By MOJA Team
On 7-8 October 2025, MOJA Adult Education Africa hosted an in-person pilot workshop with 18 adult education practitioners. The event brought together a diverse group of practitioners - some from Community Learning Centres, members of the Adult Learners Network (ALF) and Popular Education Network, as well as facilitators working with out-of-school youth from the YMCA and RLabs.
The workshop's purpose was to test and gather feedback on MOJA's newly developed Draft Social Media Handbook for ALE. This resource came from two studies conducted across North and Southern Africa at the end of 2024, which looked at how social media is being used in and for ALE across the continent.
We live in an increasingly digital world. This shapes how adult education practitioners connect with learners, share resources, and build learning communities. The findings from these two regional studies showed both the opportunities and the challenges that social media brings for adult educators. These insights have informed MOJA's new Handbook on ALE and Social Media Use, which will be released soon with online training programmes.
Participants engaged with the handbook's materials, and practicals on how to engage safely and effectively in online settings were trialled with the participants. Invaluable feedback on what worked well and what needs to be adapted was shared.
In an environment where ALE struggles for resources, low-cost (and no-cost) online learning has an important role to play. It also recognises that participants don't only learn in the classroom, but mainly in their day-to-day lives, where they put what they learn into practice.
The handbook and its online trainings aim to equip adult educators with the basic skills needed to use social media safely and effectively for ALE. The goal is not just digital literacy for its own sake. It is about helping practitioners use social media platforms to improve learning for their participants - meeting learners where they are in our increasingly connected world.
The feedback gathered during these two days in Stellenbosch will shape the final version of the handbook, making sure it serves as a practical, useful tool for adult educators.
The MOJA Social Media Handbook on ALE will be available soon, along with online training opportunities for adult education practitioners across the continent.