Popular Education

What is Popular Education?

Initially developed in the 1960s by Brazilian Paulo Freire, popular education is a form of education that honors the life experiences, knowledge and wisdom of all participants. It acknowledges that everyone has something to offer. It involves multiple forms of learning. It allows us to educate ourselves in a way that better enables us to transform the structures of domination. It is political. It is intentionally biased toward those who are marginalized and encourages them to reclaim their power. It is shared in multiple ways in the public domain. It is connected to the community. It acknowledges a variety of communities and their location.

A Growing Movement

Over the years, popular education has continued to grow and evolve and now encompasses a broad range of traditions and approaches to social justice education.  The Catalyst Centre, a popular education centre based in Toronto, has compiled a database of over 100 popular education organizations. Approximately half of the organizations included in the database are operating in Canada.

Links to Other Centres

For a listing of popular education centres visit the Popular Education map developed by the Catalyst Centre.