Our Mission

As a Community Adult Learn Council, LEARN is dedicated to respectful, accessible, and inclusive life-long learning for adult learners in Medicine Hat and Cypress County.

We create opportunities for adult learners to access and participate in non-credit courses and programs. We work collaboratively with our local council of agency members and community partners to help remove the barriers to learning for adult learners.

Our Organization

LEARN stands for Lifelong Education And Resource Network. We're part of a provincial system of Community Adult Learning Councils (CALCs), funded by Alberta Enterprise and Advanced Education (AEAE).

LEARN is a board-run organization locally based in Medicine Hat, AB. We're dedicated to supporting on-going educational opportunities in our community. We strive to create learning opportunities that are respectful, accessible and inclusive.

Community Adult Learning Councils (CALCs)

The Community Adult Learning Program is an essential part of the Government of Alberta's overall strategy to support lifelong learning for Albertans. Creating a more vibrant and engaged province requires accessible lifelong learning opportunities for adults who seek to:

improve their literacy and essential skills in order to meet their personal and career goals.

There are over 80 Community Adult Learning Councils (CALCs) throughout Alberta. LEARN is the CALC for Medicine Hat and Cypress County.

Alberta Advanced Education supports CALCs, like LEARN, to provide adult literacy, English language learning and other adult learning programs that are responsive and innovative in meeting adult learning needs.

A vibrant community adult learning system enables Advanced Education and Technology to meet our goals of improving local accessibility to adult learning, particularly for adults from under represented groups and those wanting to improve their literacy or other foundational skills.

In four regional meetings, over 100 representatives from community adult learning organizations and post-secondary institutions provided their ideas on how to strengthen community learning and literacy programs in Alberta. Their input along with that of the Roles and Mandates Policy Framework Community Adult Learning Working Group resulted in the release of:

Building Vibrant Learning Communities: Frameworks and Actions to Strengthen Community Adult Learning Councils and Community Literacy Programs.

Comprehensive Community Institutions

CALCs enhance the learning system in Alberta. All CALCs work closely and cooperatively with Comprehensive Community Institutions (CCIs), which are responsible for providing stewardship of adult learning opportunities in their defined region of Alberta. There are 11 CCIs throughout the province. Medicine Hat College is LEARN's Comprehensive Community Institution.

Objectives

LEARN is driven by one over-arching objective: to make adult learning opportunities more accessible in Medicine Hat and Cypress County. In particular, we strive to provide access to learning opportunities for foundational skills.

LEARN works in collaboration with the Government of Alberta's Community Adult Learning Program (CALP). Together our goals are to:

Improve the accessibility of adult learning, particularly for those from under-represented groups.
Provide local opportunities for adults to acquire important foundational skills such as literacy and English language proficiency.
Address non-formal learning needs in communities.
Mobilize volunteers and other resources in support of learning.
Collaborate with other organizations to address individual and community issues through learning.

Outcomes

LEARN is a key player in fulfilling the vision of Alberta Advanced Education that Alberta prospers through innovation and lifelong learning. We are guided by the following outcomes:

Enhanced access and participation of adults in learning.
Increased literacy and essential foundational skills of adults.
Strengthened pathways and successful transitions for adult learners.
Increased capacity and alignment of community learning providers with public post-secondary institutions.

Resources

Learn more about Alberta Advanced Education, visit:
www.eae.alberta.ca