Lifelong Learning, Participation and Equity

Abstract

Aims & Scope "Lifelong Learning" has become a central theme in education and community development. Both international and national agencies, governments and educational institutions have adopted the idea of lifelong learning as their major theme for address and attention over the next ten years. They realize that it is only by getting people committed to the idea of education both life-wide and lifelong that the goals of economic advancement, social emancipation and personal growth will be attained.The Lifelong Learning Book Series aims to keep scholars and professionals informed about and abreast of current developments and to advance research and scholarship in the domain of Lifelong Learning. It further aims to provide learning and teaching materials, serve as a forum for scholarly and professional debate and offer a rich fund of resources for researchers, policy-makers, scholars, professionals and practitioners in the field.The volumes in this international Series are multi-disciplinary in orientation, polymathic in origin, range and reach, and variegated in range and complexity. They are written by researchers, professionals and practitioners working widely across the international arena in lifelong learning and are orientated towards policy improvement and educational betterment throughout the life cycle.

Yearning for learning: Engaging the Disengaged Through Socially Inclusive University-Community Partnerships

“…For engagement to occur, partnerships need to be 'developed, negotiated, sustained and supported' (Bottrell & Goodwin, 2011, p. 16) As Seddon and Ferguson (2009, p. 97) highlight, partnerships develop 'in situations that cannot be addressed ... by one partner working alone' and 'exist only when partners recognise their interdependence'. It is only through the development of a sense of trust and reciprocity that the participants will feel their contributions are valued (Chapman et al, 2006;Schuetze, 2008).…”

“…It is commonly considered that engagement in learning throughout life can impact on the health and resilience of individuals by promoting attitudes, practices, and life experiences that are conducive to positive health outcomes, including 'improved well-being, increased efficacy, protection and recovery from mental health difficulties, and more effective coping' (Hammond, 2004, p. 553). Participation in learning experiences that not only promote cognitive development, but also emotional, creative, and spiritual aspects of development, create new avenues for expression and play an important role in reinvigorating interest in learning (Chapman et al, 2006;Longworth, 2003). Miller and Saxton (2011, p. 11) highlight the value of the arts in these processes, stating that 'the Arts provide opportunities to reflect, discover and uncover the issues and challenges of being human through our engagement with forms that involve us physically, mentally, and emotionally'.…”