Escola Nacional Florestan Fernandes – ENFF Rua José Francisco Rapozo, 1.140 Jd. Parateí – 08900-000 – Guararema / SP Telefone: (11) 4062-1215 Fax.: (11) 4693-9279 Correio eletrônico.: [email protected]

CALL INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE COURSE ON POLITICAL TRAINING FOR POLITICAL EDUCATORS PERIOD: March 23 to May 03, 2015 Dear comrades in struggle, We send our most sincere greetings! We would like to inform you that we are beginning the recruitment call for the first International Course on Political Training for Political Educators in English language, for militants and activists from movements and social organizations. This course builds on the Landless Workers Movement and the ENFF’s previous experiences conducting political education for militants and activists from the Latin American continent. After discussions with social movements and organizations from around the world, the MST and the Florestan Fernandes National School (Escola Nacional Florestan Fernandes / ENFF) are partnering with the Bertha Foundation to take on this new challenge of building an international course in English language. We are taking on this effort because we believe that ideological political education is essential to strengthen our work for social transformation, to build the militant dedication and values that can lead to a new society. The course will run from March 23 to May 3, 2015. It will be held at ENFF, located in São Paulo, Brazil. Following is some information about the course, so that every invited movement and social organization can begin the process of preparing and organizing to ensure a successful course: I. OBJECTIVES: a) To strengthen the political training of political educators of movements from Via Campesina International, as well as from different social, popular and political movements which organize struggles and resistance against the capitalist system in their countries. b) To contribute to the political training of militants, activists and leaders who have the ability and / or the responsibility to organize schools and political training programs for their organizations in their countries of origin. c) To provide a space for exchange between social and political organizations and for the mutual articulation and integration of the various existing processes of struggles. Our goals in this are to build deeper functional unity between organizations, to promote solidarity within the international working class and to strengthen internationalism. d) To promote revolutionary, socialist, and Marxist ideas as the historical legacy that has been developed through the course of working class struggle. e) To discuss the design, content and methodology of political, ideological and organizational training, in order to deepen efforts participants’ capacity to develop training programs that are tailored to the current moment and to their specific contexts. II. CRITERIA FOR SENDING STUDENTS: This course is aimed at militants, activists and leaders who are linked to different social movements, particularly those people who are connected to political training or popular education tasks. It is imperative that militants are connected to a movement or an organization, that is, that they are

Escola Nacional Florestan Fernandes – ENFF Rua José Francisco Rapozo, 1.140 Jd. Parateí – 08900-000 – Guararema / SP Telefone: (11) 4062-1215 Fax.: (11) 4693-9279 Correio eletrônico.: [email protected]

officially part of and active within the organization. Participation must be a reflection of the movement’s interests, and not the participant’s personal or individual interests. Aditionally, candidates will:     

Preferably be young men and women, with conscious discipline and commitment to collective work. Have an appetite for study and the pursuit of knowledge. Be open to live and learn from other cultures, other experiences and other people. Be of peasant or urban organizations, involved in the debates of Via Campesina, or other groups that organize struggles against capitalism and imperialism. Organizations should take gender dynamics into account - nominating 50% women and 50% men - to promote equal participation in the course.

III. PERIOD: The course will last for 42 days. It will be held at the National School Florestan Fernandes, outside of Sao Paulo - from March 23 to May 3, 2015. IV. BASIC PROGRAM: During the course, we will use readings, lectures and discussion to study topics including: a historical overview of the class struggle; political philosophy; critical thinking; theory of political organization; popular work; imperialist strategies and current struggles processes. We will also organize seminars so that participants can learn about and understand the experiences of the participating organizations with political and ideological training. We will also have a week engaged with the practical experiences of working class organizations in Brazil. V. METHODOLOGY OF THE COURSE: a) The course will cover both theoretical and methodological topics. The mornings and most afternoons will be classroom-based presentations, provided by allied educators. In the evenings we will organize other activities for individual and collective deepening, including research, group and individual studies, cultural activities, exchanges, and so on. There will also be seminars, discussion circles, guided reading on specific topics to complement the discussions on political training. b) At the end of the course students should have a proposal for a Political Training Program that they will run with their own social organizations. During the period of the course, the participants will have to prepare this political training program, week by week. c) Saturdays will be dedicated to seminars at which we will exchange experiences with ideological political education in the various continents. These presentations will be prepared collectively by the students from every continent present. d) The fifth week of the course will be practical exposure. Students will be divided into groups and placed in current struggles and organizations of the working class in Brazil.

VI. COSTS a) The Florestan Fernandes National School, with the support of the Bertha Foundation, will ensure the costs of teaching materials, accommodation, food and other educational expenses. b) Tickets will also be provided with the support of the Bertha Foundation. Therefore, along with the registration form, each participant must inform us of their intended travel route to Sao Paulo

Escola Nacional Florestan Fernandes – ENFF Rua José Francisco Rapozo, 1.140 Jd. Parateí – 08900-000 – Guararema / SP Telefone: (11) 4062-1215 Fax.: (11) 4693-9279 Correio eletrônico.: [email protected]

(that is, their city of exit and return) and preferred dates for the trip, taking into account the dates of beginning and end of the course. c) Other travel expenses - including transportation to and from the airport, food at the airport, and so on - will be the responsibility of the organizations that send militants. d) Each movement and / or student must have their own resources for personal expenses during the period in the school. It is recommended to bring personal hygiene supplies, bath towels, supplies to wash your clothes, and so on. VII. IMPORTANT GUIDELINES: 1) We ask you to send the registration forms filled out with the information of your recommended participants to [email protected] and [email protected] by February 15, 2015. 2) We also ask that participants bring the following materials to the course: a. Casual clothing, including warm clothes. There may be cold periods at this time of year in the region. b. Toiletries and bath towels. c. Flags of your organizations. d. Cultural materials from your countries, such as: songs, poems, documentaries, crafts, etc. These will be for collective, not personal use. e. Materials that can support your studies (for example, training books, booklets, books, records, history of the region and the organization, political situation of the country, etc.). f. Poster or photo of some of the major popular historical leaders of your country or region, which can be used in banners, the mistica and cultural activities. g. Information about your country and your organization. h. Medicine and basic first aid supplies (analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-febrile) to organize a collective pharmacy. i. We recommend that those who can should bring a laptop to do their studies, summaries, papers, etc. j. It is essential to bring financial resources for personal needs, for trips and in case you become ill. You can convert to dollars, euros or reals. 3) VISA: Everything regarding the visa process to stay in Brazil for the period of the course is responsibility of each organization/participant. We can provide individual invitation letters for those who need it. Deadline to submit application forms: February 15, 2015.

In solidarity,

Secretary of the Courses ENFF

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Collective of International Relations MST

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