Zur Bestimmungsproblematik von Community Education. Befunde aus einer Fallstudie zum irischen Community Education Network

The topic of this article is the problem of determination of the term "community education", which goes way beyond the difficulty in translating the concept into German. The example of Ireland is used to show that in countries with a longer tradition of community education, there are different interpretations that make it difficult to come to an agreement both when theorizing and when putting education into practice. A description is given of the Irish Community Education Network, a network that connects people in the Republic of Ireland who are active in independent groups and organizations in the field of community education. This network has developed a common definition for community education in the sense of a strategy for professionalization and institutionalization. This strategy involves a long-term and in part conflict-laden process of clarification and determination, which is portrayed in the article. To come up with a common definition, it was essential to make use of a participation-oriented management approach. In the final section, conclusions are drawn about the compatibility of community education in German-speaking countries.