Mairead Butler

An Cosán

An Cosán, a registered charity founded in 1986, is a recognised expert in the delivery of lifelong learning, from early years to adulthood, in communities that struggle with the injustice of poverty. To date our services have made a significant contribution to the community: - 11,000 adults have progressed through the national framework of qualifications from basic literacy and personal development, to BA Degrees in Community Development and Leadership. - 3,300 children have received early years' education and care at our 7 early years care and education centres. Ethos We stand alongside all the communities we work collaboratively with, all who work for a better world and all we have yet to meet on our journey. The ethos of An Cosán is at the heart of all we do and aspire to doing. It is the ideals, beliefs, values and principles that underpin all our work, our culture and our philosophy. The ethos that shapes our organisation and the way we operate has several dimensions: Relational: We attend to the importance of relationships, the way we value and meet each individual, their diversity and commonality. Welcoming: We seek to create an atmosphere of warmth and welcome for all who enter our lives. Holistic: We attend to the whole needs of the individual: physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual. Spiritual: We hold an openness to the individual and communal search for the transcendent meaning in our lives, a search inseparable from that of finding how best to live together as human beings on the earth. Transformative: We commit ourselves to principles of equality, empowerment and capacity-building in our struggle to work for a more just society. Embracing new technology, An Cosán aspires to expand its support to marginalised communities more broadly by sharing its innovative educational model developed over the past 28 years. An Cosán is registered as The Shanty Educational Project Company Limited by Guarantee (Registered Charity Number 8659.