OUR MISSION

        UNIVERSIDAD POPULAR, a.k.a. Latin Center, wishes to promote neighborhood development and community empowerment via the praxis of participatory learning or popular education.  Since its very inception in the early 1970’s, UNIVERSIDAD POPULAR (UP) has adopted the practice of branching itself out to various parts of the city, which explains its presence currently in Chicago Lawn, Pilsen, Humboldt Park, Little Village, and Logan Square.  UP’s brand of community work is rotted in the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire, the world renown Latin American educator.  For this reason, UNIVERSIDAD POPULAR believes that to succeed in the community, education must be done with the participation of local residents.  Due to such a standing, it shies away from traditional paradigms of community work characterized by giving programs to the community.  Instead, it chooses to carry out activities, projects and programs such as education with, by and for the community.

       UP’s confidence in the ability of so-called “voiceless” people to empower themselves has led it to rely on self-help for the conceptualization and implementation of its programs.  Today, as always, it depends heavily upon its volunteers—many of whom are current or former program participants—to help others in their quest for improvement.  Facilitators and participants work together to design programs of study that stem from and are relevant to their lives.  They are tailored to participants’ particular needs.

        Since its introduction in Chicago in the early 1970’s, Universidad Popular has become known as a place where community residents come to learn with, by and from one another.  Under this guidance, UP has proceeded through its 30-plus years of existence, forging its very own trademark of participatory or popular education.  By thriving on partnerships with public and non-public, for-profit and non-profit organizations operating within the community, UP’s methodology of community work incorporates teaching and learning interchangeably by allowing direct participation with, by and for the people.

          SPONSORS