Mission

The network aims to help improve the practice of Education for Liberation by bringing people together to learn from each other’s experiences. The network provides a space for members to share knowledge and work together to create tools for liberatory education. By building alliances that cross the boundaries of geography, occupation and age we hope to nurture communities of thoughtful, socially-engaged people and to maximize the impact of their work.

History

The Education for Liberation Network started in 1999 after a panel on this topic at an American Educational Research Association conference generated a particularly large response. The network currently has more than 630 members who represent a diverse collection of educational institutions and organizations: public schools elementary through high school, local and national youth organizations. Since 1999 we have existed primarily as an informal listserv. In 2006 we convened an Advisory Board that is helping the network develop into a more active organization. 

In 2006 the Education for Liberation Network also brought together a team of organizations to plan a national conference on Education for Liberation. The conference, titled, Free Minds, Free People, took place in June, 2007 at a social justice public school on Chicago's southwest side. More than 400 people from across the country enjoyed workshops and panels on topics such as social justice schools, action research, arts and liberatory education, Freedom Schools, youth organizing, teaching critical consciousness and much more. For more information check out the conference archive. 

In 2007 we launched the EdLib Lab, an interactive database of Education for Liberation curriculum materials that allows users to find, share and comment on social justice resources.

In 2008 we started a monthly, online discussion series called talkin 'bout, which brings together educators, activists and youth to participate in a public conversation on the network website about timely and important topics in social justice education. We also co-hosted a social networking event for liberatory educators in Harlem. 

Purpose

Education for Liberation prepares the most disenfranchised members of our society, in particular low-income youth and youth of color, to fight for a more just world by:

• Teaching students the causes of inequalities and injustices in society and how communities have fought against them.

• Helping them develop both the belief in themselves that they can challenge those injustices and the skills necessary to do that.

• Supporting them in taking action that leads to disenfranchised communities having more power.

Hear how participants in the Free Minds, Free People conference answered the question, "What is Education for Liberation?"

We aim to build a community in which members:

• Are active in developing the practice of Education for Liberation.
• Interact with each other as equals with the understanding that all of us—regardless of what we do or who we are—are both teachers and learners.
• Are prepared to challenge ourselves and each other to figure out the most effective methods of reaching our goals. We encourage an active dialogue between on-the-ground experience and analytical research.
• Have the space they need to imagine a new, better world.

As educators and learners committed to the struggle for equality and justice we hope to:

• Build individual and community awareness of the internal and external forces (psychological, historical, social, political and economic) that impact our daily lives.
• Cultivate cultural knowledge and pride and encourage a positive sense of personal and collective identity.
• Place education in a context of the struggle for social justice and connect it to action that leads to social change.
• Increase the number of people and organizations practicing Education for Liberation and help them become better at it.
• Promote the transformation of existing institutions and the creation of new ones that reflect the values of Education for Liberation.

Across the country educators are increasingly frustrated with a system of education that disadvantages low-income youth and youth of color. Many are trying to fight back by developing their own curricula and methods that reflect both their care for young people and their ideas about justice and fairness. But these educators often find themselves isolated, with few resources, little support and limited connection to others who share their concerns.

The Education for Liberation Network aims to bring together this diverse group of people, united by their passion for this work, to learn and build strength from each other. This is a critical first step in the process of transforming ourselves from a collection of individuals trying to make a difference in our neighborhoods or schools into a strong movement for education justice.