and on occasion dismantle them.
Significantly, for some individuals education and learning sites actually became the
networks and neighbourhoods of learners. Although this is probably the received
perception of students in universities, it was also the case that in further and adult
education colleges these relationships were apparent. In the case of Gareth, a former
drug addict who isolated himself from social interaction for many years, the College
had led to the acquisition of a sense of community:
“ ... there’s a pub over the road from the College, where after some of the
evening classes that I do, we’ll go and have a game ofpool and a pint. And, I’ve
become really friendly with the people there. So that’s become part of the
College community as well. And it’s not necessarily people from College. ”
The role of education and learning as a hub of social networks for young men and
women is heavily contingent on other circumstances. For example, in the case of
Gamal, a single parent in his thirties, childcare responsibilities meant that he could not
develop social networks through his course:
“ Once I’ve finished the course I have to . Well the course that I did. Integrated
Business Technology. I had to run as quick as I finished. We finished the course
at three o’clock and I had to collect my child at halfpast three. So, no
socialising whatsoever. ”
In many cases, education leads to an extension of social networks, or an enrichment of
existing ones. Perry, 40, was bullied at school, left with no qualifications and since
then has had only a few casual jobs. However, adult education has developed his
social networks:
“ Since I came to College I’ve made a lot more friends and spoken out more and
talked to a lot of people as well.”
Perry now goes to the pub, cinema and “everywhere” with these friends and states that
the class feels like a “nice family’.
Education can also lead to a reconstruction of social networks and friendships. For
example, Jasmine developed her self-esteem through a counselling course and became
aware of the negative features of some of her current relationships, although given her
professional status as a counsellor she may have possessed not only the self-esteem
but the cultural and economic resources to make this possible:
Jasmine: “ Yes, when I went through my counselling training, obviously you go
through a lot of stuff within yourself and I went into therapy and discovered
things from the past that were still there and were holding me back from moving
on. And so I went through a process of therapy and healing and I moved on.
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