My name is Aurelie Lemaire and I’m currently doing a GRUNDTVIG ASSISTANTSHIP with Everything Is Possible!

 
What is a Grundtvig assistantship? It is a programme funded by the European Commission that enables present or future staff involved in adult education to do an assistantship in another European country participating in the LLP (Lifelong Learning Programme).

 
During these 45 weeks of assistantship, it’s amazing how much I have learnt!  It was the first time for me to work in an office, and I’m glad I have done this experience because I know what it is now! My main role in the organisation is to work with the adults willing to do a project in Europe for a short-term or a long-term period. In one hand, I’m working with different organisations in the UK, and in the other hand, I’m working with our partners in Europe (Sweden, Norway, France, Italy, etc.).

 
Everything is Possible is working with people with fewer opportunities, which means that we work with people with different backgrounds. Thanks to my assistantship, I had the opportunity to visit different institutions here in the UK (primary and secondary schools, foyers, Salvation Army, etc.) and to understand how these institutions work and help adults in their professional life. Thanks to these visits, I learnt a lot about the formal and informal system of education for adults in the UK.

 
The other part of my work is to be in contact with our partners in Europe and to organise the project for the volunteers and trainees going to do a project with them. This part of my work enabled me to learn about the international dimension of the informal education for adults, and thanks to Everything Is Possible, I had the opportunity to visit some of the partners (Italy and Reunion Island) to learn more about the voluntary work or training over there.

 
In addition to my main role, I had the opportunity to participate in many other projects with Everything Is Possible, among others participating in a Leonardo partnership with two organisations in Spain (Gantalcala) and Germany (Brandenburgische Sportjugend), participating in a Grundtvig Learner workshop ( Suitcase Circus – http://suitcase-circus.blogspot.co.uk/), organising a big event with the team (Young Pride – http://51youngpride.blogspot.co.uk/), and organising a youth exchange with Malta.

 

Although I learnt a lot with Everything Is Possible, I also had the opportunity to teach the people I was working with, and to bring my own skills to the organisation.

Indeed, I had the opportunity to teach French and Italian to the participants going to France, Reunion Island or Italy for their project. Thanks to this experience, I realised that teaching adults was something I really enjoy and at the end of my assistantship, I have every intention of going back to school to learn how to teach adults and get a certificate that will enable me to be a teacher.

 
These 45 weeks have been full of adventures and excitements and I would like to thank Everything Is Possible,  the European Commission and AEF Europe to have enabled me to do my Grundtvig assistantship and, consequently, to learn all the skills I learnt since I started my assistantship.

 

 

Aurelie Lemaire, Grundtvig Assistant.

 

 

Grundtvig assistantship supported by AEF Europe and the Lifelong Learning programme of the European Union.