Advocacy, Adult Learning and the Pursuit of Social Justice

The chapter highlights the centrality of advocacy work for adult learners, particularly from marginalised and excluded communities, as a key feature of the work of Lalage Bown and its scope nationally and internationally. It explores effective work in representing the experience and demands of adult learners, and those who work with them, undertaken by adult learning associations at a national, regional and global level. The three examples considered are the work of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) in England and Wales, notably around the creation of Adult Learners’ Week as festival and advocacy tool; the work of the Asian South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE), in combining research-based policy work and advocacy, regionally and globally alongside developing advocacy skills among its members; and the work of the International Council for Adult Education, the global non-governmental association for adult learning, and the work of its International Academy for Lifelong Learning Advocacy in strengthening practitioners’ capacity to engage with global decision making processes affecting adult learning. The chapter concludes with reflections on the key skills needed for successful advocacy.