|
_______________________________________________________
|
|
|
September 2021
Dear Colleagues, Early in the month, we learnt of the passing of Dr Ken Thompson, an old friend, and member of the ALCN Executive, who provided leadership in the development of the Hume Global Learning Village and Hume Learning Community. Our ALCN member Peter Blunden pays tribute to Ken and I am keen to see Ken's work live on through the stories he encouraged about our wonderful learning community practitioners who continue to provide innovative lifelong learning opportunities. Please keep those stories and ideas coming and feedback on this newsletter is very welcome, and finally, like us on Facebook - search for [email protected]. With my best wishes.
Dr Leone Wheeler
Hon. CEO
Australian Learning Communities Network
Website: https://alcn.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aus.alcn
+61 (0) 456 038 236 Email: [email protected]
|
|
|
_______________________________________________________
|
|
|
 We remember the significant contribution Ken Thompson made to lifelong learning within the City of Hume, ALCN, nationally, and internationally.
Peter Blunden, ALCN member and learning city consultant, has written this tribute:
We all can identify significant people who influence us at various stages of our lives. I can proudly say Ken Thompson was one of those people for me. I have had the great privilege of knowing Ken Thompson for 40 years.
Ken and I started teaching together at St Albans Technical School in 1980. Even in his early days of teaching Ken had a handle on community learning. He initiated and gained funding for a community projects program that had up to 120 students a week on a community placement as a part of their curriculum. He achieved this in just his third year of teaching. Community learning and engagement was to become a key feature throughout Ken’s career, as a teacher, curriculum consultant, school support centre coordinator, secondary school principal, researcher, and psychologist.
When the principal of Gladstone Park Secondary College Ken became instrumental in the formation of the Hume Global Learning Village and when Hume City Council withdrew Ken was pivotal in keeping the community partners together transitioning the group to become the Hume Learning Communities Inc. Ken’s belief in, and facilitation of learning community partnerships, such as this has had a positive impact on the organisations involved and the citizens of Hume they work with.
Ken had extraordinary energy, knowledge, and skills, he was humble and never ever inserted his own self-importance into any situation. He always worked for others and celebrated their successes. He lived the partnership principles of working for mutual benefit and always reciprocated support. He himself lived as a lifelong learner. From the time we met in 1980 to the time of his passing he was studying one thing or another. He completed a number of Masters Degrees and finally his PhD. In addition to this, he also participated in and facilitated professional and personal development activities too numerous to count.
My career and learning communities journey followed a similar path as Ken’s and at each stage he was there for me in one way or another. Ken shaped to a significant degree who and what I became as an educator and advocate for lifelong learning facilitated through learning communities and cities. I learnt so much from Ken. I will miss him. |
|
|
_______________________________________________________
|
|
|
Stories about Learning Communities
|
|
Last year Ken Thompson and I worked together to develop a series of templates to highlight the impact of the many amazing stories about our learning community practitioners and their work. We developed an ALCN Stories Template that our members can use to write their stories.
One of the first stories Ken was enthusiastic to highlight was that of Enable Australia, a social enterprise based in the City of Hume that has supported hundreds of people from disadvantaged backgrounds to connect with the community, environment, and improve their prospects of employment through innovative work and learning programs. Read more here. We are pleased to say that Enable's story will also be featured as an event as part of the Global Learning Festival.
Tell your story: If you want to tell your story please contact me ([email protected]) and we can work together to make a feature of your program on our web site (https://alcn.com.au/). |
|
|
_______________________________________________________
|
|
|
.
The 2021 Global Learning Festival - 8-11 November 2021
The Global Learning Festival seeks to provide unity and connection to communities all over the world
.....SAVE THE DATE........
|
|
A reminder that the Global Learning Festival, hosted by Wyndham City Council and Melton City Council, Australia is being run from 8-11 November 2021. For more information go to https://www.globallearningfestival.com/
Note: The ALCN in collaboration with Wollongong City Council, the RMIT PASCAL Centre, the European Union Centre of Excellence at RMIT University, Wolverhampton Learning Region, Université d’Abomey Calavi, Benin and PASCAL International Observatory will host an online interactive discussion about The Role of Universities as a Partner in Learning Cities and Learning Communities.
We have a great lineup of speakers which include Professor Bruce Wilson and Associate Professor Robbie Guevara from RMIT University; Idowu Biao who is a Professor of Lifelong Learning Université d’Abomey Calavi, Benin; Dr Mary Mahoney, Director of Access and Lifelong Learning, University of Wolverhampton; Jenny Thompson, Manager Library and Community Service, Wollongong City Council; and Dr Belinda Gibbons who is Deputy Associate Dean Education for the Faculty of Business & Law at the University of Wollongong,. PLEASE SAVE THE DATE: November 9, 7.30 pm (AEDT) Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
A formal invitation to follow shortly.
|
|
|
_______________________________________________________
|
|
Entrepreneurship Learning in the City of Hume
|
|
Julie McKay, Founder and Director of Enable Australia, was invited to present on the entrepreneurial work of Hume City and Enable Australia as part of PASCAL’s Reimaging Inclusive Economic Futures Learning City Network’s (LCN) contribution to the Global Learning Festival.
One key question Julie was asked was to:
Describe your Learning City and how entrepreneurial learning contributes to that?
The European Commission define entrepreneurial learning as:
“Learners developing skills and mindset to be able to turn creative ideas into entrepreneurial action. This is a key competence for all learners, supporting personal development, active citizenship, social inclusion, and employability. It is relevant across the lifelong learning process, in all disciplines of learning and all forms of education and training (formal, informal and non-formal) which contribute to an entrepreneurial spirit or behaviour, with or without a commercial objective.”
The City of Hume Hume City Council is one of Australia’s fastest growing and culturally diverse communities with a population of nearly 249,000 people [1]. Hume is in Melbourne’s northern fringe, just 15 kilometres from the centre of Melbourne’s CBD. Melbourne International Airport is located within the city, so it is no surprise that Transport, Postal and Warehousing are the largest employers.
Key elements of the entrepreneurial ecosystem are:
- The Jobs and Skills Taskforce. The role of the Taskforce is to provide strategic stewardship for Hume City in planning and the leveraging whole of government and community support to address and tackle high unemployment, promote social and economic inclusion in Hume City. It advocates for initiatives that create close links between employment and training service providers and employers. The aim is to improve local employment opportunities for Hume City residents and assist in developing a more effective and more accessible local workforce for businesses. Membership includes representation from the two employment and learning committees, all tiers of government, industry, community, secondary and higher education providers.
- The overarching campaign is Local Jobs for Local People. There were many achievements over the years 2012-2021 as shown in the infographic below.
Learning Communities of course highlight Inclusive Economic Futures, and so I was very impressed by the outcomes for one program for the year ending 30 June 2021, that is, Stepping Stone to Social Inclusion. Thirty migrant women were engaged in the program. The outcomes were: 10 employment placements, 4 commenced their own business - a clothing store, a child development business, a café and a catering business; 6 women transitioned to education, 5 continued to be supported towards starting their own business and the remaining continue to receive one on one support.
.
- StartNorth is a business hub for startups, scale-ups and local businesses in Melbourne’s North. It offers a range of services to members such as flexible workspaces, meeting spaces and business networking opportunities.
It is heartening to read about the progress of these entrepreneurial activities, some of which were initiated as part of the Hume Global Learning Village programme.
_______________________________________________________
|
|
Summary of Wyndham Learning Festival
Written by Vi Bui
 This year's Wyndham Learning Festival (WLF) was held from 1 - 5 September 2021 and ran free online classes, talks and workshops from over 55 providers. It was attended by approximately 520 participants. The festival was led by Wyndham Community and Education Centre with support from Wyndham City Council. The WLF was sponsored by Victoria University Polytechnic, Greater Western Water and Pacific Werribee. The festival included many different events, all of which embodied this year’s theme of ‘Re-emerge, Connect and Thrive’.
The various events included fitness classes, drumming classes, assistance in employment opportunities workshops, empowerment talks and the festival’s signature event ‘Wyntalk 2021 - Remerge, Connect & Thrive with Mina Guli’. These events aimed to create positive spaces for people to learn, engage and uplift each other, especially during these uncertain times.
The festival was intended to be held in-person but due to the Melbourne lockdowns, the festival was adjusted to run virtually. Despite the challenges, the festival brought the community together through learning, discussion, and contribution in workshops.
I was made aware of the WLF directly from the organisers as I have the great opportunity of interning with Wyndham City Council and ALCN. I attended 7 online events, which ranged from employability classes, yoga, drumming workshops and empowerment talks. I am so grateful that I attended all of these events as they have positively impacted my life both professionally and personally.
Although I attended great events all-round, I found the ‘Assess Your Employability Skills’ workshop, held by Victoria University Polytechnic, to be the most professionally impactful. I gained skills and knowledge about how to better articulate myself in job interviews through using the ‘STAR’ technique. So, for all you fellow students, like me, who will be entering the workforce next year and attending many job interviews, I highly recommend checking out their Career Resources for Job Seekers page, it is highly beneficial!
These events have also impacted my life personally as I have felt deeply uplifted. Due to COVID-19 and the lockdowns, I have studied and worked online for almost two years now and have lost everyday interactions that all of us used to experience daily. Whether it was saying ‘hi’ to people on the street or apologising for accidentally bumping into someone, I miss those interactions with strangers we may take for granted. Being a part of these events has made me feel included in a community again and have the opportunity to connect with others. It has brought me a lot of happiness and a burst of energy to continue through these difficult times.
|
|
|
_______________________________________________________
|
|
|
New Asia Pacific Learning Cities Alliance (APLC).
A new development is the formation of an Asia Pacific Learning Cities Alliance (APLC). PASCAL Observatory is cooperating as one of the partners for the activation of the APLC, and PASCAL encourages Learning Cities in the Asia-Pacific to join the network. Some of our member cities are attending the inaugural general meeting of the APLC on September 30, 2021, and have also been invited to attend the 5 th UNESCO Global Conference on Learning Cities scheduled to be held in Yeonsu-gu, the Republic of Korea from October 27 to 30 this year. We hope to keep you informed about this alliance as we get further information. Read more: |
|
|
_______________________________________________________
News about Learning Cities from UNESCO UIL
|
|
The 5th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities, from 27 to 30 October 2021 This fifth international conference, hosted by Yeonsu (Republic of Korea), will be an opportunity to explore how learning cities can promote health education and contribute to emergency responses such as those established during the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the Global Network of Learning Cities will have an opportunity to share examples of best practices and lessons learnt. Online registrations are open for application here. Join the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities! From 1 September to 1 November 2021, UNESCO Member States (including Australian Learning Cities) are invited to apply for membership in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC). The UNESCO GNLC is an international policy-oriented network providing inspiration, know-how and best practice. Read more.
|
|
|
_______________________________________________________
|
|
These reports are sourced from the Analysis and Policy Observatory (APO). Climate Costs and Risks to Council Hughes, L., Dean, A., and Koegel, M., Neighbourhood issue: climate costs and risks to councils. 22 September 2021, Climate Council. No community in Australia is untouched by climate change and this report makes it clear that Local Government is playing a leading role in responding, but, there are many barriers to be faced. Worsening weather driven by climate change is compounding the costs for councils. However, protecting communities from extreme weather, and minimising the costs borne by communities requires leadership at all levels of government. Read more: Digital Nation Australia 2021 Good Things Foundation Australia (2021). Digital National Australia 2021. 2021, Good Things Foundation Australia. Retrieved from https://www.goodthingsfoundation.org.au/news/digital-nation-australia-2021/
This report discusses the digital divide. People are required to be online more than ever for work, study, accessing essential services and connecting with family. The positive news is that the digital divide is slowly improving. However, as the report makes clear some groups are more at risk of digital divide than others, for example, our First Nation people, the elderly, those living in rural and remote areas, people with disabilities, people with low levels of education and so forth. This can have a big impact on people’s lives across employment, education, and safety.
“This report brings together the latest research and insights from government, community and academia to help build an understanding of the digital inclusion landscape in Australia and inform initiatives that could close the digital divide for all.”
The website offers very useful infographics to back up the research. Read more: Australia's future infrastructure needs. Australian infrastructure plan. Reforms to meet Australia’s future infrastructure needs. 2 September 2021, Infrastructure Australia. Retrieved from https://apo.org.au/node/313852 Infrastructure Australia’s vision for 2036 is to have infrastructure that improves the sustainability of the country’s economic, social, environmental and governance settings, builds quality of life for all Australians, and is resilient to shocks and emerging stresses. Key opportunities include:
- Supporting growth outside our largest cities, in regional centres and northern Australia
- Investing in transformative technology to deliver affordable and sustainable infrastructure services
- Promoting changes to the behaviour around infrastructure use, empowering Australians to make sustainable choices
- Greater transparency and coordination of the project pipeline and reforms to improve industry productivity
More collaborative models of infrastructure delivery to support productivity and innovation.
Measuring Social Impact
Ramia, I., Powell, A., Stratton, K., Stokes, C. Meltzer, A., Muir, K. (2021) Roadmap to outcomes measurement. Your step-by-step guide to planning, measuring, and communicating social impact. 2021, Centre for Social Impact, University of New South Wales: Sydney. Retrieved from https://www.csi.edu.au/research/project/roadmap-social-impact/
I recommend this resource guide especially for those practitioners who want to improve the evaluation and measurement of the social impact of their learning community programs. It is filled with very practical ideas; defines the various types of evaluation and when to use them (summative, formative…..) and even includes a method for mapping your stakeholders! The authors say that this resource has been created to support you and your organisation through the process of outcomes measurement and evaluation.
Read more:
Wellbeing of young people living in regional, rural and remote Australia
Cairns, K., et al., 'Supported, educated and understood'. Impact on the wellbeing of young people living in regional, rural and remote Australia. 8 September 2021, ReachOut Australia.
This report aims to shine a light on the everyday lives of regional, rural and remote young people, their strengths and challenges, their mental health, and the impact ReachOut has in improving their mental health and wellbeing.
Using evaluative research conducted between 2017 and 2021, the authors look at changes over time, drawing comparisons with similar research conducted in 2017 and shared in the Lifting the Weight report. This allows them to assess the effectiveness of ReachOut’s new tailored and targeted approach to supporting this underserved population over the past five years, enabled by dedicated, sustained funding from Future Generation Global (FGG). They also look to the future, highlighting why ReachOut is needed now more than ever to continue to support rural young people and what more can be done to help them manage and improve their mental health and break down the barriers that prevent them from seeking help.
Read more:
. |
|
|
_______________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Printer-friendly version
