The Associaton of participants Agora is a Non-governmental organization in the field of education and training. Their activities are addressed to adults who do not have academic degree, especially people from vulnerable groups that are at risk of social exclusion. The association was established in 1986 to cover the educational and cultural needs of the local neighborhood.

Since then, is active part of the management of the Adult School La Verneda-Sant Martí.  In 1999, Harvard Educational Review published the article “La Verneda-Sant Martí, a school where people dare to dream”, the unique Spanish educational experience into adult education published by this review. Authors such as John Comings (Harvard University), Barbara Merril (Warwick University), Carol D. Lee (Northwestern University and vice-president of the American Educational Research Association) or Courtney Cazden (Harvard University) have visited the school and association highlighting the impact of the school results and work.
Agora provides an educational setting for about 2400 participants and has more than 150 volunteers. It offers a wide range of activities, including language learning, basic literacy, ICT training groups and dialogic literary circles among many other activities. Agora has an extensive opening time from 9am to 22pm and all activities are free.
Agora’s main goal is to achieve educational success and social participation through democratic principles, opening all decision-making processes to all the people involved in the organization. The education provided is based on the dialogic learning (Flecha, 2005), in which the egalitarian dialogue, transformation and solidarity are three of the key principles to contribute to overcome inequalities. In addition, the association aims to give voice to those who are more excluded from the public debates and social participation, fostering and promoting their inclusion in all social fields.
Agora is currently coordinating an Erasmus + project on financial literacy EDUFIN: Developing participative processes for the generation of a financial education curriculum addressed to young adults at risk, with 6 partners including EAEA, European universities, research centres and adult associations.
Agora has been working on literacy from it’s beginning. As an association that works with vulnerable adults who are at risk of social exclusion, the main aim is to give the access to all the knowledge the participants need to make informed decisions in everyday life situations.  To make it possible, over the years, Agora has developed, for example, technological experience that goes beyond the training in digital media going to the involvement and development of participative processes on technologies, also now is working on Financial Education for yung adults at risk, developing dialogically a curriculum that can make financial concept accessible to the community. It is from this project that our  participants recognized the need to develop scientific literacy. In addition to this previous literacy experience, Agora is based on the dialogic education which mean that the inclusion and active participation of target group is not a new issue for the association. Agora has a history of developing activities involving the community and bringing the knowledge to the participants.

 

 

AGORA – Asociacion de personas participantes Agora, Spain
215, Selva Mar st. 5th floor
08020 Barcelona (Spain)

Phone: +34 93 256 57 79

Fax: +34  93 266 07 81

E-mail: escola@edaverneda.org