LEP - Transnational Feminist School

Latinas en Poder

Launch of the First Cycle of the Feminist Training School

We are proud to announce the opening of the First Cycle of the Feminist Training School—a transformative program designed to build knowledge and skills for women, young people, and worker leaders.

A Transformative Methodology

Our approach is grounded in Popular Education Models and Participatory Action Research, guided by a feminist and decolonial epistemology rooted in the wisdom of the Global South. Through this framework, we:

Question and analyze historical systems of oppression, such as patriarchy and capitalism, in its neoliberal phase.
Examine their profound and ongoing impact on women’s lives and communities.

In her memory. Edna Viruel-Fuentes was an activist scholar, professor, and researcher at Illinois Urban University. A migrant woman and a feminist committed to transnational and cross-border communities.

She left an extraordinary legacy for Latin American and Caribbean origin in the United States. We invite you to learn about her life and work

(https://personasymedios.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/ednaviruell-fuentes-28-12964-23-08-2020/)

A Vision for Liberation and Transformation

The Edna Viruel-Fuentes Feminist Training School envisions a liberating, decolonial, democratic, and healing feminist model. Our goal is to train and empower leaders who are:

Resilient critical thinkers capable of identifying systemic inequalities.
Equipped with tools and strategies to challenge and dismantle oppressive structures.
Committed to collective transformation and advancing justice across our continent.

This program is more than training—it is a space for healing, empowerment, and movement-building. We are creating leaders who will transform the inequalities that shape our realities and build a future of justice, dignity, and liberation.

First Cycle of the Feminist Capacity Strengthening Program.

Our Approach:We problematize the construction of the World capitalist, patriarchal, and colonialist model and its relationship with the historical struggles of women constructing political power and labor, economic, and reproductive rights, among others.

We address emancipatory and liberation proposals such as feminist economics and decoloniality of power to understand better the architecture of structural violence processes and gender relations. Finally, we address the methods of political organization for social transformation, focusing on women's equality, inclusion, and human rights.

Modality of the Knowledge-Strengthening Program

The Knowledge-Capacity Strengthening Program is grounded in the philosophical and methodological model of feminist popular education, inspired by the pioneering work of Paulo Freire in the 1960s. Freire challenged the traditional 'banking' model of education—a unilateral, deterministic approach that views learners as passive recipients of knowledge. Instead, he proposed liberating educational processes rooted in the lived experiences of the oppressed communities.

A Transformative and Participatory Approach

Latinas en Poder embraces this tradition by creating participatory formative processes based on feminist and transformational democratic principles. Our approach seeks to:

Curricular Proposal for the Popular Feminist Education Program

The Popular Feminist Education Program is designed to empower organized women leaders by strengthening their capacities for political leadership and collective power. The program consists of six modules, each building on the principles of feminist popular education to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and transformative action.

A Path Toward Transformation

This curriculum proposal is more than a training program—it is a commitment to cultivating strong, visionary women leaders who challenge systems of oppression and inequality. We will reclaim power, build collective agency, and transform our communities through reflection, critical analysis, and action.

Program Modules

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Latinas en Poder Participation at the Southern Movement Assembly Organizing School

Photos taken at the Penn Center, St. Helena Island, South Carolina

A Movement for Solidarity and Healing

Almost two years ago, Latinas en Poder found a common cause with the Southern Movement Assembly. While organizing to build power is critical to dismantling systems of oppression, we discovered profound alignment in the shared need for healing old wounds. These wounds—rooted in histories of colonialism, racism, and displacement—permeate BIPOC communities and require responses based on: Spirituality, love, and a deep sense of solidarity

During this process, Jean Carla Palomo, who represented our sister organization Madre Tierra, a co-founding member of Latinas en Poder, and Dinorah Martínez, represented the Latinas en Poder Feminist School. Together, they reaffirmed our commitment to healing and organizing as intertwined forces for transformation.

Looking Ahead: Building Power Together

An organizing framework is essential to strengthening our collective capacity to lead and sustain organizations. Latinas en Poder and partner organizations will hold a training session during our General Assembly in September 2024 as part of this ongoing effort.

Stay tuned! We organize, heal, and build a transnational movement grounded in solidarity, resilience, and justice.

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