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.