“What is it to be literate? We have to draw our own maps, trace our own histories, acknowledge our own debts and consider ways not taken.”
(Margaret Meeks, On being Literate, 1991:234)

Margaret Meeks’ words still ring true today as we trace our own ‘Living Literacies’ to create inner landscapes that shape our interactions with the world.
How do we strive to articulate practice that moves us beyond a focus on the mechanics of reading and writing? What are the forms of expression that we employ in a broader sense to convey understandings and meanings in a complex world?
How do we engage greater numbers of learners in adult learning and continue to make accessible second chance learning opportunities?
What is the ‘fit’ for integrating employability skills and meta–cognitive skills required by employers while maintaining literacy, numeracy and oral communication skills?
What are the potentialities for learning in context when teaching is not restricted to the classroom?
As individuals we seek connection and coherence in our lives. What are the narratives of our professional lives that illuminate our teaching and learning?
With the challenges of an ageing population how do we maintain and breathe new life into ACE and VET to ensure that literacies are kept at the forefront of government policy and community awareness?

The VALBEC 2007 conference will provide a place for practitioners to reflect on where we have been, where we are and where we want to go in the future. Further questions around research and practice will form the basis for the conference program with stimulating and affirming presentations assured through the depth and diversity of the field. With a range of ‘Living Literacies’ we hope to focus on indigenous literacies, narrative and oral communication, numeracy and adult learning in diverse contexts.