CGEE is inspired by Paulo Freire’s philosophy of popular education, as well as other critical, experiential, feminist, indigenous, and postcolonial pedagogies that foment transformation.  The goal of all of our educational programs is the empowerment of the participants to work for personal and social transformation.

CGEE’s Five Pillars of Education

Intercultural

CGEE draws upon the diverse backgrounds of participants, students, faculty, staff, and our domestic and international community members as the basis of an intercultural experience.  This experience is enhanced by facilitated reflection which analyzes cultural traditions, values and ways of interpreting the world, whereby participants look at the complexities of diverse cultures and deepen their own cultural self-awareness.

Experiential

Our experiential programming combines a variety of activities such as story-telling, dialogue with host families and a range of community members, small group work, excursions, lectures, internships, films, and the use of music and the arts with other hands-on experiences.  As necessary catalysts for learning, critical analysis and reflection of the experiences are central to our programs and facilitation. Participants are asked to reflect upon both new experiences as well as prior knowledge in a global context.

Holistic

CGEE is committed to both intellectual and emotional learning. We encourage people to reflect upon how they learn best and to grow outside of their comfort zone. Our programs are developed with different learning styles in mind.

Analytical

CGEE encourages participants to analyze multiple perspectives and to develop their own viewpoints. Our experiential interactions, combined with background reading and research to determine the validity of information, provide the basis for critical analysis of multiple sides of an issue.

Transformative

CGEE believes that the purpose of education is to create a more just and sustainable world. Our goal is for learners to engage both in their own transformation and to act to bring about the changes they envision for our world. Transformative education leads to greater personal and social responsibility.