Informal education and philanthropy

It is in the nineteenth century that we see the great expansion of provision and the entry of paid workers and informal educators. This is particularly associated with the emergence of philanthropic organizations (developments which are chronicled in Walking informal education. We witness the emergence of:

• youth organizations. The YMCA was founded in 1844 and within a few months was employing its first worker/secretary. Boys and girls clubs and institutes began to appear mid-century, and uniformed brigades such as the Boys Brigade in the 1890s. See, for example: George Williams and the Central YMCA, Maud Stanley and the Soho Club and Home and Baden-Powell, Scouting, Guiding and Covent Garden.

• mechanics institutes - which had their origins in the working men's libraries and mutual improvement societies of the eighteenth century. These appear to have began around 1810 - with the most famous, the London Mechanics' Institution, being formed in 1823 (now Birkbeck college). See, for example: George Birkbeck and the London Mechanics Institute

• the co-operative movement. From fairly early on, the Co-operative movement in Britain and Ireland placed a significant emphasis on education and improvement. Perhaps one of the most interesting in terms of informal education has been the Women's Co-operative Guild (founded in 1883) which drew on club forms developed within the adult school movement in order to improve the social and political position of women within the movement.

• ragged schools and youth institutes. The first ragged schools appeared in the late eighteenth century (the Ragged School Union was founded in 1844) and were concerned with the schooling and welfare of children who were unable to access other forms of schooling. Out of them grew hostels, clubs and various more formal opportunities for continuing education. See, for example: Lord Shaftesbury and ragged schooling and Quentin Hogg and the Youth's Christian Institute.

• adult schools. The first adult schools appeared at the end of the eighteenth century and were initially concerned with teaching reading (the bible), writing and arithmetic (see the Welsh Circulating Schools above). Later, in the 1850s there was something a revival of adult schools associated with the Society of Friends. With this came a shift of emphasis to association and discussion. See Quakers and the development of adult schools. A more social form was the working men's club. See Working Men's Clubs and Soho.

• public libraries, galleries and museums. The development of libraries, art galleries and museums have been fundamental to the opening up of opportunities for self-education and informal education. Of particular significance were the emergence of town libraries in the 1600s and parochial libraries and circulating in the early 1700s. There were museums attached to one or two of the early coffee houses (see Coffee houses and informal education) and art galleries in the 1800s (see The National Gallery and Trafalgar Square).

• working men's colleges. The first such college. The Sheffield People's College, was founded in 1842 by the Rev. R. S. Bayley. He had found the Mechanic's Institutes to be rather narrow in their studies and sought to open up the curriculum to 'humane studies'. It was followed in 1854 by The London Working Men's College which was intimately connected with the Christian Socialism movement and thinkers such as Frederick Denison Maurice. The college set out to be a community of teachers and students with a common life.

• university extension. The term 'university extension' first really appeared in the 1840s in Britain but the focus usually falls on the work of James Stuart and the University of Cambridge from the mid 1860s on. He initiated a series of courses in various towns which met with a considerable response - largely from women and teachers. Kelly (1970: 220) notes that it was in this early period that three key features emerged almost accidentally: the printed syllabus, the written work and the discussion period.

• settlements. Henriette and Samuel Barnett founded the first university settlement in 1884 (soon to be followed by many others). They were characterized by considerable opportunities for their residents to develop through participation in the life of the association (pa vie associative), the fostering of various clubs, groups and initiatives, and programmes of adult education. See, also, Mary Ward and the Passmore Edwards Settlement and Jane Addams.