Proposal Deadline:  January 21, 2011 
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BACKGROUND

Free Minds, Free People is a national conference presented by the Education for Liberation Network,
The Brotherhood/Sister Sol, the Chicago Freedom  School and Youth in Action that brings together teachers, high school and college students, researchers, parents and community-based activists/educators from across the country to build a movement to develop and promote education as a tool for liberation.
The conference is a space in which these groups can learn from and teach each other, sharing knowledge, experience and strategies. 

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

• Exploring with students the causes of inequalities and injustices in society and how communities
  have fought against them. 
• Helping students to develop both the belief in themselves that they can challenge those injustices
  and the skills necessary to do that. 
• Supporting students in taking action that leads to disenfranchised communities having more power.

The goal of Free Minds, Free People is to provide a forum for sharing knowledge, experiences and
strategies that support the use of education as a tool for liberation by:

• Building and sustaining connections between people from different backgrounds with an interest in justice-oriented education work 
• Supporting participants in developing and deepening their practice as learners and educators
  committed to social justice 
• Nourishing justice-oriented education work in various communities, with an emphasis on the host city, by making strategic connections to collective action in other parts of the country 
• Acting as a catalyst for the continued development of a social movement around education for
  liberation 
• Supporting and promoting youth-led education and organizing efforts  
• Utilizing a collaborative conference planning process that elevates the leadership of students, parents, teachers, researchers and community-based organizers/educators.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

We invite K-12 teachers, community-based educators, students, activists/organizers, artists, parents and academic researchers to submit proposals

Full Proposal Download