Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan Sörmland

SV (in Swedish: Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan) was founded in 1967, just a few months before King’s assassination, at a time when racial equality and the equal worth of all people was one of the burning issues of the day. In SV’s study circles today, social equality is still one of the cornerstones of our approach to education.

SV is always close by – our more than two hundred local offices make sure of that. Everyone is welcome to our study circles, and everyone learns from everyone else. The beginner, the veteran, the old lady, the young man, the genuine swede, the girl with the foreign background.

The secret lies in bringing them all together.

Often, the simplest solutions are the best.

Today, many people have dreams, both big ones like Martin Luther King and little private ones of their own.

In the study circle, dreams come true. As often as not, when people leave for home at the end of each session they often start looking forward to the next. In the fast-moving world of the 21st century, one-time aspirations towards ”owning your home” or ”running your own car” have been superseded by a new, perhaps unexpected ambition:

Time of your own.

Quite often, a study circle is just about the only time you have in which to realise your own personal dream – at the same time as you’re part of King’s global dream. For some people it’s about becoming profi cient with watercolours; others perhaps want to be able to renovate Grandma’s old rocking chair or perhaps fulfi l that long-standing ambition of learning Italian.

Learning something new in the company of people who share the same interests is good for the soul. Suddenly, age, gender and background don’t mean a thing. Study circle leaders, alert to your individual needs and proficiencies, guide you and the other participants skilfully through the course.

The study circle leader, is, of course, important, although what really makes the course come alive is the participants.

Going to a party wearing a piece of your own jewellery for the first time or ordering a cup of coffee in your fledgling Italian is something really special.

Attending a study circle is a comfortable way of getting into something you’ve always been interested in but have never got round to. To put it briefly, joining a study circle is an easy way of starting to realise your dream.