Pedagogy * – follows the work of Paolo Freire: Best known for his book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire believed that education was a means to building a “critical consciousness” that would enable people to create change in their lives. His work has influenced many of our educational and civic programmes including Implicated Theatre, Youth Forum and ACT ESOL

In Freire’s view, education is a practice of freedom, and education should be an activity of freedom (Freire, 1970). Therefore, the teacher should understand the method of how to maintain the opportunity of freedom to the learner in the educational process.

Freire argues that oppressed people can regain their humanity in the struggle for liberation, but only if that struggle is led by oppressed people. This introduces the central problem of the book: how to create an education system with oppressed people, for oppressed people, that will help them become more free.

*from Paolo Freire WEBSITE.

 

Credentials for Trainers

This is an area of on-going discussion. Currently the general standard is that persons seeking to be authorized as trainers should have completed the following:

  • A course in Forgiveness and Reconciliation comprising minimum of c. 30 hours.
  • “Shadowing” a trainer in A course in Forgiveness and Reconciliation comprising minimum of c. 30 hours.
  • A course in methodology of about 6-7 hours.
  • Discussion with a trainer along the lines of cultural sensitivity, mastery of content and suitability of capabilities.

 

Brief history of ESPERE

  • ESPERE stands for Escuelas de Perdón y Reconciliación (Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation)
  • It was created by Leonel Narváez Gómez of Fundación para la Reconciliación as a response to his experience of violence in Africa and Colombia.
  • ESPERE is being implemented in many Latin American countries. In the USA, ESPERE is implemented Oregon, Texas, Boston and Chicago.
  • ESPERE is used with youth, police, prisoners and victims of violence, in schools, houses of worship, jails and other institutions.

 

ESPERE Core Values

  • Adopt forgiveness as a fundamental attitude toward conflict
  • Recognize forgiveness as a basic human need
  • Transform anger and the desire for revenge into understanding and empathy
  • Re-establish trust in others and hope for the future
  • Support socialization and re-integration
  • Create a culture of compassion

 

Benefits of ESPERE

  • Understand the cycle of violence and conflict
  • Decrease anger and resentment caused by trauma
  • Increase compassion toward others and ourselves
  • Encourage positive relationships
  • Promote nonviolence as a way of life

 

Domains of personal transformation in the ESPERE process

  • Cognitive
  • Emotional
  • Behavioral
  • Spiritual

 

Points to consider

  • Importance of “living” the process before implementing it with others (unlike many trainings)
  • Focus on “My own journey”
  • Get in touch with offenses experienced in the past and in daily life
  • Understand that catharsis is part of trauma processing
  • Understand that internal conflict may increase during the first sessions
  • Importance of confidentiality

 

ESPERE Methodology

  • Popular Education
  • Structure of sessions
  1. Warm up
  2. Review of previous session
  3. Introduction to the topic of the day
  4. General content and exercises
  5. Trust groups and plenary
  6. Personal commitment card
  7. Homework assignment
  8. Ritual