This workshop was open to all Conference delegates and was accessible for online participation as well. Flowing from the opening panel discussion Popular Education for Building Power, this workshop explored the topic further through inputs from four IFWEA affiliates operating in different contexts. Participants in the workshop contributed to a discussion on how the education they are providing builds power, identifying best practise in popular education approaches, strategies, and methods.
WORKSHOP 1: MONDAY, 4 December 2023. 14h00 – 16h30.
What does Education for Empowerment mean for us today?
Panel discussion and workshops report
Moderator: Dr Tamara Lee
Assistant Professor, Labor Studies and Employment Relations (LSER), Rutgers State University of New Jersey USA
Tamara L. Lee, Esq. is an industrial engineer and labor lawyer by professional training. She received her Ph.D. from the department of labor relations, law and history from the ILR School at Cornell University. Her academic research focuses on the popular participation of workers in macro-level political and economic reform in Cuba and the United States. She also conducts research on the political practice of workers under the National Labor Relations Act, the intersection of labor and racial justice, cross-movement solidarity building and the impact of radical adult education on workplace democracy. Her teaching focuses on identity politics in the workplace, and labor market discrimination.
Speaker: Namrata Bali – IASEW
Namrata Bali is currently a member of the IFWEA Executive Committee and is the director of the SEWA Academy, also known as the Indian Academy for Self Employed Women (IASEW) in India. Namrata has organized urban and rural women for 30 years and provides trainings to women in the informal economy. She also specializes in training in documentary work and other applications related to ICT and on issues of the poor.
Speaker: Isabelle Palanchon – CEMEA
Isabelle Palanchon is currently a member of the IFWEA Executive Committee and is the deputy director of CEMEA France, in charge of the international department. She has been involved in CEMEA since 2001, where she worked on projects relating to education, social intervention, and community development. She currently coordinates international projects relating to the recognition of non-formal education, intercultural dialogue, and capacity building of civil society.
Speaker: Wisborn Malaya – ZCIEA
Wisborn Malaya is currently a member of the IFWEA Executive Committee and is the Secretary General of Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA). As a seasoned and passionate informal workers activist, he is often invited as a key resource person in organizing informal economy workers through his extensive experience in ZCIEA since he became a member in 2002. He is also a GLU-Engage Programme alumnus (2013) and was a Reagan Fiscal Foundation Fellow (March-July 2022).