NordPlus Adult Education sub-programme project
No NPAD-2025/10226
“Empowering Education Professionals for Sustainable Leadership: Awakening the Six
Senses”
From October 27 to 29, Agnese Lāce, regional education coordinator for the Kurzeme Planning Region, and volunteers, Vija Zīverte, director of the Jaunpils Senior School, and Ilze Ausekle, a representative of the upcoming senior school in Zemīte and the non-governmental organization “Dzintarstrauts,” participated in a partner working visit to Kaunas as part of the Nordplus adult education project “Empowering education professionals for sustainable leadership: Awakening the Six Senses” (NPAD-2025/10226) in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Exchange of experiences and cooperation in the field of adult education
The visit was organized by the project’s lead partner, the Kaunas Center for Education Innovation, hosting partners from the Kurzeme Planning Region and the Institute of Adult Education in Helsinki. The aim of the visit was to strengthen cooperation among partners and to explore and practice sustainable leadership approaches and methods in adult education.
A hike as a learning and leadership experience
On the first day of the working visit, all participants went on a hiking expedition through the Panemunė pine forest and along the banks of the Nemunas and Neris rivers. Although the day was rainy and quite overcast, this did not prevent them from being active and creative—participating in environmental activities, reflecting on and discussing leadership skills and sustainability in education, as well as the role of the environment in developing educational and leadership skills. This day provided an excellent practical experience of the nature-based learning approach to foster reflection, collaboration, and empathy, as well as the development of self-learning and self-exploration skills among adults.
Collaborative work on developing methodological materials
Over the next two days, the project partners worked on developing methodological materials—“Tips for Sustainable Leadership in Adult Education”—and shared experiences on promoting leadership, collaboration, and civic engagement in local communities. They also visited the project’s lead partner, the Kaunas Education Innovation Center, to learn about its operating principles, and familiarized themselves with the activities of the Helsinki Institute for Adult Education, as well as the national priorities and challenges in organizing adult education for immigrants.
The project partners’ meeting concluded with a reflection session and joint evaluation, during which the first draft of the methodological material was discussed, conclusions were drawn regarding environmental activities, and future project activities were planned.
See you at project events in Kurzeme, Finland, and Lithuania!
We invite You to follow the progress and results of the project on the Kurzeme Planning Region website.
Project Manager
Agnese Lāce
Regional Education Coordinator
Tel.: +371 28381229
E-mail: agnese.lace@kurzemesregions.lv
