About IAEA The IAEA exists in Israel since the establishment of the State in 1948, in order to serve the emerging field of adult and continuing education, concentrating on educators and staff and less on the learners. The Association has become the central organization of the field, encompassing a host of government and NGO organizations, as well as civil society and private sector agencies. IAEA has been active on the national as well as the international level. It has inseminated information about adult education activities in Israel and other countries. This has been achieved through ongoing conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings, and through the publication of a periodical newsletter in Hebrew, which is mailed to over 1000 individual members and organizations in Israel and other countries. Vision The vision is to contribute to the legitimacy and the wide spread interest in adult education in Israel. Thus, making this field an integral component of the implementation of national purposes of the State of Israel, in the realm of education in general. Mission It is to serve as a home to the many organizations, in terms of providing professional continuing training through workshops, publications and national conferences; establishing liaison with regional and international bodies; advocating the cause and development of the field. Goals The goals of the Association have changed over the years, according to emerging pressures and needs, mainly on the national level. This has varied from emphases on provision of in-service training for adult educators in literacy and family education, to the provision of learning materials to learners; maintaining forums and workshops; bringing European and international resources to the attention of our members. All those were the embodiment of goals, such as enhancing the Hebrew and Arabic cultures; exchanging ideas and workers with other countries; and supporting organizations in their battle for funding. Background: Adult Education in Israel Adult education proliferates in Israel in all areas of life, in a great variety of formal and informal, professional and community frameworks. A landmark in the role of adult education in Israel was the teaching and study of the Hebrew language. Since the foundation of the State fifty-five years ago, Israel absorbed people from all corners of the world. Immigrants from a variety of socio-cultural and political backgrounds came to find their homeland in Israel. Revival of the language after two thousand years, the teaching and learning of Hebrew was a major achievement of adult education in Israel. Hundreds of thousands of newcomers, irrespective of age and level of education, passed through flexible frameworks suited to their needs and abilities, where they were able to master the language. Yet another major achievement was in the area of literacy, ranging from basic education for coping skills, and continuing throughout to higher levels of secondary equivalent education. Another key area was the training and retraining of adults for employability. Women's adult and continuing education, as well as family education, were developed continuously by the Ministry of Education's Division for Adult Education and also by women's organizations, both in the rural and urban sectors. Another sector was the Ministry of Education's Torah Department, producing written learning materials and conducting study circles on all subjects relating to the Jewish tradition throughout the ages. A special unit has been dealing with the Arab and Druze sectors in Israel, offering literacy, personal enrichment and training for employment. IAEA's Work IAEA is funded by the Ministry of Education and has a small income for in membership fees and the publication of relevant booklets. Participants cover costs of special activities, workshops and seminars. A board of committed volunteers, chaired by Dr. Dov Friedlander, runs the Association. Due to budget constraints, the association was forced to cut down on its salaried personnel. Future activities will have to rely more heavily on further voluntary involvement. Lifelong Learning Resource Center (LLLRC) At present, the IAEA in cooperation with member organizations, is establishing a national Lifelong Learning Resource Center.

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