, learning closer to the learner, financial support

Adult Learning Action Plan

Focus on those who are disadvantaged due to:

Low literacy skillsInadequate work skillsInsufficient skills for successful integration intosociety

The EU concept of adult learning“Lifelong” + “Lifewide” Learning in all contexts

– formal education– non-formal learning– informal learning

‘Adult’ in the broadest sense:– learning in adult life, other than in formal school or higher education– second chance education for those without qualifications

Improvement of learning pathways for adults wishing to learn in order to:– increase their capacity for active citizenship / their intercultural

awareness– increase their employability by upgrading their general (Grundtvig) or

vocational (Leonardo) skills– regain access to formal education– fulfil personal aspirations

Prison education / adult education

Prison education should not be regarded as a separate fieldbut rather as an intrinsic and important part of a country’s adult education and training system as a whole (whichever ministry is responsible – need for coordination)

Equal educational rights for offendersOffenders – and ex-offenders on the road to re-integration – have the same rights as other sections of society to benefit from learning opportunities

LLP – Programme structure

Jean Monnet Programme3 key activities – Jean Monnet Action; European Institutions; European

associations

Transversal Programme

4 key activities – Political development; Language learning; ICT; Disseminationof best practice

Grundtvig

Adult education

Leonardo da Vinci

Vocational education and

training

Erasmus

Higher education & advanced

training

Comenius

School education

Grundtvig Actions

Learning PartnershipsIndividual mobilityMultilateral projects for developing and transferringinnovationNetworksAccompanying measures

>>Thematic priorities each year for the multilateralprojects and networks (emphasis on disadvantagedand marginalised groups)

New Grundtvig Actions from 2009« Visits & Exchanges » for adult education staff– Teaching, providing training and expertise, job-shadowing, attending

conferences and seminars…)– Any duration from 1 day to 3 months

« Assistantships » for adult education staff– For new or experienced staff– 3 months – 1 year

« Grundtvig Workshops » for adult learners– Learners (can include : ex-offenders) from at least 3 countries– 5-10 days– Any theme

Senior Volunteering Projects

New category of Learning Partnerships (more mobility, higher funding)(and don’t forget: Grants to attend training courses, Preparatory Visits, Contact seminars: Prison Education, Portugal, November 2008)

Who can participate in Grundtvig?

All types of organisations which play a rôle, directly or indirectly, in promoting adult learning– Learning providers (public, private), such as adult education

institutions, higher education institutions (for Grundtvig-relevant activities) etc.

– Local and regional authorities– NGOs at local, regional or national level– Cultural organisations (museums, libraries etc.)– Prisons, hospitals, homes for senior citizens etc.

Everyone working in or with such organisations, e.g.:– Teaching staff– Directors, managers, administrative staff– Guidance and counselling staff– Inspectorate– People working as intermediaries with ethnic minorities– Adult learners (though not directly supported under all parts of

Grundtvig)

Grundtvig target groups

Main priorities

Socio-economically disadvantaged– people in rural or deprived urban areas– hard-to-reach learner groups (including people in prison and

ex-offenders)

Disabled

Older citizens / intergenerational learning

People lacking basic education

Ethnic minorities

Grundtvig 1 projects and courses

Another way – Alternative punishments for juvenile delinquents (SK + SE, PL, ES, CZ, LT)

Model for supporting correctional training – Education for women inmates (BG + DE, ES, IT, NL, MT, PT)

You also have a chance – bringing ex-prisoners back into society (PL +ES, SK, LT, DE, NO)

Learning for a life in freedom – Transforming traditional prison education into flexible, individualised study + personal skills (DK + B, ES, LT, SE, EE, NO)

Developing training programmes for qualified school teachers to equip them for teaching in prisons (EPEA + DK, NO, CZ, PT, IT, NL, MT)

Theatre in prisons as a means of re-socialisation (IT + FR, SE, DE, UK, ES)

Theatre in prisons and socio-relational competence (IT + B, FR, ES)

EURO-DESIP – comparative study on good practice in HE delivery in prisons via distance learning (ES + DE, FR, GR, RO, LV)

La démarche de VAE pour les personnes placées sous main de justice– Validation of experience and competence in the perspective of reintegration (FR + B, MT, PL, PT)

BREAKOUT - An Interactive Learning Environment for Offending Prevention and Rehabilitation (UK + GR, DE, ES, EE)

PIPELINE - Partnerships in Prison Education: Learning in Networked Environments (NO + DE, GR, SI, SE, UK, RO, CZ, DK)

ALICE – Adult Learning and Inclusive Creativity – Methods of encouraging the potential of people by using toys and play (DE + IT, BG, SE) (adolescent delinquents one of the target groups)

Law through experience – interactive and participatory socio-legal training for prison educators (SK +)

The will to dream – promoting drama and video in prison education (UK +AT,BG,EE,IR,LV,MT,NL,NO)

2007: Grundtvig under the new Lifelong Learning Programme

Virtual European Prison School (EPEA + NO+BG, CZ,FR, IR, GR, SE,UK)European re-settlement training and education for prisoners(UK+IR,PT,RO)Eliminating language barriers in European prisons through open and distance learning technology (TR+BE,DE,GR,NL,PL,UK)Educational tool to integrate inmates (BG+IT,SE,SF,PT,RO,UK)Innovative strategies to prevent re-offending (FR+CZ,DE,ES,IT,RO)

Grundtvig 2 - Learning partnershipsin prison education

Flexibility in Prison Teaching (NO + IR, BG)Open Doors (Basic skills +internet for ex-offenders) (IR + FI, BG)I am part of the world outside (BG +GR, ES, IT)MABEL (Multidisciplinary Adult Basic Education)(UK + IRl, NO, BG, PL, R))Engaging Prisoners in LLL Activities (UK + IT, PT, CZ, MT)Hidden Arts (NO + BE, IR, AT)Adapted Adult Ed. & Follow-up after Release (NO + BE, IR, AT)

Multi-target group project for inclusion (LLL for offenders)(R + UK, PT, FR, ES)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder among offenders (NO+ DE, EE)

Social inclusion of ex-offenders via education & training (LT + BG, FR, GR)

From offender to adult learner (FOTAL) (LLL for people who have committed minor offences) (some learner mobility) (DK + NL, IT, FR, PT)

Experientia Docet (decrease risk of committing new crimes) (EE + LV, DE, AT)

EP-PH: On-going education for prisoners, a humanitarianproject (ES + BG, TR)

Improved Service Delivery in Prison Education (BG + CZ, GR, NO)Literacy and life skills in prison (DE/UIL+GR, RO, DE)

RE-SO – facilitating social reintegration through local partnership (IT+ ES, FR, PT, UK)

Disseminating European experience on development of entrepreneurship skills of ex-prisoners (LT + CZ, PL, TR)

Visiting in prison (UK + DK, ES, IT)

2007 – record year (due to contact seminar 2006?)

Beyond Open Doors – post-release strategy (BE+ DK, GR, RO)PANEL – Positive aspects of non-formal education and learning in prison (BE+ DK, RO, NO)SONART – Creative writing and biography (DE+ CY, GR, IT, NO)Making space for change (ES+ AT, DE, UK)Inside out – use of theatre in prisons (IT+ DE, FR)Theatre education (IT+ DE, ES, FR)By learners, for learners – Literacy (UK+ BE, HU, PT)Bernie – Building educational resources and networks in Europe (active citizenship) (UK+ BG, GR, IT, NO)Audiovisual education in prisons (NO+ DE, ES, FR, IT)

Leonardo da Vinci projects

Catering and associated management skills (IR + FR, SE)

Analysis of skills gaps among inmates / Basic skills (UK + BE, NL)

Methodology for assessing inmates’ training needs (AT +DE, IT, PT, UK)

Restricted internet access for vocational training in prisons (UK + DE, ES)

Web-based tools to boost employment potential and entrepreneurship(ES + FR, IR, IT)

Vocational re-integration for women inmates (ES + AT, FR, IT, PL)

Model programme for occupational and social reintegration (SI + DE, UK, EE, NL)

Grundtvig – messages emergingon prison education (I)

– Traditional prison systems emphasising reprisal more than rehabilitation, are out-of-phase with democratic ideals

– Developing a sense of responsibility and solidarity should be emphasised rather than blind obedience

– People should be sent to prison as a punishment, not forpunishment!

– Prison inmates – including those with special learning needs –have a right to education just like any other citizen

– It is a public responsibility to provide appropriate services, including notably after care, and to ensure that this is enshrined in legislation

– Education provided in prisons should be as similar to education ‘outside’ as possible, and provide as many transfer routes as possible

Grundtvig – messages emergingon prison education (II)

– Research results are beginning to prove the economic attraction of improving prison education (lower re-offending rates)

– Prisoners with the least promising criminal diagnosis are likelyto benefit most from prison education

– There is a vital need for prison officers to be adequately trained in order to equip them properly for their complex job

– Valuing learning is a particularly important area in the contextof prison education: many inmates have competences of which they are not made aware

– Prison education as an instrument for social re-insertion can only be achieved through close collaboration between the education service and other bodies, especially in the post-release phase

Grundtvig – messages emergingon prison education (III)

– Addressing individual learners’ needs is the key to success. This means individual strategies and tutoring

– Courses need to be very flexible

– Short-term courses need to be on offer to cater for the needs of inmates who have received short sentences

– New inmates should be able to enter courses on a flexible basis, even after they have started

– Far more flexible teaching is therefore required than in mainstream educational establishments, which has implications for teaching methods

Grundtvig – messages emergingon prison education (IV)

– Teacher employment contracts must also reflect the need for flexibility:

• permanent core staff to cover most of the inmates’learning needs

• possibility to hire additional teachers with a wide range of other specialisations in order to complement this basic coverage

– Prison education as an instrument for social re-insertion can only be achieved through close collaboration between the education service and other bodies, especially in the post-release phase

Grundtvig – some potential topicson prison education

Producing new materials and methodologies for any aspect of prison education

Organising training courses for prison education staff from severalcountries, Models for training prison educators

Analyses of the impact of education on re-offending / sustainablereintegration

ICT and prison education

The intercultural challenge of prison education, and the particular situation of prisons with a high incidence of inmates from ethnic minority groups

Strategies for actively involving prison staff

Artistic and creativity education

Methods of tackling the particular problems of education for young drugs offenders

Prison education for women

Management and funding of prison education

Evaluation and quality assurance issues in prison education

Maximising the effectiveness of post-release strategies

Models for improving collaboration between prisons and the local community in the area of education

The ExOCoP Network – potential forDG Education & Culture

Bringing together the key « players » at European, national and local level on a sustainable basis > higher quality through European cooperation

Channel for sharing experience from Grundtvig and Leonardo with experience in othercontexts

Promoting dissemination of our programmes’ results / innovation transfer

Concrete outputs for quality improvement:– Models for training prison educators– Analyses of the impact of education on re-offending / sustainable reintegration– Training courses for prison education staff

A source of expertise for the Commission on prison education & training issues

European events bringing together the stakeholders: European Conference on Prison Education 2010

Further information on Grundtvig

http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/grundtvig/index_en.htmlNational Agencies (see links on above website)alan.smith@ec.europa.eu