BCA Mexico Special Course: SOC375
STREET CHILDREN AND POPULAR EDUCATION: A PARTICIPATIVE APPROACH
Suggested academic credit: 4 credit hours
Course Language: This course is taught entirely in Spanish, though readings are in both Spanish and
English. A high-intermediate level of Spanish will be required to participate in this course.
Of special interest to students of the following disciplines:


Sociology
Social Work


Education
Anthropology
INTRODUCTION: This course is designed to expose students to the realities of some of the major social
problems involving Mexico (and by extension, much of the developing world) today, and gain direct
experience in strategies toward working with these issues. Using a combined strategy of theoretical and
empirical study coordinated with in-the-field practical experiences with local vulnerable populations, BCA
Mexico students will have a unique opportunity to immediately and directly apply concepts learned in class.
At the same time students actively contribute to the programs of a well-established and respected nongovernmental organization working in Xalapa.
This course coordinates closely with the NGO MATRACA, Asociación Civil (civil association), whose
fundamental goal is the protection of the human rights of street children in the city of Xalapa and the state
of Veracruz. Matraca was founded over twenty years ago by Jesuit priests and lay persons from the
Universidad Veracruzana to work with and protect this very vulnerable population. In the ensuing years
Matraca, now entirely in secular hands, has become one of the most important organizations within
Xalapa’s civil society and is widely respected for its work. In 2010 Matraca was awarded first place by the
UNICEF in the category of Best Practices in working for the human rights of children and adolescents in
Mexico. Matraca’s webpage can be viewed at www.matracaac.org.mx
Matraca is a fully-functioning non-governmental organization that has invited us to participate in their
activities as student-participants. It is important to understand that students should NOT consider their
participation in Matraca as a kind of social service, but rather as an act of solidarity with the Matraca
community.
GOALS: Students will gain a general theoretical and practical understanding of basic social concepts such as
poverty, street children, human rights, social action in Latin America, and Popular Education. Through the
reading of important texts and carefully designed exercises on the central themes of the course, students
will become familiar with the basic conditions of poverty in Latin America and Mexico, as well as gain a
working knowledge of the core issues of individual and children’s human rights, and the Latin American
social development strategy of Popular Education. By developing and executing projects within Matraca’s
already established programs, students will gain first-hand experience working with vulnerable populations
as well as be able to directly apply the concepts learned in the theoretical part of the course.
COURSE STRUCTURE: This course consists of a balance of both theoretical (classroom) and practical (field)
components.
Classroom: In the classroom students meet with the instructors and Matraca personnel to discuss the four
central theoretical themes or pillars for this course, which are:
 Poverty
 The human rights of children
 Street children
 Popular Education
Poverty is a basic cause of many of Mexico’s social problems, and is central to understanding the problem
of marginalized populations in Mexico (and throughout Latin America) including the phenomenon of
children working and/or living on the streets.
The existence and reality of children working and/or living on the streets are the central immediate
themes related to the activities that students of this course actively participate in. The current
socioeconomic reality of Mexico has resulted in the expulsion (whether forced or voluntary) of children
and youth from their natal homes, to find refuge within the public spaces of the city. What is the nature
of this reality, how and why do these children find themselves living on the streets?
Central to Matraca’s mission is the protection and promotion of the Human Rights of Children as
expressed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child promulgated by the United Nations, to which
Mexico is a signatory. A working understanding of these concepts will therefore be a basic part of the
theoretical background of this course and experience.
Popular Education is a strategy of social and community development inspired most importantly by the
work of the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire. Rather than “teaching” the target population, Popular
Education aims to develop intellectual, analytical, and organizational capabilities of vulnerable groups in
order for them to effectively and productively affect their own realities. The techniques and philosophy
of Popular Education are central to Matraca’s operational strategies, and are important in the active
participation of the students within Matraca’s programs.
Field experience: Concurrent and complimentary to the theoretical component of this course, students
participate in one of the several programs operated by Matraca in favor of the street children of Xalapa
and their families. These main programs that BCA students participate in are:
- Street work, making contact and building confidence with children living and/or working on the
street, introducing them to Matraca’s program and doing research on their conditions.
- Community work, visiting the neighborhoods and families of the street children in an effort to
stem the cycle of behaviors and conditions that result in the expulsion of children to the streets.
- Educational work, participating in the free primary and secondary school operated by Matraca.
- Students with interests in other aspects of Matraca’s activities may also participate in these as
well.
The Popular Education-inspired praxis of ver pensar actuarevaluar (seethinkact evaluate)
will be fundamental to the students’ practical experiences with Matraca.
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After a preliminary period of participant observation in which students accompany Matraca personnel in
their program activities, students develop their own individual projects within the structure of the ongoing program, which they carry to completion under the supervision of Matraca’s program coordinators
and the course instructors. This project allows students to apply concepts and methods learned in the
classroom in real-life settings. Students may need to work in paired teams in some circumstances.
A reflexive component of the course, where students meet every other week to describe and discuss their
field experiences with the group, is an important part of the evaluative process for the students.
BASIC COURSE OUTLINE:
The first several weeks are devoted to covering basic background theoretical and contextual issues
dealing with Mexico’s socio-economic system, the realities of poverty, the phenomenon of children living
and/or working on the streets, and the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child. As such most of the
beginning work of this course is in the classroom. In addition, students are introduced to Matraca A.C.
and its general philosophies and operations, including exposure to the main programs that BCA students
will be incorporated into.
As the semester progresses course time is divided between in-class discussion and reflection, and
participation in the field. Once a week students meet with instructors to 1) delve further into the central
theoretical pillars of the course, and 2) reflect as a group on their experiences in the field. In anticipation
of this reflection each student is required to prepare a brief (1-2 page) written evaluation of their recent
experience, discussing activities, advancements and setbacks, reflections on the experience, and thoughts
for improving the experience and their participation.
At least once a week, students actively participate in Matraca’s programs. After initial exposure to these
different programs, students either select or are assigned to one of these programs for continued weekly
observation and participation under the supervision of Matraca’s program coordinators. After becoming
more familiar with their assigned program, each student (or pair of students) designs and completes a
project within that program, utilizing concepts and practices of Popular Education and under the guidance
of the course instructors and Matraca program coordinators. Students must satisfactorily complete their
project by the end of the semester. Completion consists of following through with the planned project to
the degree possible, plus a final report detailing the project, the student’s activities related to the project,
and an evaluation of its final outcome. Success or failure of the project itself does not necessarily relate
to the student’s grade.
Students’ final evaluation for the course is based on their performance with exercises and assignments
based on classroom activities (30% of the grade), their weekly reflection pieces and contributions (30% of
the grade) and their final project evaluation (40% of the grade).
EDUCATIONAL GOALS AND ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES:
Students who successfully complete this course should advance in the following ways (and demonstrate
these advances in their coursework):

Students will understand and be able to discuss and evaluate the central concepts of Poverty,
Marginalized Populations (including but not limited to street children), the importance and
Human Rights in both general terms and as they apply to Mexico and more broadly to Latin
America and other parts of the developing world.
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
Students will be able to apply the above concepts in directly relating to marginalized populations.

Students will control the general ideas behind Popular Education and be able to apply techniques
of Popular Education in their work.

Students will be able to apply the concept and process of the praxis (as defined within the
Popular Education movement) in designing and executing projects.

Students will gain real-life experience in working with marginalized populations, and understand
the challenges that such activities and relationships entail.

Students will also gain the specialized Spanish language skills necessary to participate actively and
constructively in these environments.
INVOLVED PERSONNEL:
Dr. Robert P. Kruger (Principal instructor)
Lic. Arturo Narváez Aguilera (Colaborator)
Ant. Karla Salgado (Colaborator/coordinator)
- Resident Director, BCA Mexico, Ph.D. in Anthropology.
- Executive Director of Matraca A.C., Bachelor’s Degree in
Sociology
- Coordinator and Educator in the Family Attention and
Community Prevention program of Matraca
SELECTED RESOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Aguayo Quezada, Sergio (Editor)
2008 El Almanaque mexicano 2008. Aguilar, Mexico City.
Bonfil Batalla, Guillermo
1987 México profundo: una civilización negada. Editorial Grijalbo, Mexico City.
Busteros, Graciela, and Laura Vargas
1988 Técnicas participativas para la educación popular. Volumes 1 and 2. Instituto Mexicano para el
Desarrollo Comunitario (IMDEC), Guadalajara.
Centro de Intercambio Educacional “Graciela Bustillos” y el Instituto Mexicano para el Desarrollo
Comunitario, A.C.
1998 Paulo Freire entre nosotros. Colectivo Nacional del CEEAL en Cuba, Havana.
El CARACOL A.C. y Derechos Humanos del D.F.
2009 Derechos de las Poblaciones Callejeras. Programa de Derechos Humanos del D.F., México D.F.
Fernández, David (Editor)
1995 Malabareando: La Cultura de los Niños de la Calle. Centro de Reflexión Teológica y Universidad
Iberoamericana, México D.F.
Freire, Paulo
1969 La educación como práctica de la libertad. Siglo Veintiuno Editores, México D.F.
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1970
Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum International Publishing Group, New York.
Green, Duncan
1999 Child Workers of the Americas. NACLA Report on the Americas 32(4):21-27.
Guzman, José Teodulo
1994 Narración de mis experiencias en educación no formal. Ediciones Gernika, Mexico City.
Hellman, Judith Alder
1994 Mexican Lives. The New Press, New York.
Illich, Ivan
1968 To Hell With Good Intentions. Address given to the Conference on Inter-American Student
Projects, Cuernavaca, Morelos, April 20, 1968.
http://www.swaraj.org/illich_hell.htm
MATRACA A.C.
2011 Buenas Prácticas del Movimiento de Apoyo a Niños Trabajadores y de la Calle A.C. Xalapa Ver.
México.
Pérez Carreón, Gustavo
2009 Adolescentes Trabajadores en Espacios Públicos de la Ciudad de México: Una Etnografía Urbana.
EDNICA; Educación con el Niño Callejero, i.a.p., México D.F.
20 Foro Internacional “Palabras de Calle”
2010 Educación de Calle, Recomendaciones de los Educadores de Calle Contra la Pobreza y la Exclusión
Social. Asociación Navarra Nuevo Futuro, Bruselas Bélgica.
Warnock, John
1992 The Other Mexico: The North American Triangle Completed. Black Rose Books, Montreal.
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