I have slowly ended up in various situations where I could be a voice for Adult Ed, the various programs - including those which lost funding, student leadership and inclusion in policy making, teacher leadership and inclusion in policy making, equity, and sustainability. I need to pull back from much of this in order to focus on caregiving for my mom and finding new means to support myself (supplementing my retirement). As you know, advocacy and policy influence is generally unpaid.?
I know that this is a group of experienced advocates and so you may already know about how all this stuff works - but if some reason you don't and would like tips about getting involved in these ways, please let me know.?
So often in these spaces, I was one of the few people bringing up any of the issues listed above. Not always but often. It's really important to have multiple voices included in decision making.
We now have a window of opportunity for more involvement and inclusion given Thurmond's leadership of CDE and the cultural emphasis on equity. As we know, these windows open and close so while they are open - we need to climb thru!??
Do or don't we have voices within these orgs speaking up for Older Adult Adult Education?? Good question - a place to get started.?
