extends to their notions of belonging, to citizenship and to values. To re-invoke the
matrix described above, these can be personal or collective, sustaining or
transformative (and various permutations of these).
Running through all this is the way learning enables people to develop or modify their
values, in a way that characterises a liberal society on any definition. It gives people a
chance to understand others’ perspectives and values. This may or may not cause
them to change their own, but it helps dispel blind prejudice and promotes social
communication at many different levels.
12.5.1 Policy conclusion 8
The virtuous cycle of learning and volunteering can be fostered in a number of ways.
Certain stages in the life cycle are particular appropriate for offering opportunities for
people to engage in voluntary activity: for example, parents of young children through
their primary school, especially in relation to school-related roles such as classroom
assistant; or older people preparing for retirement and after retirement. Retirees are a
vast, largely untapped resource for civic roles and responsibilities, and learning can be
the trigger to mobilise them.
12.5.2 Policy conclusion 9
The dynamic of participation in civic or community activity means that it generates
further learning needs; it also offers people the opportunity to gain skills and
confidence that can open up other avenues. Community development and
neighbourhood renewal initiatives could include clear links to educational
progression routes.
12.6 Communication
Learning is of fundamental importance in sustaining and improving communication at
every level and in every form, from basic and linguistic to advanced and social.
Policies and provision should address the development of appropriate and effective
communication competences in many different contexts: within schools and colleges;
between professionals and consumers in the public services; within families; and
between different age groups. Provision here refers not only to courses and formal
learning opportunities, but to the physical structures and social contexts within which
communication takes place.
12.6.1 Policy conclusion 10
One specific aspect of communications is the importance of ESOL. Knowing English
is fundamental to the social integration of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, and
can transform their lives.
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