Portuguese
Educate is to educate yourself in the practice of freedom, it is the task of those who know that they know little – so they know something and can thus get to know more – in dialogue with those who, almost always, think they know nothing, for these, transforming their think that they know nothing to know that they know little, can also learn more.”
Paulo Freire 
In 1998 emerged, in the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), in the city of São Leopoldo – Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, the proposal of creation of a forum, on occasion of International Seminar of Education (an event already consolidated in Rio Grande do Sul, achieving this year the mark of eighteen editions), that was permanent and itinerant character and to think and rethink critically the work of Freire.
The Forum of Studies Paulo Freire Readings is organized by a state coordination, currently comprising 5 professors: Marcia Ressler (FACCAT – Integrated Colleges of Taquara – RS), Celso Henz (UFSM – Federal University of Santa Maria – RS), Vilmar Alves Pereira (FURG – Federal University of Rio Grande Foundation – RS), Cênio Back Weyth (URI – Integrated Regional University of Alto Uruguai and Missões) and Thiago Ingrassia Pereira (UFFS – Federal University of Fronteira Sul).
With annual periodicity and itinerant character through universities of Rio Grande do Sul state, the Forum that proposes to reflect Paulo Freire’s legacy and to think about the education’s future, having as reference the principles of popular teach, exists since 1999 and gathers teachers, researchers, students and representatives of social movements of several regions of the state and even of the country. As each year one college or university is chosen to host the meeting, in the month of May of 2013, in the commemorative edition of 15 years of the Forum, it will be held on Integrated Colleges of Taquara (FACCAT). Since December of 2011, students and professors of FACCAT are gathering to deepen the studies on Paulo Freire, mobilized by the course of Pedagogy, coordinated by Prof. Marlene Ressler and having the work of Paulo Freire as inspiration source to develop an education of quality and social committed with social change.
The GEPF – Group of Studies of Paulo Freire – GEPF, created in December of 2011, by an initiative of the Education Faculty of FACCAT, was responsible by the articulation of this 15th edition of the Forum.
The commemorative theme of XV Readings of Paulo Freire Forum was Paulo Freire and the Education in the cities, that was held between May 23 and 25. “The Education in the City” is, by the way, a publication of Paulo Freire in 1991, based on his experience in the Secretary of Education of São Paulo city in the government of Luiza Erundina.
It is about a set of interviews assigned by him to several institutions and contexts. In the work, he wove reflections on scholar evasion, infrastructure and the scrapping of public education, formation and teachers’ salary, curriculum, all regarding with the urban space, having the metropolis as a backdrop.
In total, were 390 entries, divided in 260 works that contemplated 15 thematic areas such as: higher education, rural education, social movements, solidarity economy, education of youth and adults, popular education, formation of teachers, public policies, human rights, basic education, emancipatory education, communication, technology, culture and, lastly, environmental education, always n the freirean perspective.
In the occasion, there was artistic presentations (the participants could, without doubt, to present written works in several axes of dialogues, but the could also to present other forms of expression – music, dance, theather, poem, etc.), greeting of the organizers, realization of Circles of Culture. The central theme of the event – “Education in the cities”, was approched by professors Gaudêncio Frigotto (UERJ) and Danilo Streck (Unisinos), who is also one of the founders of Paulo Feire Forum. The debate was mediated by professor Márcia Cavalcante, giving opportunity of interaction with the public.
Below there is a photo of a poster made in a post-forum meeting. It was with these words that, in the Group of Studies Paulo Freire, the members summarized what the three days of sharing of the XV Forum of Study Paulo Freire meant. The post-forum meeting revived some meaningful moments for each member and account with the presence of the rector Delmar Backes congratulating the group for the developed work.
All the information on the event, more photos, texts, some testimonials, the group calender from now on and other materials are available on the website: http://gepffaccat.wordpress.com/.
On June, there was a post-forum meeting and systematized activities of the event