Promoting social inclusion. Does adult education make a difference? The results of a survey in eight European countries

ABSTRACT: Émile Durkheim recognized that in the Modern Society the most important social bond is the moral foundation and the school by its educational (training) function is able to transmit cap-abilities to realize – as a result of social diversity like value – the social integration (co-operation). Nowadays it’s necessary re-direct the society to rediscovery the meaning of solidarity and the idea of social inclusion. In particular, one of the most difficult challenges in the contemporary society is social inclusion of minority groups. These inhabitants (incl. unemployed, elderly and low educated) experience problems to participate and being active in society. For these people there should be possibilities to learn in later life, because education can provide active involvement in society to overcome barriers to social inclusion and moreover adult education answers to learning needs of civil society. This is where empirical research of the EDAM project (EDucation Against Marginalization Grundtvig Multilateral project,) comes into play. Learning at any age is seen as an effective tool for minority groups to offer them new perspectives on life. Eight European member states (i.e. The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Romania, Denmark, Italy and Greece), will develop, by the methodological core, a first European database of Life Long Learning to discover some strategies towards active citizenship, able to give each people the capability to “make history” and to build the future society all together.