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