Bridges between individuals and communities: dialogic participation fueling meaningful social engagement

This article presents the narratives of non-academic women who have made essential contributions to their community, and their own lives as well, drawing on their involvement in an adult school. We discuss how dialogic participation in lifelong learning activities may (or may not) prompt people to become active social agents in their communities. Through dialogic participation ordinary individuals whose voices have been always silenced, become active stakeholders in the community they belong to, making relevant contributions, which improve their own lives and the community as well. Drawing on personal narratives we re-construct the trajectories of these women as active social agents in their communities, looking on them through the lenses of their participation in lifelong learning activities. This evidence illustrates how dialogic adult education may become a way for undeserved groups to become empowered and make real changes in our society.