Gateways: Popular Education and Political Economy

This program is part of the Gateways for Incarcerated Youth program. Gateways takes as a fundamental principle that every person has talents given to them at birth; it is our job to encourage each other to search out and find our passions and gifts. Our work is guided by ideas of popular education. We recognize and value the knowledge and experience of each participant. The program works to strengthen notions of self and community through cultural awareness and empowerment. In connecting and building with people from other cultures and class backgrounds, each person becomes empowered to share their knowledge, creativity, values and goals.

Gateways: Popular Education & Political Economy offers Evergreen students the opportunity to be peer learners with incarcerated young men in a maximum-security institution. Students will address issues of diversity, equality and critical thinking, along with other issues that are chosen by the young men who are incarcerated. At the same time, the Evergreen students will deepen their understanding of the theory and practice of popular education and political economy. Students in this program will have the opportunity to reflect on how they themselves learn as well as how others learn, as they gain experience in the facilitation of discussions and workshops. Students will work on designing, implementing and assessing the workshops. In the process of collectively shaping the Gateways seminar, students will also learn how to organize productive meetings and work through conflict.

Each week the Evergreen students will go out to one of two institutions for the cultural diversity and equality workshop and the college class book seminar. Through the workshops we will explore various aspects of culture in order to understand ourselves and others as an important part of analyzing contemporary society and building egalitarian relationships. In preparation for the workshop, each week the Evergreen students will meet to organize the workshop’s activities. We will also take time each week to reflect on the previous workshop to assess how it worked and draw lessons for the next one. Throughout our work we will read, share and learn about various kinds of relative advantage ("privilege"), while also exploring cultural diversity and continually working to foster a space committed to equality.

In fall quarter, we will study some of the root causes of inequality to understand better the relationship between poor and working class people – especially poor and working class people of color – and the prison system. In winter and spring quarters, we will continue to deepen our understanding of political economy and popular education. Building on our experiences, reflections and studies, each quarter students will take increasing responsibility for designing, implementing, and assessing the program, workshops and seminars. This program requires that all participants be ready to fully commit themselves to our common work and show a willingness to help build a community of learners. New students for winter and spring quarters may submit an application for admission by the Academic Fair prior to quarter for which they wish to register, and will be admitted on a space available basis with faculty permission.