Popular Education Methodologies
The Khanya College methodology is underpinned by the principle that the working class must liberate itself. Influenced by Paolo Freire’s work, the Latin American activist, Khanya’s methodology is based on facilitating people’s democratic participation, drawing on their own experience as a basis to understand the world. Khanya believes that the working class needs, and has the ability to understand theory, fundamental to praxis. Theory also needs to be accessible to working people, aligned with their daily experiences of the world.
The Winter School has experimented with popular education methodology over the past 25 years, and confirms this approach of with different participatory and creative methods, to provide a platform to develop the skills of working people, currently battered by neoliberalism. In this period, the college has in molecular ways strengthened the reading and writing skills of many from the working class through especially art and culture. This includes simulation games of the actual realities working people face, reading and writing and listening skills, attention to detail, skills for movement building such as banner making, posters, producing a newsletter, networking with each other, problem-solving and conflict resolution; and reviewing and evaluating campaigns, protests and so forth.