LLinE Lifelong Learning in Europe

LLinE Conference in January in the Arctic

© Stephan David
The snowcovered front yard of the University of Lapland with sculptures in the afternoon.

The Ninth LLinE Conference Learning Regions – Learning Cities attracted 70 participants from 20 countries, the furthest from China and California. The four keynote presentations and the following case descriptions described the situation, experiences and developments in the UK, Italy, Russia, Finland and Germany. The locations prompted presentations of the formidable Arctic networks both in university research (the Arctic Centre in the University of Lapland), The University of the Arctic (with its coordinating office in Rovaniemi, Finland), and the NGO cooperation.

In the final keynote Professor Peter Jarvis reflected on the location of power. Governments are no longer sovereign possessors of the relevant power. The global economy rules over them. Also psychological power lies there through massive use of advertising soothing us into pleasantries rather than thinking. Yet learning and thinking population is what the world and governments need.

- The recognition that the people are able to act on their own behalf is positive but the power of the sub-structure of globalisation is such that even the creation of a multitude of learning regions will not realise the vision of the better global world – that vision is still blurred and deferred – but at least it is another step in the right direction, concluded Professor Jarvis.

LLinE journal will publish articles based on the presentations in the LLinE Conference in the issues of 2007.