Local and regional development
Europe is changing socially, demographically, economically and politically.
We are witnessing the transformation of the societies in which we live and , hence, the transformation of the conditions of our participation in those societies. This is not a minor transformation of a technological nature or of politico-economic kind. It involves every aspect of life-manpower, employment, generation of income, flows of goods and persons, nature of capital, relations between states, the role of supra-national bodies, family life, domestic life, community life, lifestyles etc.
There is no doubt that the workings of pluralistic democracy are also affected, since it is the place of the citizen and the day-to-day exercise of his/her citizenship that are involved.
Employers are seeking a workforce that is flexible, adaptable, and capable of working as team ,transferring attainments from one work situation to another, taking initiatives and shouldering responsibilities. They are taking an interest in the question of "basic skills" and "social skills" which working adults need in order to meet the requirements of responsibility, flexibility, adaptability, initiative etc.
States, faced with such problems as the social reintegration of young people and adults in difficulty, the eradication of illiteracy, the re-employment of the unemployed-particularly the long-term unemployed-and the massive redeployment of working people, are having to expand the technological dimension of vocational training.
The role of information and communication has increased and is now affecting our ways of life. What is remarkable is the speed of these changes ,which are revolutionizing our cultural environment, habits and ways of thinking. The acquisition and diffusion of knowledge is the basic strategic resource of modern society.
If we are to avoid a two-tier society ,the majority of today's adult population cannot be excluded from these developments. A number of individuals will make the necessary adjustments, this will not however be the case with all -indeed ,probably with the majority. Adult education is thus becoming a social issue.
Adult education is a means for personal development and continuous socialisation. By acquiring knowledge concerning the social mechanisms of the society in which one lives and by acquiring stable and adaptable patterns of behaviour, adult education can contribute to the process of learning to exercise citizenship.
Adult education helps improving the skills of self-knowledge, confidence and initiative ,cooperation , communication , ability to interact, capability to adjust to project work.Therefore, it should be included in local and regional development programmes.
The rapid changes in society dismantle communities and prevent the creation of new ones. This problem can be easened by means of determined community development schemes so that local social and cultural life is revived.
A set of education and training programmes geographically based in a community, planned, developed and evaluated according to the educational needs of the community, can forge local partnerships and involve all interested parties in the community. This community development dimension is guaranteed to:
- Bring together a maximum number of partners
- Build on existing personal and geographical relationships
- Stress negotiation rather than coercion
- Embrace a broader set of parameters
- Organise co-ordination of projects at both the planning and the implementation stages
- Develop pragmatic and evolutive solutions
- Accommodate and revitalise micro-cultures
Decentralised planning and organisation is the best way of catering for the needs of the populations concerned ,the local dimension is fundamental .Traditional methods of educational planning are founded on macro-economic indicators ,which are often inadequate for the purpose of responding to the needs of specific groups or individuals.
Adult education schemes involve numerous partners: economic and financial circles, charitable organisations, trade unions, political and religious bodies and so on. NGO's constitute an excellent social "relay" for the purpose of meeting individual and collective needs.
Adult education can support the empowerment of women and other social groups. Empowerment is a complex issue with varying interpretations in different societal, national and cultural contexts. Taking the case of women ,we can come out with a tentative list of indicators.
At the level of the individual woman:
- participation in crucial decision making
- extent of sharing of domestic work by men
- extent to which a woman takes control of her reproductive functions
- extent to which a woman is able to decide where her income will be
chanelled to
- feeling and expression of pride and value in her work
- self confidence and self-esteem
- ability to prevent violence.
At the community and/or organisational level :
- existence of women's organisations
- allocation of funds to women's projects
- participation of women in community programmes, productive enterprises, politics and arts
- increased number of women leaders at village, district, provincial and national levels
- increased training programmes for women
- involvement of women in non-traditional tasks
- involvement of women in the design, development and application of technology
- exercising her legal rights when necessary.
Proposed items for discussion in workshop D:
- The concepts:
- the economic, social, cultural and political dimensions of local and regional development.
- the national, transnational and global dimensions of local and regional development.
II. The challenges.
- the technological and scientific changes
- the restructuring of rural areas
- the regressing of industrial zones
- the reorganization of economic structures.
- the demand for new skills and competencies
- the reshaping of basic social skills.
- combating unemployment
- developing active citizenship
- The issues.
- integration of policies
- sustainable development
- community development
- equal opportunities
- employment opportunities
- information society for all
- competitiveness and growth
- improving the quality of life.
- reinforcing democracy
- supporting NGO's
- The policies, the strategies and the measures.
- regional and cohesion policies
- structural and social policies
- education / training and cultural policies
- information society
- empowerment strategies
- guidance and counseling services
- forging local partnerships
- effective and durable networking
- entrepreneurship
- compatibility of work and family.
- decision-making at local
V. Examples of good practice from the member-states.
Discussion on the Archipelago project.
VI. Conclusions and Recommendations.
(related to the future application of GRUNDVIG action /SOCRATES II programme).
