The first episodes of Beyond the Classroom – the new community education series co-produced by DCTV and the Aontas Community Education Network have now been released online. Links are below.

Available to stream (watch in your browser) and download (for viewing later) the two episodes were first broadcast on DCTV on Wednesday 3rd March and repeated on the Fresh block later in the week.

Beyond the Classroom - The Communities. Episode 1 - Kilbarrack

Beyond the Classroom – Communities Ep1 from DCTV on Vimeo.

Directed by Donnacha O’Briain the 4 short form documentaries that make up the “Communities” section of Beyond the Classroom are thoughtful, engaging stories from the depths of another, earlier recession. This first episode tells the story of the young mothers in Kilbarrack who established a community education centre in the early 1980’s, of the learners interviewing the teachers, of the transformations both personal and community. Beautifully told this is one of the many success stories of Dublins Communities.

Introduced by Bernie Brady from Aontas the total piece is 20 minutes long and well worth putting the headphones in and having a cup of tea and watching.

Beyond the Classroom - The Practitioners. Episode 1.

Beyond the Classroom – The Practitioners Ep1 from DCTV on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/10052319

Currently being broadcast in three half hour episodes, The Practitioners section of Beyond the Classroom is the document of a live, 90 minute studio based discussion on Community Education. Inspired by the practices of Community Education the set was modeled on the Learning Circle which is so central to community education. The film-makers brought footage they had shot while researching the series and a group of insightful, experienced and committed practitioners discussed many of the key issues in Community Education using the clips as jumping off
points for an honest, deep and at times challenging exploration.

Facilitated by Anne Louise Gilligan this piece does not just look at the shape and boundaries of community education – it develops a new format of community television based on the tools and practices of community
television.

DCTV would love to hear from people who have viewed this material. A DVD version will be released later in the Spring with Aontas and the series will be released in a number of formats over the next few months. For
the month of March each week will see two new episodes released each Tuesday the week after they have been screened on DCTV – NTL 802. Please help the development of community television by passing these links onto
those you think may be interested.

Contact us at CE@dctv.ie for details on DVD and other media availability, to get help organising screenings or to let us know what you think.

Within community education the gap between learner and practitioner is often absent. Not only did many of the practitioners in the previous discussion present themselves as ex or current learners but the process itself speaks of a journey, a partnership where everybody must be open to learnings and examination and ‘reflexive’ practices. However, framed as a communication from current learners to those who are considering doing a community education course this 45 minute TV programme deals with the issues that new and prospective learners face as they embark on this journey.

From the practical tasks around, for example, childcare and integrating CE with day to day life to the vital issues around identity and confidence – thinking of yourself as a learner and how to deal with this new role. Honest and approachable this programme is facilitated by Liam Kilbride as a community education session within itself. Not only are the words spoken by the participants important – but the supportive atmosphere and use of experiential learning techniques is demonstrated by the participants.

DCTV invites centres to distribute this programme to prospective learners to support their consideration of whether to start on a CE course and the full series is being released under a creative commons license to facilitate this.

When it was proposed that Beyond the Classroom should consist of a ‘history’ of community education in Ireland – ‘Whose History’ was the first question. As CE is adopted by communities in response to their particular needs, it is also formed and shaped by the skills and resources of that community. Only by looking across multiple projects do the commonalities and principles com into view. The learner centred nature, the transformative project at the core of CE, the holistic approach to education. These four case studies span the last 30 years and provide an insight into what community education is, how it has been used in past by Dublin communities and the role of the networks which have developed to support community education.

The stories not only talk about community education though. They give us the stories of Dublins Communities that are not often heard – the success stories where those central actors look back at what they have achieved, at how their work has transformed not only themselves but their communities. A message of strength and hope that is as relevant to a funder, government agency or educational institute as it is to a community or learner, these stories which start in the depths of another recession may be an important part of the answers we are looking to for many of todays most pressing problems.

Episode 1 – Kilbarrack

Episode 2 – Tallaght

As Dublin has grown wealthier we have become carcooned, basing our personal and city transport system on the car. We know this isn’t working – but what is the alternative and how do we get there. Speaking to academics and elected officials, council planners and staff, campaigners and cyclists – Two Wheeled City constructs a convincing case and viable plan to recast Dublin as a cycl

Healthier, cheaper, friendlier, faster – the case for normalising cycling has never been more powerfully put. And as a bonus, in an effort to tear away at sterotypes, a series of ten cycling shorts (get it?) were made alongside the project.

This page is a list of  the projects which have their own wiki page.

1. City Cycling

Homeless people rarely have an outlet for their voices to be heard, this presents their often challenging views. This simple yet broadly cinematic piece refuses to use a narration, instead allowing voices from the street to confront their own fears and worries for the future. Social commentary at its best, with some scary and subtle focuses on the medical culture of methadone as a heroin substitute.

Clicking on any image below will bring you to the relevant Vimeo page where you can expand and watch full screen. Many of our uploads are close to broadcast quality so they are worth watching full screen – but they can be slow to start and a bit jumpy especially on a slow connection. Hitting pause and let more of the file download before you watch can help. Some of the files below have been compressed so they are still perfectly watchable in small picture size but lose quality somewhat when viewed full screen – however they play much quicker. Let us know your preferred format by leaving a comment below.

If you would like to purchase DVD copies of any of our programmes click here where you can order multiple or large volume copies in presentation packs.

In DCTV we support the digital commons. How people consume media has changed. So, we endeavour to make our own in house productions and those we screen available for download. We encourage you to spread these videos as far and wide as possible.