About Us
"I've often defined my own social purpose as the creation of an educated and participating democracy"
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The commitments of the Raymond Williams Foundation (RWF) are specifically within the spheres of Adult Education, community based and collective learning - the overall purpose of the RWF being to support the realisation of the ‘Long Revolution’ (evoked in the quote above), for which Williams advocated though his work and throughout his life.
Williams spent many years teaching adults who came to him through the WEA; and his extensive range of essays and lectures on education, community and democracy offer a searching analysis of the conditions for a genuinely inclusive, learning and participatory society.
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At a time when liberal adult education and other forms of community-based collective learning are perhaps more needed than ever, the RWF exists to help sustain and extend that tradition by providing small grants and bursaries, forging new partnerships and forms of cooperation, by developing resources and through its support for courses, activities, projects and events - prioritising disadvantaged students and communities.
Our Aims
The RWF sets out to make a positive impact in the following ways:​
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by supporting adult education through partnership with the WEA and similar organisations.
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through the continuation of annual Raymond Williams weekends on broad social, political, philosophical and cultural themes.
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by supporting courses, day schools, activities, events or projects on themes in sympathy with Williams' ideas.
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by supporting residential courses within the tradition of the Wedgwood Memorial College.
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by supporting the socially and educationally disadvantaged.
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by supporting student research on short study-breaks at any resourced adult education college.
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by supporting the development of family learning for the socially and educationally disadvantaged in a residential setting.
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Contact Us
If you have any questions, need further information or would like to get involved with the Raymond Williams Foundation, please get in touch by email at raymondwilliamsfoundation.org@gmail.com or via the contact form below.