The work of Grassroots International is centered on resource rights, including the human right to food and the right to access fertile land, clean water and other resources. These issues are at the core of the struggle of many social movements around the world. Our work is rooted in the belief that resource inequities create poverty and cause hunger and instability. Clean water and access to land for food production are essential for human life. Unfortunately, they are no longer treated as public goods to which all people have rights, but as commodities that can be sold to the highest bidder.
This workshop is based on several principles of popular education. One principle is that education is not neutral or unbiased, particularly in societies with huge inequities in power, resources and opportunities. Also central to the workshop is the interactive and participatory nature of the exercises. Using personal testimonies, stories and scenarios, exercises are designed to stimulate participant dialogue. People are encouraged to draw on their own experiences and knowledge. This workshop is based on the assumption that education is transformative and rooted in people’s experiences. It should enable people to ask their own questions, seek their own answers and define their own directions.
While this curriculum was developed more than 10 years ago, the principles and analyses behind it still (unfortunately) remain starkly relevant and useful. You are encouraged to download and adapt the materials to make them useful for your own situation.