Beyond Learning
European Association for the Education of Adults
On Beyond Learning, we talk to people who are trying to imagine a more sustainable future, and putting their ideas into practice. In the second season, we take a journey to Central and Eastern Europe to explore how learning can foster a sense of belonging in a changing world. From Vienna to Budapest, Zagreb, Athens and Belgrade, we meet with adult learners, educators, but also filmmakers, researchers, migrant and feminist collectives who put community-building at the centre of their work. We record our conversations at adult learning centres and art performances; in cafes, urban gardens and other community spaces where learning happens and new identities are created.
Join Aleksandra Kozyra and her colleagues from the European Association for the Education of Adults to explore stories of learning, and stories of change. Beyond Learning is produced by EAEA and co-funded by the European Union. Artwork by Clémence Garnier. Episodes released every other Thursday.
Join Aleksandra Kozyra and her colleagues from the European Association for the Education of Adults to explore stories of learning, and stories of change. Beyond Learning is produced by EAEA and co-funded by the European Union. Artwork by Clémence Garnier. Episodes released every other Thursday.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 9, 2024 • 58min
There Before Me
Who was there before us in our movements? How can we own the narrative of our histories?
In the heart of a bustling library and archive in Athens, born through the claims of the Greek feminist movement in the 80s, we meet Irene: an archivist, librarian and feminist. Amidst the books, journals and clippings of the archive, we discuss libraries as sites of collective learning and exploration, where diverse voices converge and histories intertwine.
We talk about how libraries and archives are more than just repositories but catalysts for change, documenting movements and revealing untold stories of community learning. In these spaces of gathering and discovery, we see how sharing languages, stories, and demands, bit by bit transcend great narratives and showcase that transformative action is forged day by day, get together by get together, book by book.
Apr 25, 2024 • 51min
Opening Boxes
Is radio a thing of nostalgia?
Together with our host in Belgrade, Maja Maksimovic, we revisit the past as we open closets, cupboards and drawers. While talking about personal memory, we also learn how to make Turkish coffee (and read the future).
We then take a walk in a park with filmmaker Marija Stojnic to discuss “Speak so I can see you”, her documentary about Radio Belgrade. Marija shares with us why radio is an accessible means of learning, and how you can get goosebumps from listening to archives. We also reflect on how to connect with the past without romanticising it.
Apr 11, 2024 • 60min
Spaces of Encounters, Spaces of Freedom
Who has the power to create public spaces?
We first ask the question to Katarina Popovic and Maja Maksimovic from the University of Belgrade. We sit down in a kafana in Belgrade to talk about cultural identity, practice dark Eastern European humour, and reflect on the value of a stolen Yugoslavian passport. We also do some experiential learning around the concept of Dionisian socialism.
We then meet with Iva Cukic and Jovana Timotijevic from the Ministry of Space, a collective that reflects on the future of cities. Iva and Jovana tell us how collective practices can recreate a sense of community, and what it means to fall in love with an abandoned building (relationship status: it’s complicated).
This episode also features discussions about the Serbian model of gentrification, the Turkish approach to slow food, and the German take on nostalgia.
Mar 28, 2024 • 43min
Changing Narratives
"It's time to change the vocabulary," says one of the guests of this episode.
In Budapest, we visit two civil society organisations that challenge existing narratives. We first talk to Teréz Pataki and Reza Sayed Mustafa from Mira Haz, a community centre that welcomes migrants and refugees. We discuss intercultural learning and why an integration course isn’t a factory.
We also meet with Róbert Kepe from the Shelter Foundation, which supports homeless people. Róbert introduces us to the Hungarian Street Paper, where all contributors – no matter their experience or background – have their art published on the same page.
In the meantime, we get advice on where to best learn to fly a kite as an adult, and find out why vending machines in Budapest sell books.
Mar 14, 2024 • 52min
Naming the Nameless
Who makes – and owns – a language?
In Linz, we meet with Rubia Salgado, language teacher and co-founder of das kollektiv, a collective of migrant women. As we walk along the Danube, we talk to Rubia about who belongs in public spaces, what it means to be open to change, and why learning about migration can’t be reduced to trying out new dinner recipes. We discuss what grammar and syntax in a language have to do with power and who constructs a language. Rubia also tells us about the benefits of chewing the words – and why poetry can help.
Feb 29, 2024 • 42min
A Little Island
What if our space for learning could turn into a living room, a café – or an island?
In the first episode of the new season, we pass by Vienna to begin our exploration of learning, identity and belonging.
We meet with Margit Lindner from the magdas hotel, a social enterprise that supports learners with a refugee background. Margit takes us on a tour of the hotel and tells us what it means to run a business that’s focused on people, and not on profit.
We also talk to Alisa Cela-Goldgruber from Verein Piramidops, a community centre for migrant women. She shows us around the neighbourhood, and shares how adult learning can create new spaces for exchange between communities, both physical and metaphorical.
Dec 21, 2023 • 30min
Women Don't Cycle
If you cycled from Europe to Tokyo, who would you meet on the way – and what would you learn?
Together with EAEA’s Angeliki Giannakopoulou, we talk to Manon Brulard, a filmmaker who tells us about her documentary “Women Don’t Cycle”. She shares why cycling 13,000 km from Brussels to Tokyo – and then making a film about it – has been a transformative learning experience. We also talk about the bicycle as a social vehicle for women, the power of community building and claiming public space. We record our conversation during a feminist festival in Brussels, at which we are joined by a cat.
Dec 7, 2023 • 28min
Upside Down
What if you could design and build your community space - no matter your background or skills?
In this episode, we meet with Maria Glionna, an architect, educator and learner, who tells us about participatory architecture as a practice of empowerment. We also discuss learning as a way of connecting to your own body, emotions and nature, and Maria’s personal and professional journey: from Italy through the UK to Belgium, and from traditional to community-based architecture.
While talking, we visit a community centre in Brussels, where we take a look into Maria’s workshop and learn how to make a house out of clay (and glitter).
Nov 23, 2023 • 25min
Elephant Steps
What could you make out of your mother’s coat?
EAEA’s Raffaela Kihrer goes to her weekly sewing class and talks to her teacher and classmates about their learning experience and motivation. They discuss what it means to get attached to the things that you own - but also to the people in your class - and what the Great British Sewing Bee has got to do with it. In the meantime, Raffaela works on her first sewing challenge.
Nov 9, 2023 • 29min
Growing
“Vegetables grow here and people grow here,” says one of the employees of Groot Eiland, a social enterprise based in Molenbeek, Brussels. Together with Patrick de Coster, we meet with instructors and trainees who share their thoughts about the social context in Brussels, vulnerability, and safe spaces for learning. We also take a guess on what the most diverse city in the world is (spoiler: it's not New York). In the meantime, we visit an urban farm, a restaurant and an organic shop run by Groot Eiland, and witness a landscaping project in the making.
