From the Southern Region – June 2019

Motivation To(ols) Learn

Francisco, 30-year-old inmate, proudly introduces his inmate friends at Estabelecimento Prisional de Beja, trying to communicate in every way he can, to the new foreign visitors. For one day, all the inmate learners in Estabelecimento Prisional de Beja, Portugal, were involved and cooperated with 11 other learners coming from different places in Europe. Together they attended training sessions on “Achievements and Potentialities” and “Future Projects and Goals”.

These activities were prepared and delivered by the visiting educators, 8, who accompanied the learners during this week, from the 18^thto 22^ndMarch. Being able to meet and interact with people from so many different origins and cultures, enhancing the similarities rather than the differences, the demands on their language and communication abilities were some of the benefits that all gained from this event.

These activities have been planned and prepared by the partners in the I-MoToLe project, a strategic partnership funded by Erasmus+ program. I-MoToLe focusses on developing intrinsic motivation on adults at risk of social exclusion and new ways to help reduce dropout rates among adults and increase the number of adults who persist in their learning paths and thus invest in their social integration and employability.

This 24-month project, ending in November 2019, has brought together seven European organisations, with diverse features and different origins.

• Agis, Note et Innove (ANI) International, an educational association established in Paris, France, develops non-formal projects and training on citizenship and social competences mostly targeted to delinquent young adults from disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Paris, many from African origin.
• Centro de Educación de Personas Adultas (CEPA), Los Llanos, is a public formal training centre for adults, who extend its work into fragile communities in poorer neighbourhoods and inmates in the local prison, in Albacete, Spain.
• Merseyside Expanding Horizons (MEH) is a communitarian and voluntary organisation, born in the outskirts of Liverpool, United Kingdom, to help disadvantaged individuals and communities acquire competences and guidance to find their paths.
• CVO-LBC is a public formal training centre for adults in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, working with immigrants, refugees and inmates on their qualifications.
• Inspira+ is a consultant organisation focusing on developing and testing tools on educational contexts, from Skopje, in the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
• Kulturskolan, Stockholm School of Arts, uses fine arts, drama, dance, music, circus and media to reach and integrate new comers, immigrants and vulnerable young people in the city of Stockholm, Sweden.
• Agrupamento de Escolas 2 de Beja, Portugal, is a State school with long experience with adult education, appointed to teach in the local prison since the 1990’s.

The overall aim of the project is to provide a more effective educational experience for adult learners, enhancing their intrinsic motivation, through innovative methodologies, activities, and tools adapted to these target groups, both educators and learners.

Tools that can be used flexibly within contexts of formal or non-formal education, such as an Educational Training Package for Educators, with self-awareness activities to be used with adult learners, a Validation Portfolio for learners to use autonomously as a personal record of lifelong learnings and acquired competences, all combined into an interactive portal to make sure the project outcomes are shared and available to whom may interest.

From the 18^thto 22^ndMarch the partners met in Beja for a training week with learners from all the countries, the biggest event in the project, involving over 150 people. These learners worked together with Portuguese peers, shared experiences and knowledge, tested competences and skills, enhanced their communication and language abilities and multicultural understanding.

The week ended with a Multicultural Festival where all participants socialised in a joyful informal environment. The inmates were able to participate and the Choral Group from Estabelecimento Prisional de Beja performed traditional polyphonic songs, an informal group of learners and educators within the project sang an Arabic song, taught and trained by Suhib, the Syrian violinist with the Belgian team who closed the party with a violin ball. It was a big celebration of all the adult learning community.

The afternoon Francisco spent with these new friends made him feel so happy in a way he hadn´t felt for a long, long time. It was like a very special visit from a new family.

#imotole

by Paula Lança, e-mail

-Southern region representative for APEnP (Associação Portuguesa de Educação nas Prisões), Portugal