AONTAS, Ireland’s national adult learning organisation for adult and community education held their annual STAR (Showcasing Talent Awarding Recognition) Awards on the 7th of March in Croke Park. The awards are held each year to celebrate outstanding achievement in adult and community education and training throughout the country. Actor and writer Pauline McGlynn was the special guest of this years’ ceremony.
Once again the ESF+ had the privilege of sponsoring a Special Recognition Award for ESF+ Initiatives. The ESF+ MA announce Laois Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) Beyond the Barriers Adult Literacy Project as the winners of the 2025 STAR Awards. The Beyond the Barriers project is an Adult Literacy initiative co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Union.The project amplifies the voices of adult learners in the LOETB literacy service by filming the personal accounts of student ambassadors from diverse communities who act as advocates for adult literacy and lifelong learning.
Four other EIST 2021-2027 Projects were shortlisted in the ESF+ Special Recognition Award category:
The Active Citizenship Voter Education Programme: This City of Dublin ETB EU co-funded programme aims to give people the tools to engage with voting by showing the local, national and global impact of voting and to help people explore their own values. The programme won the Aontas STAR award for “Global Citizenship”.
The Great to Train Initiative: “Great to Train” is an EU co-funded ETB training project. It is supported by Cork ETB and led by Cork Simon. It focuses on building personal and work-related skills for individuals accessing homeless services in Cork. The project won the Aontas STAR award for “Social Inclusion”.
Transformative Journeys for Traveller Women: Start from the Heart Programme: This is also an EU co-funded LOETB Adult Literacy project. The aims of the Start from the Heart Programme to empower individuals from the Travelling Community who have faced social exclusion from education and training and other societal opportunities.This project won the “Shooting Star” category of the Awards.
Cultúr Migrant Centre Community Development and Capacity Building Project: This is an EU co-funded Integration and Employment of Migrants project that works with migrants and international protection applicants in Louth and Meath. English language classes were organised to engage with migrant and refugees and to encourage them to participate in the Community Development Programme.
It was incredible and inspiring to see the breadth of innovate community education projects taking place across the country. Congratulations to the Beyond the Barriers Team and to all of the shortlisted nominees.
