ABSTRACT

This chapter defines 'education and social work', indicating the nexus between educational and social justice. It discusses the close relationship between adult education and social work before describing different types of emancipatory learning through community-based education and learning in crises. The chapter gives details of a cooperative education programme organised for socially disadvantaged people by the Center for Continuing Education at the University of Graz and Caritas Steiermark, a religious charity in Styria, and outline possible developments within the area. In addition to a solid theoretical foundation, lifelong learning programmes for socially disadvantaged people also need to be adapted to the everyday life of the target group if they are to be successful. The interviews and surveys clearly demonstrated that a stable organisational basis, as well as regular consultations between the social services centre staff, the participants and the organisers, are key to the programme's success.