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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.

Click here to view updates on the Youth Globalisation Awareness Programme – YGAP
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See available courses on Online Labour Academy (OLA)

Online Labour Academy – Courses Available in 2019

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Foundation Skills for Social Change Certificate Programme

Youth Globalisation Awareness Programme (YGAP)

Study Circles for Social Change Programme

Champions of Worker Education

IFWEA e-bulletin Issue 44

Latest Affiliate News

▷ GLOBAL – CAMBODIA

Educator Profile: Samphous Von

Samphous Von is President of the Cambodian Domestic Workers’ Network at our affiliate Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Associations (IDEA) She attended IFWEA’s Youth Globalisation Awareness Programme – YGAP in 2017. In this article she reflects on organising informal workers.

▶️ read here

▷ GLOBAL – PHILIPPINES

Educator Profile: Jennifer Albano

Jennifer Albano (pictured above – middle) is the Executive Director of LEARN, a labour and political activist .She talks about workers’ education and the strategy of including informal economy associations in labour movement activity

▶️ read more here

▷ USA – ‘Open The Government! “No!” To Slave Labor!’ By Michael Merrill

In January 2019 Michael Merrill wrote on the the USA’s President and Senate’s refusal to fund the continuing operations of the federal government during the first quarter of 2019. He explains why: “…(T)his involves two breaches of trust so profound as to call into question the legitimacy of the government itself. It is a constitutional crisis of the highest magnitude.”

▶️ read more here

▷ GLOBAL – GERMANY – INDIA – USA – 2019 GLU Masters Programmes in India, U.S. and Germany open for application

The Global Labour University (GLU) – a network of trade unions, universities, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and the ILO – invites trade unionists and labour activists to apply for its Masters’ Programmes in Germany, India and the USA. For details, click on the links below…

▶️ Master of Arts (MA) in Development and Labour Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

Application deadline: 1 February 2019. Contact: glu.jnu@gmail.com.

Application deadline only applicable to non-Indians (foreign students), who can apply for a scholarship by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

▶️ Masters in Professional Studies (MPS) in Labor and Global Workers’ Rights at Penn State University, USA

Application deadline: 1 March 2019. Contact: lgwr@psu.edu

▶️Master of Arts (MA) in “Labour Policies and Globalisation” at the Berlin School of Economics and Law/the University of Kassel in Germany. Application deadline: 1 March 2019. Contact: glu.germany@uni-kassel.de

▷ GLOBAL – IFWEA 2018 ACTIVITY REPORT by General Secretary (GS) Sahra Ryklief and Secretariat Team

from the report by the GS:

“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 participation in our programme activities; through information dissemination; through participating in the Online Labour Academy, the Foundation Skills for Social Change programme; the Study Circles for Social Change Project and our flagship Youth Globalisation Awareness Programme, I thank you.

With your highly valued contributions as our resource, we make our Global Knowledge Community a reality.”

▶️ read the Activity, Education, Research and Communication Reports

GLOBAL – Sweden Educator Profile: Stefan Svennson – Arbetarnas bildningsförbund (ABF)

“Education can liberate people to be able to take that one or two steps forward, and build self-confidence, well I can do this.You can then deal with all kinds of questions in society – it does not always have to be the political view – it can be the trade union view, it can be the environment view, it can be a social security view, or a gender view. There is no limit, it can be a tool.” says Stefan Svensson of ABF – outgoing IFWEA Executive Committe Treasurer.

Stefan Svensson shares his journey working locally, regionally, nationally and globally using worker education in Sweden, and how can face the challenges in our world through solidarity.

read the profile here

▷ GLOBAL – Côte d’Ivoire

Educator Profile: Sibailly Maximilien Douhouré – StreetNet International

“Education is the key to success, moreover it’s the light that opens people’s eyes to their rights and privileges. Every change starts with education – it is the foundation of all development. When members are well trained their unions become strong” says Sibailly Maximilien Douhouré, – Organiser & Educator at StreetNet International, and outgoing IFWEA Executive Committee Member.

Sibailly’s Maximilien Douhouré shares his journey from telecommunications engineer, to working across Africa and the globe. ▶️ read the profile

GLOBAL – SOUTH AFRICA: YGAP 2018 theme: “Popular Not Populist – Make Your Voices Heard” The programme took place in Cape Town from 4th to 27th October 2018 – participants came from Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Finland, Ghana, India, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda, USA, Zimbabwe. ▶️ Check out: our photo and video updates of activities during the programme on the YGAP 2018 Page ▶️ View: information about the programme and facilitators who took part here ▶️ Watch: the multi-media “Postcards” produced by YGAP 2018 groups chronicling their experience on IFWEA’s You Tube channel ▶️ Read: YGAP 2018 REFLECTIONS from UNI Africa’s Elisabeth Neh Zama and Jane Katusabe

GLOBAL – Global labour University (GLU) Call for Papers for the 14th Global Labour University Conference “Reflecting 100 years of ILO – Shaping the rules for a new century of labour”

Taking place in Berlin, Germany , from 27 – 29 March 2019 Deadline for abstracts: 15 November 2018 GLU wants to invite labour activists and academics to contribute to the global discourse on what kinds of new global rules are necessary, what role the ILO is expected to play in a system of global governance, and how we can strengthen international labour solidarity to obtain the rules needed. click here to read more