Newsletter, September 2023

Collaborative Systems for Solving Complex Social Challenges

On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, an event titled ‘Collaborative Systems for Solving Complex Social Challenges: Preventing Mental Illness in Chile’ will take place as part of the Worldwide Week at Harvard. Representatives from Harvard’s Chile Regional Office and the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, as part of the Mahindra series ‘Pedagogies for Life,’ will be discussing collaborative systems for addressing complex social challenges. Learn more and register for this event .

 Levemente Program in Goiás’ Schools, Brasil

Photo by: Agencia Cora de Noticias

In the heart of the Brazilian government at Palácio do Planalto, the Levemente program, which employs the Pre-Texts methodology, was officially launched. This innovative initiative is set to be integrated into Goiás’ Schools of the Future (EFG) with a primary focus: creating a nurturing environment for students while equipping them with the tools necessary to identify and prevent potential instances of violence within the school community. Read more.

Amoeba Tour at Materials for the Arts – NYC’s Creative Reuse Center

Join us for an Amoeba Tour on September 22nd! Come explore the Materials for the Arts warehouse! We’re excited to host an Amoeba tour by Doris Sommer, Director of the Cultural Agents Initiative at Harvard University, and Nisha Sajnani, Director of NYU Drama Therapy Program. Participants will read a text aloud and then explore the warehouse to find objects that help them reflect deeper inspiration from the reading. The night will also highlight some furry friends from LIC Feral Feeders, a 501c3 organization dedicated to rescuing cats, doing Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), and feeding kitties in Long Island City! Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about how to get involved with the organization and even adopt a kitten.  This programming is FREE and open to the public. Read more.

Modelo, a Prison Education Initiative in Colombia, the Documentary

Lee Perlman, the founder and Co-Director of The Educational Justice Institute at MIT (TEJI), in partnership with Colombian filmmaker María Paula Ávila Vera, conducted an adaptation of the MIT humanities course ‘Authenticity’ at La Modelo prison facility. The philosophy class, which poses questions about what it means to live an authentic life and delves into subjects such as cruelty, manipulation, radical honesty, courage, and forgiveness, was presented to a group consisting of incarcerated students (prisoners) as well as students from MIT, Harvard, and Wellesley. A documentary was filmed to highlight the power of this encounter and the complexities and impact of education in prison environments. At this event, Professor Doris Sommer will moderate a conversation about this experience with Professor Lee Perlman, filmmaker Maria Paula Avila Vera, and Harvard students who participated in this course. The official teaser of the documentary will also be screened. Friday, October 20, 2023, 4:30pm to 6:30pm. More info here.

Welcome New Facilitators, Argentina

We congratulate the brand new Facilitators in the City of Buenos Aires: Silvia Beatriz Goncel and Carmen Irma Delfino, from Comedor Siempre Carrillo, located in the Ramón Carrillo neighborhood, and Rosana Bernardina Machaca, Quelina Aponte and Walen Roxana Ayelén Bautista, from the Centro Cultural Vamos a Andar, located in Villa 31. Silvia and Carmen facilitated a workshop for their coworkers and family. Quelina, Rosana and Walen, shared their practices with 10 elderly women between 60 and 80 years old. New Facilitators will now join the Pre-Textos Argentina Team to develop workshops in October and November. Bravo! Click here to find more about their implementations.

Educapaz, Colombia

Our expert trainer in Colombia, Victoria Mena will facilitate a workshop within the framework of the VI National Meeting of Peace Education Networks “Educate to Restore. Gathering lessons from the territories to strengthen educational public policies that contribute to the care of life and the construction of peace”, to be held in Bogota from September 13 to 15, hosting 400 participants from educational communities and community leaders from a large part of the country. Read more about our work with Educapaz here.

University Mayor Renews its Educational Project, Chile

The School of Education at the University Mayor, Chile, has included Pre-Texts as a central methodology in its new educational project, making it a defining feature of the institution. Dr. Paulina Núñez Lagos, the Director of the Pre-Texts Program at the University Mayor, shares insights regarding this development: “As previously mentioned, the OECD has emphasized that creative thinking must become a key element within the classroom. In Chile, despite this competence being included in the school curriculum, there is still a need to effectively integrate it into the learning process.” Find more about this project.

Register Here.

Prision in Reggio Emilia
Author Erri de Luca with Pre-Texters

Photo by: Gazzetta Di Reggio

Author and activist Erri De Luca recently participated in a Pre-Texts experience at Reggio Emilia Prison. In the Orione protective section, inmates engaged with De Luca’s book ‘Tre cavalli’ using the Pre-Texts methodology. Sara Uboldi, a participant from the Pescara training workshop, led these sessions. After the visit, the author posted a thoughtful reflection on his foundation’s website. We invite you to learn more about the experience at Reggio Emilia Prison and to read the writer’s complete reflection in this link.

Internships 2023: Instituto 17 de Estudios Críticos, México

“Thanks to the 2023 workshop that lasted for a week, I witnessed with delight how the participants started taking more and more control over the sessions. We started out all together by reading Augusto Boal’s analysis of Aristotelian structure of tragedy in his ‘Theatre of the Opressed’. As we stuck with the text over a series of sessions, the participants started taking the reins by strongly engaging with the words of a Spanish essayist María Zambrano who said “the catastrophe that consumes itself is insignificant. Tragedy is what rescues destruction from its insignificance.” On the final session, picking up this momentum, we not only had a full comprehension of an excerpt of the book but were also able to incorporate personal stories and collective memories, which without much effort enabled us to reconsider the contemporary relevance of reading the histories of tragedy. It was enriching for me and again gladly learned to be humble”.

Jinsol Jeong, Facilitator.

Pre-Texts Scales Up in Paraguay

The Training Workshop for Teachers at the Development Institute in Paraguay, known as Pre–Textos 2.0, places a strong emphasis on trainer development. Organizers of Pre-Textos 2.0 will form a group of teachers within the public education system, spanning both elementary and secondary levels. This program will strengthen university outreach efforts, contributing to public pre-university education through the institutions benefiting from the program Fortalecimiento del Estado de Derecho y Cultura de la Integridad. The suggested foundational text for Pre-Textos 2.0 is the National Constitution of the Republic of Paraguay.

Based on her recently published co-authored chapter, “Counter-Melodies and Creativity: Filling the Gaps in a Rural Colorado School,” Sophie reflected on the improvisatory nature of Pre-Texts and how the application of this approach can close the gap between the idealism and practicality of a creative, collaborative, and co-owned classroom experience.

Worcester Public Schools, United States

On August 23rd, Olatz Etxebarria gave a presentation on Pre-Texts at the 4th Annual Embracing Multilingualism Conference. If you want to know more about Olatz’s work in Holyoke Public Schools, click here.

News from Our Board Members and Allies

Campos-Pons exhibits at the Brooklyn Museum

María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Red Composition (detail).

The exhibition ‘Behold’ by María Magdalena Campos-Pons will be on display at the Brooklyn Museum from September 15, 2023, to January 14, 2024.

‘Mi última neurona’ Launches on YouTube

The third season of “Mi Última Neurona” (My Last Neuron) will launch its first episode on YouTube on Monday, September 18 at 5 pm EST. This will be the first of approximately 30 episodes, released weekly. These episodes feature the stories and research of some of the most prominent and influential neuroscientists in Latin America.

Aire Libre, a Podcast by Salvador del Solar