As part of the CAN PEACE III project, Leadership and Learning, which the WEA ia delivering in partnership with IISC and Mediation NI, participants and trainers went on a study visit in March to Serbia and Croatia. A short video of their experiences can be seen below.

As its contribution to Adult Learners' Week, the Forum for Adult Learning NI (FALNI) is organising a half-day conference on Thursday 23rd May to look at how the state of play for adult learning in NI compares with that in neighbouring regions and nations. The conference will be in NICVA starting at 10.00 and place can be booked via www.nicva.org/events/where-now-adult-learning-northern-ireland

We have a keynote speaker from NIACE (National Institute for Adult Continuing Education) who will give an overview of the situation in the UK and have invited other representatives to further broaden the discussion (we will keep you updated with other confirmations on this website). We want your contributions to this debate so that FALNI can represent a wider collective voice in its lobbying role. So if your work involves organising or delivering adult learning please come along and add your voice to what is a critical debate.

Preparing Chicken Rogan Josh at the Healthy Cooking and Living Course in Cregagh Youth & Community Centre

Last week we visited the Phoenix Men’s Group at their Healthy Cooking and Living course in the Cregagh Youth & Community Centre. This is the men’s third week on the course and they were making a spicy Chicken Rogan Josh. The men have already made wheaten bread and chilli con carne and this week they are tackling fish pie!!

Some of the members of Crann Na Beatha Men’s Group met with Jim Morgan, Senior Project Development Officer with The Belfast Health Development Agency last week in empty premises at Conway Mill on the Falls Road where the men are starting to set up their Men’s Shed. Crann Na Beatha means “The Tree of Life” and this fledgling Men’s Shed will open its doors to men of all ages and backgrounds from the local area.

Adult Learners' Week (ALW) 2013 will run from 18th to 24th May and is an opportunity for individuals and organisations to celebrate the many and diverse benefits of lifelong learning.

So if you are holding any events during the week, big or small, please email us on alw2013@wea-ni.com and we will put your event into the calendar and give your story some coverage. Please also use the ALW logo so that it is clear to all that your event is part of the wider celebrations.

This is Depression Awareness Week and it runs from 15^th to 21^st April. The week aims to raise awareness of depression and to try and end the stigma around it. A study from the Bamford Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing showed that in any one year in Northern Ireland one in four people present symptoms that could be related to one or more mental health conditions. Depression is also recognised as the most common reason for people to visit their GPs in Northern Ireland.

A recent Assembly Question to the Health Minister Edwin Poots by Sue Ramsey MLA revealed that the amount of adults diagnosed with depression in Northern Ireland has increased by a staggering 3.1% in five years from 2007 to 2012.

Siobhan Doherty, Chief Executive of Aware Defeat Depression said “the fact that depression is increasing rather than decreasing sends out a very clear message that people suffering from this illness need help sooner rather than later.”

Depression is a very personal issue for many people and breaking the stigma and acknowledging it is a problem can be very difficult. It can be particularly difficult for men to talk about depression and in these difficult economic times it can become much more of an issue. Often people suffer in silence for too long. Depression is an illness which can be prevented, treated and recovered from. So the message for this week is to encourage anyone with depression to talk about it “a problem shared is a problem halved.”

Aware Defeat Depression recognises the stigma attached to mental health issues and encourages people who suffer from depression to talk to their family and friends. Aware Defeat Depression also offers a helpline service for anyone affected by depression, those who experience depression or the family and friends of those who experience depression. The helpline number is 08451 20 29 61.  

Man Matters has started a new Community Tutor Training course in Argyle Business Centre in Belfast.

The Southern Area Men’s Health Steering Group, of which Man Matters is a member, held an event in the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre to improve participants skills and knowledge in engaging with men in their local communities. Despite the heaviest snow in Belfast in 60 years the event was very well attended with representatives from various statutory, voluntary and men’s sector organisations including some local men’s groups.

Despite Friday's heavy snow Man Matters had a good turnout for a Men's Health Day held in the Jolly Roger Complex, Alliance Road, Belfast. The men who braved it to the Health Day were able to get their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol checked as well as getting information from a range of organisations on health issues.