Abstract
The discussion in this chapter is centred on the partnership of media, literacy and education for sustainable development based on the Letters for Life, an adult literacy community project. This example proposes an integrated approach to enhance sustainable development, with impacts on “Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” and “Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” (UN, Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, A/RES/70/1, 2015).
To illustrate the positive impacts of the project, we use significant life narratives from the participants and we critically describe methodology and activities, which are a community-based participatory action research approach.
The project gives a contribution in providing equal learning opportunities for the elderly, enhancing intergenerational learning and promoting awareness of the importance of learning at an advanced age and, as a consequence, demonstrating that, at this stage of life, educational offers are not an expense but an investment for social inclusion, active citizenship, well-being and happiness.
In line with European efforts, Portugal has been active in pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals, but the level of achievement is still far from expectations. Our contribution to this mission is the work developed in Letters for Life project.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Associação Portuguesa para a Cultura e Educação Permanente (APCEP). (2019). Literacy for Democracy Project. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from http://www.apcep.pt/LD_APCEP.php
Bringle, R., & Hatcher, J. (1996). Implementing Service Learning in Higher Education. The Journal of Higher Education, 67(2), 221–239.
Carlsson, U. (2019). MIL in the Cause of Social Justice and Democratic Rule. In U. Carlsson (Ed.), Understanding Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the Digital Age—A Question of Democracy (pp. 11–24). Gothenburg: UNESCO.
Conselho Nacional da Educação (CNE). (2019). Estado da Educação 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from http://www.cnedu.pt/pt/?fbclid=IwAR2okuFQ7-XlWJuMfR6owSww1ttuZLNPY3K7Qe7NI4sqGcFyNIm_-3InDGM
DeVita, A., Milana, M. & Landri, P. (2019). Responsibility, Participation and Social Justice in Adult Education. Encyclopaideia—Journal of Phenomenology and Education, 23 (53). Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1825-8670/9362
Direção-Geral da Saúde (DGS). (2019). Health Literacy Action Plan 2019–2021—Portugal. Direção de Serviços de Prevenção da Doença e Promoção da Saúde (DSPDPS) Divisão de Literacia, Saúde e Bem-Estar. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://www.dgs.pt/documentos-e-publicacoes/plano-de-acao-para-a-literacia-em-saude-2019-2021-pdf.aspx
Engida, G. (2015). Foreword. In J. Sing, A. Grizel, S. J. Yee, & S. H. Culver (Eds.), MILID Yearbook 2015, Media and Information Literacy for the Sustainable Development Goals (pp. 9–11). Gothenburg: The International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media Nordicom.
European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA). (2018). Adult Education in Europe 2018—A Civil Society View. Brussels: EAEA. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://eaea.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Country_Reports_2018_final.pdf
European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) (2019). Adult Education in Europe 2019—A Civil Society View. Brussels: EAEA. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://eaea.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Country-Reports-2019.pdf
Eurostat. (2020a). News Release 66/2020—22 April 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10749941/3-22042020-BP-EN.pdf/04c88d0b-17af-cf7e-7e78-331a67f3fcd5
Eurostat. (2020b). Population by Educational Attainment Level, Sex and Age (%)—Main Indicators, 55–74 Years. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/submitViewTableAction.do
Fals-Borda, O. (1991). Remaking Knowledge. In O. Fals-Borda & M. A. Rahman (Eds.), Action and Knowledge: Breaking the Monopoly with Participatory Action Research (pp. 146–166). New York: Apex.
Fals-Borda, O., & Rahman, M. (1991). Action and Knowledge: Breaking the Monopoly with Participatory Action Research. New York: Apex.
Fetterman, D. (2001). Foundations of Empowerment Evaluation. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Fetterman, D. (2005). Empowerment Evaluation Principles in Practice: Assessing Levels of Commitment. In D. Fetterman & A. Wandersman (Eds.), Empowerment Evaluation: Principles in Practice (pp. 42–72). New York: Guilford.
Fetterman, D. C. (2010). Ethnography Step-by-Step. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Fetterman, D., & Wandersman, A. (2018). Essentials of Empowerment Evaluation. In D. Fetterman, L. Rodríguez-Campos, & A. Zukoski and Contributors, Collaborative, Participatory, and Empowerment Evaluation (pp. 74–89). New York: Guilford.
Freire, P. (1967). Educação como Prática da Liberdade. Rio de Janeiro: Paz e Terra.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Zed Books.
Freire, P. (1982). Creating Alternative Research Methods: Learning to Do It by Doing It. In B. Hall, A. Gillette, & R. Tandon (Eds.), Creating Knowledge: A Monopoly? (pp. 29–37). New Delhi: Society for Participatory Research in Asia.
Freire, P. (1989). A importância do ato de ler: em três artigos que se completam. São Paulo: Cortez.
Freire, P. (1992). Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Continuum.
Freire, P. (1996). Pedagogia da Autonomia. Saberes necessários à prática educative. São Paulo: Paz e Terra.
Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. (2016). Literacia em Saúde em Portugal—Relatório Síntese. Lisboa: CIES/IUL.
Guterres, A. (2020). UN chief Global Appeal to Address and Counter COVID-19 Related Hate Speech. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1063542
Habermas, J. (1987). Theory of Communicative Action, Volume II: Lifeworld and System: A Critique of Functionalist Reason. Boston: Beacon.
Habermas, J. (1996). Between Facts and Norms. Cambridge: MIT Press.
IEFP. (2020). Informação Mensal do Mercado de Emprego. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://www.iefp.pt/documents/10181/9766505/Informa%C3%A7%C3%A3o+Mensal+mar%C3%A7o+2020.pdf/910ce737-b43d-41c8-8953-e3aba877ad38
INCoDe.2030. (2018). Brochura Portugal INCoDe.2030 (Versão EN). Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://www.incode2030.gov.pt/sites/default/files/portugal_incode_en_web_single_0.pdf
INE. (2012). Censos Portugal 2011. Lisboa: INE.
Kaplan, S. A., & Garrett, K. E. (2005). The Use of Logic Models by Community-Based Initiatives. Evaluation and Program Planning, 28, 167–172.
Kelly, J. C., Snowden, L. R., & Munoz, R. F. (1977). Social and Community Intervention. Annual Review of Psychology, 38, 323–361.
Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Nixon, R. (2014). The Action Research Planner. Doing Critical Participatory Action Research. London: Springer.
Knowles, M. (1973). The Adult Learner: A Neglected Species. Houston: Gulf Publishing Company.
Knowles, M. (1975). Self-Directed Learning: A Guide for Learners and Teachers. New York: Associated Press.
Knowles, M. (1980). The Modern Practice of Adult Education: From Pedagogy to Andragogy. New York: Association Press.
Kubisch, A. C., Brown, P., Chaskin, R., Hirota, J., & Joseph, M. (1998). Voices from the Field: Learning from the Early Work of Comprehensive Community Initiatives. Washington, DC: Aspen Institute.
Maguire, P. (1987). Doing Participatory Research: A Feminist Approach. Participatory. Research & Practice, 6, Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cie_participatoryresearchpractice/1
Maguire, P. (1996). Considering More Feminist Participatory Research: What’s Congruency Got to Do with It? Qualitative Inquiry, 2, 106–118.
Município de Coimbra. (2018). Diagnóstico Social do Concelho de Coimbra. Divisão de Educação e Ação Social da Câmara Municipal de Coimbra. CLAS/C. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://www.cm-coimbra.pt/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Diagno%CC%81stico-Social-2018.pdf
Patrão, C., Soeiro, D., & Parreiral, S. (2019). ‘Teclas Prá Vida’: a transformar janelas em realidades inclusivas. In S. Pereira (Ed.), Literacia, Media e Cidadania—Livro de Atas do 5.° congresso (pp. 302–311). Braga: CECS.
PORDATA. (2020). Taxa de risco de pobreza após transferências sociais: indivíduos com 65 e mais anos. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://www.pordata.pt/Europa/Taxa+de+risco+de+pobreza+ap%C3%B3s+transfer%C3%AAncias+sociais+indiv%C3%ADduos+com+65+e+mais+anos-2169
Resolução do Conselho de Ministros. (n.d.). n.° 30/2020—Diário da República n.° 78/2020, Série I de 2020-04-21.
Rothes, L., Queirós, J., & Moreira, A. (2019). Plano Nacional de Literacia de Adultos, Relatório de Pesquisa. Porto. inED—Centro de Investigação & Inovação em Educação, Escola Superior de Educação do Politécnico do Porto.
Smith, L., Bratini, L., Chambers, D.-A., Jensen, R. V., & Romero, L. (2010). Between Idealism and Reality: Meeting the Challenges of Participatory Action Research. Action Research, 8(4), 407–425.
Soeiro, D., & Parreiral, S. (2018, 06 de agosto). Case Study Letters for Life, Portugal. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from http://uil.unesco.org/case-study/effective-practices-database-litbase-0/letters-life-portugal
Trickett, E. (2009). Multilevel Community-Based Culturally Situated Interventions and Community Impact: An Ecological Perspective. American Journal of Community Psychology, 43, 257–266.
UNESCO. (2013). Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Assessment Framework: Country Readiness and Competencies. Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000224655
UNESCO. (2019). 4th Global Report on Adult Learning and Education. Leave No One Behind: Participation, Equity and Inclusion. Institute for Lifelong Learning. Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372274
United Nations (UN). (2015). Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, A/RES/70/1. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld/publication
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (UN-DESAPD). (2019). World Population Ageing 2019: Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/430). Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WorldPopulationAgeing2019-Highlights.pdf
United Nations, Economic and Social Council. (2019). Special Edition: Progress Towards the Sustainable Development Goals Report of the Secretary-General. Retrieved October 5, 2020, from https://undocs.org/E/2019/68
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Patrão, C., Soeiro, D., Parreiral, S. (2021). Media, Literacy and Education: Partners for Sustainable Development. In: Yusha’u, M.J., Servaes, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of International Communication and Sustainable Development. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69770-9_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69770-9_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-69769-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-69770-9
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)