A sequence of three international meetings will discuss learning in later life in the coming weeks. These meetings are:

• The 15th PASCAL International Conference in Suwon South Korea on 30-31 August;
• The Beijing International Seminar on Lifelong Learning on 3-4 September; and
• The 9^th Conference of the ESRE research Network in Faro Portugal in October which will discuss “Older Adults’ Well-being.

The PIMA Special Interest Group on Learning in Later Life will be represented in all three meetings and is planning to report to PIMA on this subject before Christmas. The chair of the SIG, Thomas Kuan, will participate in the first two of these meetings where Learning in Later Life is one of the strands of each meeting.

The Beijing Seminar on Lifelong Learning is hosted by the Beijing Academy of Educational Sciences and the Beijing Adult Education Association. A member of the PIMA SIG, Dayong Yuan, has organized the seminar.  A PASCAl Board member, Peter Kearns, is leading the strand on Learning in Later Life at the PASCAL Suwon Conference and will be participating in the Seminar. 

This discussion of this important subject is timely with demographic change and ageing populations in many counties. These changes have progressed the furthest in East Asian countries with Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan particularly effected. It is hoped that the discussions in Suwon and Beijing will produce insights into good practice in responding to this challenge of demographic change which the Faro conference will add to. Members of the SIG welcome comments on the issues to be addressed, particularly in addressing access and equity issues in finding good ways to bring non-learners back to the benefits of learning. 

These may be sent to either Thomas Kuan or Peter Kearns.