The Third World Is a Different World.

Overview & Synopsis

The Third World Assembly of Adult Education held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 24-30, 1985, brought 450 adult educators from 90 countries together to discuss the theme adult education, development, and peace. The week-long conference mixed morning general sessions with 17 intensive work groups. The first work group searched for common national themes in adult civic education, and the second general session brought together representatives from civic education programs in various countries throughout the world. The practices and problems of popular education in the Third World were explored with particular emphasis on Latin America and Freire's views on social action through adult education. Distinctions were drawn betweeen formal, nonformal, and informal adult civic education. Next, participants from developed nations explained their national programs for adult civil education. Popular participation was determined to be the essential ingredient in the development of adult civic education. According to the five guiding principles for adult civic education that were developed at the end of the conference, adult civic (popular) education should (1) be integrated with existing popular movements, (2) enable citizens to develop their capacities for political participation on an informed basis, and (3) enhance the interrelationship between teaching and practice (participation and action); furthermore, (4) adult (popular) educators should be personally neutral, and (5) the social, political, economic, and cultural distinctions in national approaches to adult civic education should be recognized. (MN)