At this year’s conference, we learned, socialised, danced, laughed etc.
We look back with great satisfaction on our traditional professional meeting, this time held on 25 and 26 October in sunny Portorož. The two-day event confirmed our initial prediction that it would be remembered for several things which would be different from tradition. First, there was the fact that after three years and two virtual conferences due to covid-19, we met in person and loudly or silently inwardly celebrated personal contact. The organisers purposely planned the programme so that (in addition to valuable expert content) there was more time for informal exchanges and socialising.
We are very proud to have provided the SIAE pop-up promotional stand, which is intended to mark our 30th anniversary, but at the same time, it reminds us that with the majority of Slovenian ALE institutions, we have been paving the way for the development of this field for three decades.
In search of psychophysical health, breakthrough and resilience
We were especially impressed by the central theme (especially on the first day), represented by the slogan Healthy. Breakthrough. Resilient. Already during the event’s planning, and even more so when negotiating with the speakers, the organisers felt that something important was being created which concerned us personally and professionally – holistically. In all of us, the speeches and presentations evoked enthusiastic nods, smiles, affirmations, ideas, conclusions about changing the way of life, pride when presenting an example from our practice, admiration and the intention to follow others’ examples.
The mood was great, and we fondly remember the kind remarks by the participants during the breaks, which affirmed our efforts.
People for people – persuasive, committed, enthusiastic
The enthusiastic opening speeches of the minister, Dr Igor Papič, and the SIAE director Dr Nataša Potočnik were followed by plenary contributions. Then, with her thinking about rationality as a factor of positive mental health (well-being), Dr Tanja Rupnik Vec outlined a field complemented by other speakers, each from their point of view.
With his dynamic performance, Dr Gregor Jurak impressed us with the lifelong provision of physical health. Dr Vesna Švab enthusiastically explained dilemmas about mental health to us and indicated the importance of learning communities, where self-help and lay healing are gaining importance.
At times an unpleasant ‘story’ about the brain was shared with us by Prof Dr Zvezdan Pirtošek in a delightful way. There were moments when he stunned or poked us a little, but in the end, he reminded us that the most important thing is to (fall in) love (with) our life, our destiny.
This is how a mosaic of our psychophysical well-being was created, which is far from complete. We are invited to add our pieces – individually and as members of different communities.
Facing challenges in adult education
The second day was focused on narrower expert topics. We started solemnly – with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the AECs and the 30th anniversary of the SIAE. Then Dr Katarina Popović presented the new recommendations for ALE at the global level, formulated at this year’s International Conference CONFINTEA VII. Moreover, she shared with us her insightful observations about the (re)endangerment of ALE as an equal expert field globally and in a broader socio-economic sense. And all this at a time when everything screams for ALE and lifelong learning!
This development will indeed affect work in our country if it has not already. That is why our standing together is all the more critical because we are more penetrating and resilient with united and coordinated forces. This was the conclusion of the panel with representatives of ALE associations and institutions. At times the panel was welcomely turbulent, but it ended with the decision that we should start allying immediately. The opportunities for success are always at hand with international cooperation in the Erasmus+ programme and the EPALE platform. We were inspired for both by Ana Stanovnik Perčič from CMEPIUS and Sabina Tori Selan from Trebnje AEC, the latter with an example from their practice.
We indirectly returned to the topic of health with the excellently thought-out contribution of Dr Tanja Možina on quality standards for distance education, blended and hybrid education. Working in the virtual world was forced upon us by covid, but now it is necessary to move forward, take what was good, put it in order, connect it and ensure quality.
The highest representatives of public institutions also discussed the health of their staff – some with more, others with less success, but all with the final intention to devote more attention and resources to this in the future.
Jasna Vukovič, MSc, briefly got us moving both days and reminded us how much we love to dance. So why not do it every day? Standup comedian Aleš Novak made us laugh at the end and gave us an excellent send-off for a safe return home. These two things are also why this year’s conference will remain a bright memory for us!
Surely you are interested in the described events, so we invite you to have a look at the materials (in Slovenian) that we have published on the website.
Among them are recordings of the entire two-day event, individual lectures and PowerPoint presentations. All the contributions and the binder between them are worthy of your attention, as they bring persuasive messages, while the photos speak for themselves.
Zvonka Pangerc Pahernik, MSc (zvonka.pangerc@acs.si), SIAE
