Maude Barlow, national chairperson of The Council of Canadians, delivered a powerful and personal keynote address, challenging participants to make the connection between adult learning and the public good, between adult learning and intentional citizenship, and between adult learning and personal empowerment. Her concerns for the future of social development in Canada – the ribbons of interdependence – resonated with many participants. She envisioned adult learning as a catalyst to building communities capable of resisting the negative impacts of globalization.
Maude wove learning throughout her address. She described her work of engaging citizens in understanding and acting on our social and economic realities; a powerful skill for which there is no training, only learning. She left her audience with a clear message of the importance of hope for social change – informed and sensible hope that chooses to find a door in the wall of despair. Maude emphasized leaving a legacy through the enlargement of one’s own potential. One’s everyday actions, millions of them, make a difference and one’s hope should rest not on the outcome but on the process.
Feedback from participants
The State of the Field Reviews provided an extensive review of existing literature with a detailed bibliographical resource, highlighting practices, issues and policies, theoretical debates and challenges and identifying major knowledge and capacity gaps. This work has resulted in some of the most comprehensive summaries to date.
The State of the Field Reviews are living documents, providing a foundation upon which to build, strengthen, and promote. The reports and summaries (available in both languages) can be accessed through AKLC’s symposium website, www.unb.ca/ALKCSymposium/.
During the first day of the symposium, two cycles of workshops were held with separate workshops for each of the seven State of the Field topics. Each session consisted of a summary of the research by an author or authors, a response by a practitioner or practitioners, and discussion and reflection by participants, all of which was laying the groundwork for a more focused session on actions. Not surprisingly, the seven areas shared common themes and connections.