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International Journal of
Population Studies Australia’s Knitting Nannas lifelong learning

strongly suggest that Nannas have discovered collective Incorporating critical feminist geragogy with
creativity that engenders positivity in overcoming both the transformative environmental adult education in this
challenges of activism and aging. interpretive model demonstrates the usefulness of SML as
a transdisciplinary analytical tool. The integration of these
4. Conclusion approaches further raises the profile of transformative
This research illuminates older women as capable and learning in informal settings such as social movements
adept at managing their own experiential situated and later-life learning. It challenges tertiary education
learning to achieve transformational change in becoming institutions to integrate SML into their programs. Contexts
environmental activists and effective contributors to social that rely on situated collaborative, experiential learning, and
change for transitioning to a low-carbon economy. For the peer-to-peer learning require educators skilled in facilitating
majority of the participants in this case study, the identity experiential learning. This presumes that expertise and
shift from caregivers, homemakers, and breadwinners, qualifications have been gained and recognized, which
as wives and partners, mothers, and grandmothers, to further presumes that educational institutions incorporate
environmental activists was a transformation they had social movement and transformative learning into
never envisaged previously. Older female environmental undergraduate and postgraduate fields of study. I do not
activists encountered unexpected ageist sexism that sought advocate the institutionalization of SML; rather, I seek to
to silence them. Instead, they created spaces in which they support the democratic rights of citizens to work for social
would be seen and heard. justice and ecological and environmental sustainability. To

The research identified Nannagogy as a hybrid operating achieve this, capacity building is required.
through a dynamic of instrumental, communicative, To benefit from the Knitting Nannas learnings, I
transformative, and emancipatory learning embedded propose four recommendations:
within the Nannas’ CoP. The principles of self-directed, (i) Social movements are advised to value their
needs-based, critical feminist geragogy were demonstrated participant’s voices and capabilities. Specifically,
through primary data. It is defined as a learning system for when aiming to attract older women, organizers are
a specific form of SML praxis that honors the wisdom and advised to promote peaceful activism and to overcome
experience of older women and enhances their well-being. ageist and sexist stereotyping. This is best achieved
First and foremost was the ethos of older women’s by providing positive, creative, purposeful, inclusive,
empowerment that underpinned the KNAG CoP. The and collaborative learning environments that affirm
initial and most critical shift was to segregate themselves and draw on life experiences, meaningful social
and place boundaries around the external control of interaction, and supportive networks.
their activist identity. Such a move represented a refusal (ii) Later-life learning organizations are advised to review
to be complicit in their oppression. The next shift was their curricula to ensure instructional methods reflect
valuing and drawing on the combined life experiences critical feminist geragogy.
and knowledge of the older women to articulate their (iii) Tertiary education institutions are encouraged to
environmental activism. KNAG intuitively and explicitly advance transdisciplinary critical dialogue toward
embraced a hybrid of learning strategies to achieve further development of a theoretical base that addresses
outcomes in ecological and environmental literacy gender and other intersectionalities within ageism.
and activist skills that led to epistemic and axiological (iv) Governments are encouraged to implement
shifts in personal worldviews. Both these shifts were strategies that support the policy directions of the
foreshadowed by Darlene Clover in her seminal work, United Nations Decades on Ecosystem Restoration
Gender Transformative Learning and Environmental and Healthy Ageing (2021 – 2030) by embracing older
Action (Clover, 1995), and subsequently documented in citizens’ right to quality later-life learning and their
a number of studies (Roy, 2003; Jenkins, 2015; Tosh & capacity for leadership, expertise, elder wisdom, and
Gislason, 2016; Velásquez, 2017). resilience in the challenge to address the impacts of
transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
Sadly, this research confirms the ongoing challenge of
overcoming oppressive gender and age-based stereotypes Ultimately, this is a movement of older women activists
in environmental social movements. Happily, the Nannas who have proven their claim that “you’re never too old to
have shown us a model where older women’s wisdom be an activist.” In doing so, they have crafted their special
has successfully achieved older women-centered power niche in a galaxy of environmental activist organizations,
shifting, which does not exclude men but equally does not where they are admired for their bravery and courage – a
privilege them. far cry from their beginnings.

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 13 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.381