How we organize us

  • Democratic School
    • Project decision makers:
      • General Assembly
      • Council of Center
      • Monthly Coordination (COME)
      • Weekly Coordination (COSE)
         
    • Spaces that encourage greater democracy in the School
      • Commission for the resolution of situations of domestic violence
      • Commission of affirmative action
      • Advisory Council
      • Youth Group
      • Multicultural group
      • Women's Group
         
    • Working Commission
      • Activities Commission
      • "A Bigger School" Commission
      • Omnia Comissió
      • Verneda - Porto Alegre Commission

 

Democratic School:

Learning Community Adult School of Verneda St. Martin is a pluralistic democratic project, where decisions are taken by everyone involved in the community through participation, dialogue and consensus.

We propose that to participate is to take part, contribute, listen and to be listened, act ... in all areas and spaces of the school: in the classroom, in the Commissions, in the clothing of the AGENDA of the meeting, and so on. In our opinion participation is not only the moment when the hand gets to vote, but an attitude that includes all people, all places and all the processes from the beginning to the end. Participation for us is not a point rises as long as the power to vote, but an attitude that includes all the people, all the areas on and all of the processes from the start until the end.

Dialogue and consensus are the foundation of our organization through deliberative democracy. In this dialogue and consensus we include our social and cultural plurality, to build agreements that ensure that our decisions and actions may be valid beyond our immediate environment.

To have a deliberative democracy, within our school there must be at least these criteria:

  • We start from basic principles, which concern about equal rights for all people, as they are, Human Rights and the Declaration on the Rights of Participating People in Adult Education.
  • Everyone should have opportunities to make their contributions.
  • Comunication should be motivated by the force of better arguments.
  • The agreements with these conditions must be respected.
  • Disagreements should be expressed in the space of debate and public decision, not in private spaces that can not be refuted.

To make a real and active participation in all areas of participation and coordination decision-making bodies we have some criteria of dinamization:

  • All the decision-making and coordination is arranged between the two entities that constitute the learning community, so any member of the different entities can enter any point on the agenda of the meetings.
  • All the decision-making and coordination is open to everybody: individuals and entities in the neighborhoud, participants, volunteers, people working in different organizations, people of the advisory board of the learning community, the government and representatives of the community can also participate, where appropriate.
  • All the decision-making and coordination must be developed in the order of the day, start and end.
  • In all the decision-making and coordination we try to listen and allow as many people as possible to take part , so we try not to make speeches too long and give priority to people within the same session have not intervened yet.

 

Project decision makers 

Decision makers and project management are spaces for consensus decision making, enabling coordination between the various entities within the school, among the participants, people who coordinate volunteer groups and ... echoing all the ideas, needs and interests. We Know that it is not only the decision-making and organization which demonstrates that there is democracy in a society, in this case in a school, but it is in an attitude of respect, equality, listening and constant attention ... here any participant can freely enter the RACONET (coordination room) to say that his group wants to make an exit to the theater or ask why it has not arrived on schedule the program of the Cultural Week or...

Decision-makers and coordination of the school:

 

General Assembly:

Who is specifically targeted: All persons participating in the activities of the school, representatives of the learning community and public authorities, if applicable. All persons involved in school activities, and representative of the government and community learning, where appropriate.
Function It is the most important decision making body.
When held:

Once a year ordinary and in an extraordinary way when very important decisions have to be taken.

 

College council:

Who is specifically targeted:

The Council is open to all participants and representatives of the learning community, but at least it requires the participation of one delegate from each group, workshop or activity. It is also aimed to people working within the three entities that comprise the learning and community partners, etc. ..
Function:

It is a decision space. Its function is to decide the medium-term actions under the Project approved by the Assembly. Decide what training provision (literacy, modules, over 25 years ...) for each quarter to fulfill the agreement of the meeting mentioned in the previous paragraph is an example of competence of the Council of the Centre.
When held:

It meets every six weeks. To facilitate attendance and participation each Council schedules adjusts to the interests of participants.

 

Monthly co-ordination (COME):

Who is specifically targeted:

People representing the community of learning, collaborating people, participants involved in committees, activities, etc, people who are not part of the learning community but are linked to projects, institutions etc. related to the topics of reflection that are discussed in COME, representatives of the neighborhoud.
Function:

It is to inform, develop the College Council decisions and ponder on those topics of interest that are decided collectively.
When held:

It's done once a month, currently the first Tuesday of each month at two different times: from 19:00 to 20:30 or 21:30 to 22:45.

 

Week coordination:

Who is specifically targeted:

People who work in the various entities that form the learning community and people representing the three entities.
Function:

Coordinate daily work according to the guidelines set by the Council and COME.
When held:

Each week during the morning except the week that was held COME.

 

Commissions for democracy in the School:

Commission for the prevention of domestic violence:

From an educational perspective, respecting human rights and under the guidance of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing 1995), we work to get that there are no cases of harassment and gender violence in school. As in many universities and schools of international level, there is a specific committee that analyzes cases that are known at school and can not be settled through dialogue.
This committee, composed of participants, collaborators and day to day, different cultures and ages, requests information from the parts and proposes a solution to the conflict, taking always position in favor of the victims. As a general rule, we do not accept the continuation at school of any person not engaged in changing sexist behavior.
It is necessary that all the staff of the school be aware of the existence of this committee and educational guidance.
Affirmative Action Commission:

In the school, we find people or groups who come and suffer social exclusion and education problems very seriously. To overcome the difficulties found, the School created a commission where to study each case and try to find the best solution and get the place for them to do their studies. In this way we help to overcome inequalities.

Affirmative action aims to give more resources to those people who need them most, so people who could not come to school come and so we can do it more and more diverse. All this diversity and plurality of voices enriches us all.
Advisory Council:

The school is fortunate to have people outside the daily life of school who we can turn to for advice on any of the issues we care about and / or want to reflect. The advisory council is composed of diverse people, by people who have been linked to the school, who has never been, academics, people without qualifications, etc.

The topics are basically advice that correspond to the main priorities of the school.

The advisory board meets at least once a year, although we must say that if we need advice from the school and we ask them at any time they are willing to lend a hand.
Youth Group: This committee works to promote all activities in which the voices and interests of young people (or they feel young) are represented. one of the objectives is to enhance the theme of intergenerational school.
Women's group: The group of women working the issues related to the interests and proposals related to training and improvement of the situation of women. It also participates actively in the Women's Council of the District and in social activities related to these topics, such as improved pensions for widows, in the fight against domestic violence, etc.
Multicultural group: In the multicultural group people of different cultures and backgrounds participate together in various school activities. The objectives proposed by the group are: increasing the participation of these groups in training and education, to publicize the existence of the school to the outside and work on issues of current debate and on the issue of multiculturalism

 

Work Commission:

One of the main features of the educational project of the School of Adult la Verneda is the large participation of different groups who attend the school. This involvement is managed through various committees formed by participants, partners, people from day to day school.

The comissions currently working in different fields related to the Adult School of the Verneda are:

 

Activities commission This committee coordinates the power and the social and cultural activities both internal and those related to community development. Participating in the festival, organizing the cultural week or going out to the theatre are examples of activities organized.
"A bigger school" Commission: The objective is to work and assume all tasks related to the improvement of infrastructures to make all the school activities. Currently its work is very focused on getting a larger space to locate more than 1,600 people who make up the school and partnerships.
Omnia Commission: This committee works to ensure access to information technology and training in the same way for all the groups in the neighborhoud who have more difficulty accessing. It organizes its space in introductory courses, workshops and self-training hours and extended hours for free.
Verneda – Portoalegre Commision Verneda-Portoalegre Commission aims to assist in the eradication of illiteracy in Porto Alegre and make an exchange of educational experiences between Verneda and Porto Alegre. We are in contact with two schools of Porto Alegre (Centro Municipal Workers' Paulo Freire and Nossa Senhora de Fátima) and the MOVA. We make among others, videoconferences and virtual educational gatherings.