Enthusiastic learners acting as community learning champions (CLCs) are scarcely a novelty. There has been a surge of interest in what they have to offer in the last couple of years, thanks in large part to a government programme, which has funded training and support for learning champions through 50 community projects across the country, and a…

This article discusses the Women Making a Difference programme that has provided hundreds of women in Wales the skills they need to become decision-makers in their communities. The project is all about tapping into women's desire to make a difference in their communities, and getting women who, in most cases, are already active at grassroots level…

For many world faiths, the ongoing development and formation of each person is foundational. Faith communities do not always use the same language as professional educationalists, but the parallels are very clear. Although not always thought of as "education", one approach used in some churches to encourage growth is known as…

This article focuses on the nature of "family learning" programmes in marginalised communities. Such programmes present a series of radical challenges (in the sense of getting to the root of things) to policy makers and professionals alike: about, for instance, the kinds of "learning" on offer and the neglect, perhaps…

For the past two years, accredited learning has been made accessible to over 40 voluntary and community organisations through a sub-regional partnership of the Central London Learning and Skills Council, six London boroughs, representatives from further and higher education, and the authors' organisation--the London Open College Network (LOCN).…