You’re never too old to learn

The square was lined with stalls from course organisers all keen to show the public what they accomplished plus any continual learning programs they offer. As I wandered among the square with Brighton songwriters oozing sweet melodies from the main stage, Company Paradiso’s group of poets from local hostels were presenting their words artistically in chalk on the pavement. The spirit was very free and brimming with spirit. I saw a confidence and camaraderie among the participants that glowed brighter than the Olympic flame.

But what is Adult Learning? Wandering around the Spring Forward I witnessed this was a far cry from the usual ideas of night school classes for the bleary-eyed working masses re-training or hunting for a spouse. Some of the projects you couldn’t even categorise into standard academics - Sound Mapping London Road, a sort of history/art project, a Blank Table of Ideas exploring the life and death of original thought. This display was about learning aspects of yourself and others in your community in a fresh exciting way.

Geoffrey Mead, Convenor for Landscape and Locality Studies and Local History short courses from Sussex University was manning a stand promoting summer courses in practical archaeology, history, ecology and creative writing (to name a few!). He is himself an ‘adult learner’ so knows the true value continual learning can bring, ‘I hated school, couldn‘t wait to leave’ he revealed to me, ‘I went out to work for many, many years, having left school for 15 years I went back to University to be a mature student and basically never left!‘. He beams at me while explaining, ‘I realised my life experience more than made up for my lack of academic skills. It’s lovely to teach adult learning, you meet people with the most fascinating backgrounds..……some say I‘ve not done very much, ‘I’ve just been a mum’ but think of all the experience they bring. We have taught people who have run multinational companies, a student who was 82 and worked in the foreign office, they all work together, help each other. They all have different strengths. You’re never too old to learn.’

Even my little ‘vox pop’ of the casual punters hitting the square revealed more people had engaged in learning after formal education that I thought. Two ladies, one of whom worked in a school, enthused over their love of extra curricular classes. ‘Meeting the people on the courses is most rewarding, even if you don’t stay on the course, you still meet up with those people, you get a nucleus and meet two or three times a year. I think it gives you confidence to do something else, to have a go.’. Her classmate continues, ‘when you meet likeminded people that share a common interest, you make friends, including people you wouldn’t have necessarily stopped and talked to. It’s a starting point.’.

I was met with the same enthusiasm as I talked to a mother and daughter who made their own outfits for the Trash Walk: fashion show on the main stage. Eagerly practicing their catwalk routine and elaborately dressed in red carpet worthy outfits, Maya, daughter of Adela, bounds up to me bursting into a description of her outfits ‘I’ve got a bag skirt with a bag belt, with leg-warmers and fairy wings.’ It was evident both mum and daughter enjoyed doing the activity together, ‘we’re nervous about being onstage but we’re going to have fun’, says mum, I would definitely make my own clothes in the future, especially fancy dress’.

It didn’t take me long to build up a bag full of brochures for courses I knew I’d never had the time to do, but it was a start. Reading Ian Fleming’s ‘From Russia with Love’ as part of Brighton City Reads is high on my list as I‘m a Bond freak, plus there‘s a whole series of Bond related events through till April. www.cityreads.co.uk Or why not check out the Harvest Brighton & Food program, a re-education on growing food just about anywhere you can, they have sessions coming up in April (I learned about seed bombs there & then!). www.harvest-bh.org.uk I’m even off to check out the Brighton Songwriters ‘Songstorm’ one day workshop at The Brunswick Pub in Hove this Sunday (28th March). www.songstorm.eventbrite.com And the Spring Forward is by no means the end of possibilities, check out www.bhlp.org.uk the hub of Brighton & Hove’s Adult Learning information.

A common theme came through that day: confidence. Coming together with others all wanting to learn and develop new skills, supporting each other to do this and producing work to be proud of, for these people, led to an increase in self-esteem. Adult Learning doesn’t have to be about finding a new career or money making initiatives, although that will be nice, it can help you discover positive aspects of yourself and your community you never imagined existed.