Popular Education

Define: Popular education is focused on the political gain of inequality, oppression, and exploitation and addressing this through community action of education tied to social justice. It is distinct from mercy work (ex: food pantry, clothing drive) in that it is focused on justice and creating an egalitarian society.

Crowther, J., Martin, I., & Shaw, M. (1999). Popular education and the struggle for democracy. Popular Education and Social Movements in Scotland Today,4.

Apply: Biblically, it is called upon us to do justice, mercy, and faith. Nehemiah, chapters 5 and 7, gives us the tools of gathering a great assembly to do justice by holding the powerful accountable for fairness. We gather these great assemblies by learning about the injustices in a community through community members and by teaching ways to address these injustices.

Adapt: I have had a thought of creating a Children's Taskforce that is for children and by children. While I understand the dynamics of having adults making decisions, I feel our society often overlooks the child's actual perspective on their own welfare.