Bildningsalliansen - non formal adult education in Swedish in Finland

Bildningsalliansen is the central organization for Swedish-language liberal adult education in Finland. It promotes high-quality, accessible and impactful civic skills, liberal adult education and lifelong learning, and supports its members through networks, training and advocacy.

Activities and mission

Advocacy: influences education policy and safeguards funding and operating conditions for Swedish-language liberal adult education.
Development: runs projects, provides professional development and creates partnerships with educational institutions, NGOs and authorities.
Knowledge production and communications: publishes reports, guides and current materials about the field.
Networks and events: coordinates seminars, integration days and other meeting forums for professionals.

Membership

Members include Swedish-language and bilingual adult education centres, folk high schools, summer universities, sports education centres and study centres. The organization provides a regional and national network for actors in liberal adult education.

Focus areas and themes

Accessibility and equality: low barriers to participation and preserving provision in sparsely populated areas.
Integration and language policy: supporting Swedish-speaking integration and strengthening the role of Swedish.
High-quality adult education: supporting lifelong learning, basic and supplementary skills, and recognition of competences.
Regional impact: local activities, educational opportunities and cultural work.
Resilience and responsiveness: rapid responses to societal changes (e.g., migration, pandemics, security developments).

Current activities and examples

Integration events: has organized and participated in national and regional integration and networking events (e.g., Integration 2024, Swedish-language integration days).
Advocacy campaigns: responded to threats to public funding and highlighted effects of cuts on accessibility of Swedish-language education.
Organizational development and awards: runs development work and annual recognitions for contributors to liberal adult education.

Organization and contact

Office in Helsinki; additional presence in Jakobstad (Campus Allegro).
Provides information, training and advisory services to members as well as public communications and media cooperation.

Significance

Bildningsalliansen acts as an important bridge between Swedish-language adult education and decision‑makers, supports integration in Swedish and maintains educational opportunities that bolster local vitality, inclusion and lifelong learning.

A really short history lesson

Folkbildning began with the folk high school movement in Denmark around 1840, from where it spread to all Nordic countries. Thedevelopment of Study Circles in Swedish labour and temperance movements in the beginning of the 20th century then added to the picture.

Folkbildning today

A common trait in the Nordic countries is that the state provides financial support to folkbildning. There is a general agreement that they should be run separately from the state, but be co-financed by public funds, and the importance of folkbildning to the Nordic societies is recognised by all political parties. Folkbildning is a cornerstone of our civil society and thus crucial for democracy.

So what is this all about?

When we tried to translate ”Folkbildning” we ran up against a conceptual wall. Could it be “popular enlightenment” or “Nordic enlightenment”? Some even call it non-formal adult education, and we have also seen “Popular adult learning and education” and “liberal adult education “ used. None of these manage to convey the concept fully. In order to explain this phenomena, a Nordic group of adult educators have set up these state- ments, for what typical folkbildning really could be.

Folkbildning can be

A place for learning
The hard rock biker meeting your granny
Everywhere and for everyone
Something that sparks your interest, and gets you going
Making new friends
The local meeting place
Learning to become human, and get a hold on life
Something quite unexpected
Pushing, probing and creating democracy
Learning by doing
Where we decide what to learn for ourselves
Easy to access
The smell of coffee and cinnamon rolls
Fighting prejudice, both mine and yours
A place to grow
A creative process
Nordic passion
Developing practical skills
Learning by laughter
Helping you make sense of it all
A warm house during the cold long winter
Empowering you to participate
The first step in a new direction
Where you can disagree and still be friends
Life long learning