Building Leadership Popular Education

Centro Laboral’s participatory and democratic leadership development and empowerment work is essential to productive organizing as well as the ongoing development of trusting relationships and dialogue between the workers, project organizers and the community. Popular education is the guiding principle behind this work. Popular educators work as facilitators within groups, helping them to identify strengths and abilities in order to change their social condition.

Popular education begins by identifying a problem, conflict or issue within a community or an individual’s life and then engaging in a critical dialogue that will carry the participants through a transformational process from “what is to what ought to be”.

• Popular education is most often initiated from outside a community by:
• Identifying the problems, expectations and expressed needs of a community;
• Identifying areas of change relevant to the groups' needs;
• Considering the community's history, its local power base and economic distribution;
• Understanding why there are those who are disadvantaged, or oppressed.
  
  Popular education has evolved to overcome exploitation and social alienation. Paolo Freire (1972) talked about ordinary working people wanting to learn skills relevant to their harsh and oppressive lives. Social change begins with individuals reflecting on their values, their concern for a more equitable society, and their willingness to support others in the community.
  
  As we learn about ourselves and understand our strengths and limitations, we are better able to recognize and understand the political, economic and social conditions that surround us. We must view ourselves positively in order to move from passivity to active participation, to be critical of the status quo and reject oppression.” Peter Reardon

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