Social Education Grows in Brazil and Finds Its Foundation in Freire’s Work

The article “Social Education: Contributions of Paulo Freire to an Area Under Construction in Brazil”, written by Juliana Fátima Serraglio Pasini and Karine dos Santos, and published in the journal Espirales (volume 9), highlights a field still little explored in the country: Social Education.

It is a project in progress that seeks to bring education and citizenship beyond school walls, reaching young people, adults, and communities that often lack access to basic rights. The text shows that Brazil still lives with 11.4 million illiterate people and more than 2 million young people out of school. These figures reveal the urgency of innovative educational policies.

Inspired by Paulo Freire’s ideas, Social Education relies on a liberating pedagogy, grounded in dialogue, hope, and indignation in the face of injustice. The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) is a pioneer in including Social Education as a subject within its Pedagogy program. The institution promotes internships in spaces such as the Hip Hop Museum, social projects, and community centers, showing in practice how future educators can work in vulnerable territories, creating solutions in partnership with communities.

The authors argue that Social Education is, in essence, a “pedagogy of rights,” aimed at the humanization and emancipation of historically marginalized groups. It is an area under construction that carries Freire’s legacy and projects a new horizon for pedagogy in Brazil: transforming lives not only through schools, but also through the encounter of knowledge, community practices, and social struggle.

Link to download and read the full article.