lifelong learning can also play an important part in helping adults to define and shape their own identities by exploring their past biographies and framing their aspirations the priorities for action set at confintea vi in belem brazil in provide an indication of key global policy trends learning itself can take place in so many different ways and it has become common to recognise a distinction between formal nonformal and informal learning these distinctions are used widely in policy and there have been some bold attempts to offer formal recognition for the outcomes of informal and nonformal learning