October 15-November 19, 2012
Mondays (6-8 PM)

Introduction

After a very successful 2nd Strategic Meeting of the UNSIF board of directors in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico at the Foundation & Casa Arana, University Sin Fronteras kicked of the first ever social movement University, and the first semester for the UNSIF, the LIBERATION SUMMER SEMESTER in Atlanta, Georgia. The LIBERATION SUMMER SEMESTER ran from July 11 to 15 of August, and consisted of a course entitled: Liberation & Colonialism and it consisted of six (6) classes of two (2) hours each class per week. The course ran six (6) weeks. Twenty nine (29) organizers, activists and educator practitioners of the Atlanta area made up the class with its highest qualities being its diversity and the high commitment of participation. The majority were youth, of color, women, and were multi-gender, multi-cultural, multi-national, multi-generational, multi-lingual, multi-ethnic, and most were poor, or working class.

So what now?

The partnership between University Sin Fronteras (UNSIF) and Project South, growing from this summer liberation experience, evolved into an Atlanta Liberation CAMPUS. The Atlanta Campus organized a WORKING GROUP on Education, Leadership, and Organizational development to coordinate along with the Co- Directors (Stephanie G & Emery W) of Project South, the FALL semester course 2012. Already, a course has been chosen (Atlanta crossroads of social protest; Global geo-politic center, Leadership and Emancipatory Education for social movements) the semester dates have been established (Oct 15 to Nov 1). UNSIF has also established a San Juan, Puerto Rico Campus (Independence Campus?), and Reynaldo Padilla Teruel, Vice President of UNSIF, is coordinating. Casa/Fundacion Arana (Luis Melendez) has graciously made its space available for the class once more (UNSIF has held its two board meetings there). The SJU six week course will focus on the CORE curriculum (multi thematic) with four areas; economy, globalization and capitalism, Colonialism and Liberation, emancipatory education and Art & culture as resistance. The course will be from October to November (dates to be est).

The San Antonio CAMPUS is also being organized for the FALL Semester with a course on the Tex-Mex Revolution and social movements today. The course will be coordinated with Southwest Workers Union, Fuerza Unida and possibly Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, plus other organizations.

Conversations and communication is taking place at this moment with Curtis Acosta, a teacher from the Tuscon area High School, where the schools banned Ethnic studies, and banned hundreds of books. The TUCSON (Arizona) Campus is looking at a possible course on ethnic studies and liberation, racism, colonialism and Indigenous history could take place in october and November. A Peoples Movement Assembly on educational justice might also be in the works.

The UNSIF FALL SEMESTER 2012 is in full swing. The success of the Summer Liberation Course in Atlanta has given UNSIF a lot of momentum and energy. The UNSIF will attempt to organize the 3rd Strategic Board of directors meeting in the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013. The meeting is planned to be held in Atlanta, Georgia. Project South will host the UNSIF board meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to synthesis a summary of the experience of the UNSIF since the summer liberation semester and the Fall semester results and social movement impact. Additionally, the board will envision the plan of action of UNSIF for the Spring 2013, and Summer Liberation II semester, and the new year starting in September 2013 for the Fall semester.

Rubén Solís García, President

Read More:

UNSIF Informe Sept 2012 – Español (9KB PDF)
Liberation Fall 2012 – Flyer (51KB PDF)
Fall Semeester 2012 UNSIF (Draft) (53KB PDF)