So... what is PRECE?????

PRECE stands for the Educational Program in Cooperative Cells and is a movement in favor of the intellectual autonomy of students with the goal of unveiling social capital in students and communities. PRECE was established in 1994 in the small town of Cipó in Ceará, Brasil with seven students because of the need to improve and transform public education. Simply stated, the public education system was failing students born in to rural and impoverished communities, and because of a lack of education and resources communities were unable to grow and thrive. So, the people took matters in to their own hands and began a new approach to education- an approach that uses the knowledge of the students, a support system developed through communal learning and a grassroots pedagogy. The principal objective of the educational approach is to promote the development of sustainable communities through cooperative education utilizing the students own experience. Together the students assist each other in learning and preparing for the university exam. By studying and discovering knowledge together, a unique community is formed. This is a holistic educational approach in which the individual as well as the community is strengthened. Over the past 15 years PRECE has grown and schools in eight cities around the state of Ceará have developed. Since 1994 350 students have passed the university entrance exam, 40 of those students have graduated college and 10 have gone on to pursue master’s and doctoral programs.
So, what is about PRECE that draws me toward it like a magnet? Is it the fact that I am drawn to innovative forms of education wherever I go? Sure. Is it the fact that I see traces of Freire’s pedagogy in that PRECE uses the experiences and knowledge of the students as a basis for education? Definitely. Is it the fact that the PRECE schools are located in northeastern Brasil near some gorgeous beaches, beautiful dancers and a culture that is hard to resist? You better believe it! But, most of all is the response of every student that I meet who says, “without PRECE in our community I would never even dream that I could enter the university. My mother cannot afford private tutoring and there are no private schools in my community. PRECE provides the opportunity for me to reach my full intellectual potential and hopefully enter the university.” For a girl that believes strongly in education as an equalizer, how could I not want to be a part of this movement, witness the transformation of individuals and communities and give voice to the progress PRECE is promoting in the rural poor communities of Ceará, Brasil? I can’t. Alongside the PRECE movement is where I am called to be- to live, to work and to learn for a season.

I LOVE change... really?!?!

“I love change! Change is so exciting! Transitions are so energizing!” For the past 11 years those phrases have been on the tip of my tongue every few years as I changed houses, schools, cities, countries, boyfriends, etc. I pride myself on being a minimalist and not ever having too much “stuff”. This meant that I was easily able to pack up and move from place to place when the wind blew or I felt called to something new. I loved it.
But, something happened right around 27 when I decided to buy a condo in Atlanta. My roommate from college called it “Crazy! You are allergic to commitment!” My mother called it “nesting”. Hindsight being 20/20 I now call it “What the hell was I thinking”?!?!? But, both my roommate and my mother are correct. Somehow, without realizing it and without actually wanting it I settled in to a life that was comfortable and I was content. Of course, my allergy to commitment caught up with me and I have been itching to “get out” ever since I signed the papers.
I didn’t realize the fullness of this “nesting” until I began packing up my condo and moving all of my belongings in to friends’ homes, my parents’ garage, storage, boxes to be shipped to Brasil and two very overweight suitcases. While packing up the last of my shoes (of which I readily admit I have way too many) I had a mini break-down realizing I was turning over the condo that I own and am attached to to renters (a really wonderful couple!). These renters had already begun to move in some of their items- their cooking supplies, bathroom items, food and heaps of spices. The condo no longer smelled like me. It now smelled like them- pepper, coriander and men’s deodorant- and this was a change I was not prepared for. But, my mini-break down reminded me that this “nesting” truly was not what I wanted. I had never wanted to become content and comfortable, I always desired and craved challenge, new experiences, and stepping out of my comfort zone. This move is nothing more than a response to a call to be my true self rather than the stranger I had gradually and unknowingly eased in to.
So, though I am currently living with a slight case of anxiety- not having the correct visa, not yet being fluent in Portuguese and not knowing exactly what the future holds- I know that this move is the right step because I am being true to who I am created me to be, true to the Spirit’s call and true to the magnetism that draws me toward PRECE. And, because of that my soul is at peace.

The rambling road...

The journey started long before the plane ticket was purchased, before the generosity of the grantor was realized, and before the packing began. The journey can be traced back to my parents’ insistence that without a good education people are unable to advance and progress in this world. The journey can be traced back to my mother’s constant pursuit of justice, peace, and her desire to provide a better way for the “stranger” in our midst. The journey can be traced back to my time spent on the Navajo Nation learning about, living with and witnessing the way an oppressed people are able to thrive and survive in beauty despite the odds being stacked against them. And, the journey can be traced back to a classroom at Emory University where I was first introduced to the educational pedagogy of Paulo Freire and words of truth spoken by liberation theologians which for the first time in years seemed to redeem Christianity in my eyes. Through my work at First Presbyterian Church, the long rambling road finally brought me to PRECE, an educational movement in northeastern Brasil that seeks to create opportunities so that children and adolescents can achieve the education they need in order to enter the university and in turn empower their communities. The children, the communities, the culture and the methodology of PRECE have grabbed my heart and for the first time it appears that all my passions, talents and years of education will be woven together as I move to Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil to work with PRECE, teaching English, establishing partnerships around the world and helping to bring technology to the schools in the rural areas. I am thrilled to be granted the opportunity to live, learn and grow with the PRECE communities.