Welcome to our global community of worker educators!
Our Aim
IFWEA is building a global knowledge community. We facilitate global co-operation between worker educators so as to advance the frontiers of knowledge, education methodology and practice. Our beneficiaries are democratic worker organisations promoting freedom, justice and equality for all.
- Would you like to participate in IFWEA’s Foundation Skills for Social Change (FSSC) Certificate Programme? click here
- View Foundation Skills Courses for 2018
- Visit our Online Resource Centre to search and share education and training materials here
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- View the courses available on the Online Labour Academy (OLA) here
IFWEA e-bulletin Issue 41
Latest Affiliate News
“If the participants leave my courses with doubt in their minds, I have achieved something”, was a typical Arthur Danielsen statement, writes Anne Devik on behalf of Arthur’s colleagues in the AOF Norway. The obituary is translated into English by Aslak Leesland
read the full obituary here
The photograph (right) is from General Secretary Sahra Ryklief who posted: “Rest in Peace Arthur Danielsen. A fine historian with a great love and regard for the city of Oslo, an experienced and enthusiastic worker educator, a good colleague and friend. You will be missed.” © Facebook
This report provides highlights of General Secretary Sahra Ryklief’s field trip, to Australia and New Zealand, part of the Executive Committee’s mission to build dialogue and improve international links.
Read about organisations like The WEA Sydney and the Victoria Trades Hall in Australia to FWEAs NZ and Kotare Trust in New Zealand, and more – links to their social media sites are included.
read the report here
SOUTH AFRICA – AFIT Educator Profile “Denile Samuel: Using Workers’ Forum Theatre”
In this interview Denile Samuel says: “As activists and educators we should always support worker development in participatory ways, allowing workers to own and dictate their development based on their needs and not those of us, or our funders.” She tells us of AFIT’s experience using the workers’ forum theatre as the education methodology for workshops with farmworkers.
▶ read the report here
SWEDEN – ABF and ZIMBABWE – PATSIME: Global Solidarity Education Project “Workplace Wellness”
ABF Sweden and Patsime Trust are partners on their global project “Workplace Wellness”. Driving the project from Sweden is Linnéa Wennberg, from the local branch of ABF Dala Finnmark. From Zimbabwe it is Jasen Mphepo, who is director of Patsime Trust, and in this interview they explain what the project entails.
▶ read more here
GLOBAL – UK: “IN COMMEMORATION OF ROBERT LOCHRIE: Educator, and colleague in WEA UK and Scotland and IFWEA”
USA – “U.S. IMMIGRANT YOUTH AT A CROSSROADS” by Kent Wong , Director, UCLA Labor Center
“DACA has been a lifeline for immigrant youth. It enables them to no longer live in fear of deportation, and allows them to use their experience and education to legally work and contribute to the US. Having DACA has meant, on average, a 40 percent increase in wages, as immigrant youth are no longer forced to work exclusively in the underground economy, where exploitation and abuse are rampant.”
- read the rest of the article and get links to videos about UCLA Labor Center’s Dream Summer Program here
SOUTH AFRICA – “IN TRIBUTE TO MIKE LOUW, EDUCATOR”
“A comrade, shopsteward, organiser, educator, serving workers and working class communities in South Africa, Africa and globally. Mike represented Congress Of South African Trade Union (COSATU) at IFWEA‘s first Youth Globalisation Awareness Programme (YGAP) in 2012.”
IFWEA’s Programme Manager Saliem Patel wrote this poem as a tribute to Mike Louw here
GLOBAL – IFWEA 2017 ACTIVITY REPORT by General Secretary Sahra Ryklief
Rounding off the report, the General Secretary says: “To all the IFWEA organisations who paid their affiliation fees; put forward their leaders to participate on the Executive Committee; contributed to the Secretariat directly through solidarity fee contributions; through strategic advice and dialogue; through fundraising for our project work; through information dissemination; through project activities … I thank you.” For a review of IFWEA’s work in 2017, with reflections as well as strategy for 2018, click below.
- read the report here
IFWEA WELCOMES NEW AFFILIATES INAESIN, SUNDERBY FOLKHÖGSKOLA AND ZCIEA
Introducing our new affiliates – firstly INAESIN which is the Instituto de Altos Estudios Sindicales in Venezuela for trade union higher education. Secondly from Sweden we are joined by Sunderby Folkhögskola the public education institution, and from Zimbabwe, ZCIEA – the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Education Associations.
- read more about the organisations here
ZIMBABWE – FOUNDATION SKILLS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE PROGRAMME by PATSIME TRUST “Worker Activism through the use of theatre within the workplace environment”
The course was designed by Patsimeredu Edutainment Trust and facilitated by Jasen Mphepo with 22 participants – 11 male and 11 female – representing three workers unions which are Zimbabwe Domestic and Allied Workers Union [ZDAWU], Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations [ZCIEA] and the Commercial Workers Union in Zimbabwe [CWUZ].
- read more about the course here
GLOBAL – SOUTH AFRICA: 6th ANNUAL Youth Globalisation Awareness Programme (YGAP)
IFWEA’s 6th annual YGAP programme took place during October. The programme is run by the IFWEA Secretariat based at Community House in Cape Town. This year the young worker educators came from organisations based in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Colombia, Venezuela, Cambodia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Finland.
- read more about the course activity / watch Postcards here
WATCH VIDEO: INDIA – FOUNDATION SKILLS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE (FSSC) CERTIFICATE PROGRAMME: Women’s Leadership” Course by Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA)
SEWA’s Indian Academy for Self Employed Women (IASEW) completed the Women’s Leadership course with dedicated participants and a certificate ceremony. “Learning the online platform was new to all so excitement was high”, said Director of IASEW and IFWEA Vice President Namrata Bali.
- read more and watch the video IASEW produced of their learning journey here
ASIA: SOLIDARITY VISIT “BUILDING THE GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITY OF WORKER EDUCATORS”
IFWEA’s Programme Manager Saliem Patel travelled in September , meeting affiliates and associates including the International Domestic Workers’ Federation (IDWF), the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU), the Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers’ Unions (FADWU), IndustriAll, and Federasi Serikat Pekerja Metal Indonesia (FSPMI).
- to follow the activities of IFWEA members join the global community on Facebook here for regular updates
GLOBAL – UK: IN COMMEMORATION OF RODNEY BICKERSTAFFE by Sahra Ryklief
“Not every union leader can say they were loved. But Rodney was loved by everyone.” Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Secretary Frances O’Grady.
Rodney Bickerstaffe died on 3rd October 2017. He served many years as President of the Global Network, a network of labour rights civil society organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, aimed at fostering alliances between trade unions and other civil society organisations towards building capacity around labour rights at a grassroots level.
- read the commemoration here
PAKISTAN – Gender Equity For Trade Unions by Labour Education Foundation (LEF) Designed By Director Khalid Mahmood – Facilitated By Educators Shahnaz Iqbal And Nosheen Amjad
This capacity building training was 3 days over 3 weeks, and was attended by 23 trade union members (15 men, 8 women) from 12 different organisations in Lahore Pakistan. The participants expected to learn about gender equality, gender roles, the situation of home based workers and rights of men and women.
- read more about the course activity here
GALLERY
IFWEA
International Federation of Workers Education Association (IFWEA) address: Labour Research Service (LRS), Community House , 41 Salt River Road, Salt River 7925, Cape Town South Africa
postal address: P.O. Box 376 Woodstock 7915 Cape Town South Africa
telephone: + 27 21 486 1115
fax: +27 21 447 9244
email: ifweasecretariat@lrs.org.za
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