PCF5:Livelihoods - Cooperative social learning communities

Title of session
Cooperative social learning communities

Session details

 * Date: 15 July 2008
 * Time: 11.00
 * Room: 739

Session papers

 * Dr Alison Cross, Towards a proposed Caribbean knowledge city, (622)
 * Assoc. Prof. Barry Golding, Common Wealth through community men’s sheds, (380)
 * Dr Samson Gunga, Cooperative movement in Kenya & ICT, (116)
 * Dr Ian McPherson, Knowledge creation and mobilization in international cooperative movement, (679)
 * Miss Mitze Jacqueline Reid, Extending the reach of education: Generating employment for the marginalized, (158)

Brief Summary:  Background/rationale of the topic covered


 * Strengthening the tertiary sector education in Caribbean and the role of ODL
 * Strengthening learning among older men through community shed concept
 * The cooperative and self help group movement in Kenya using mobile technology for health and education
 * Strengthening of international cooperative movement through cooperative learning centres in mobilazation and knowledge creation.
 * Using community resources for promoting learning for marginalized for generating sustainable employment in Caribbean.

Key Issues that arose in the session
•	Community learning enhances effective learning for improved livelihood and ODL should focus on community based learning. •	Public private community partnership is crucial for ODL for livelihood in win-win framework. •	Horizontal learning and interactive learning are essential components of the ODL. •	Policy advocacy for appropriate legal and supportive environment is crucial for replication. •	The case study in Kenya on Self Help Group learning through mobile phones. •	The case study of community shed of men in Australia •	Knowledge creation and mobilization in cooperative learning centre •	Reaching the marginalized people in Youth in Caribbean. •	Issue of Self Sustainability •	Inaccessibility to ODL infrastructure •	Policy environment to support Non-formal learning and self learning •	Issues in public-private and community partnership •	Building the capacity to identify win-win situations for among the ODL institutions to strengthen public-private partnership •	Policy advocacy strategy based on strong evidences to replicate in large scale. Suggest useful resources, people or institutions who could contribute to address these issues and challenges for achieving the sub theme topic and effective learning for livelihoods? •	Common Wealth of learning •	Strengthening ODL institutions in facilitating horizontal and interactive learning through ICT •	Strengthening public-private community partnership mode
 * Outline the theoretical perspectives explored in the session that has potential for achieving effective learning and improved livelihoods through ODL.
 * Summary of evidences that were offered in the session
 * What are the unresolved issues and challenges for achieving effective learning fro improved livelihood through ODL?
 * What are potential solutions for these issues and challenges that can make ODL work better for improved livelihood?
 * Strengthening ODL institutions in the role of facilitator.
 * What role COL can play In strengthening the use of ICT and ODL and in adding      value to achieving the subtheme topic towards effective learning for livelihoods?

Points for future action (Policy, recommendations, commitments etc.)

 * Strengthening ODL institutions in facilitating horizontal and interactive learning through ICT
 * Strengthening public-private community partnership mode
 * Assessment of the pilot projects and building a strong evidence on impact of social learning communities and sharing of experiences.