Guardians of the Mountain: Praxis, Rural Education and Peacebuilding in Colombia

Abstract

Identifying educational initiatives in rural communities, in which the context and its needs are recognized, may become one of the alternatives that contribute to the Special Rural Education Plan contemplated in point 1 of the peace agreement. This article seeks to understand the role of praxis (reflection and action) in the Guardia del Monte (GM) educational program, developed by the community of peace signatories in Caquetá, Colombia of the A-ETCR of the Centro Poblado Héctor Ramírez. This program is part of the Education, Peace, and Reconciliation (EDUCARE) project, which seeks to strengthen community education. In order to understand the role of praxis in the development of the program, we conducted a thematic analysis of documents such as educational planning, recordings of reflective processes and audiovisual products of the activities in GM was carried out. The main findings of this research allow us to identify that praxis in the GM program works through the creation of dialogic spaces in which teachers, children and young people reflect critically and collectively on the principles, values, practices, and knowledge for the preservation of the peasant identity and the Good Living of the community. © 2024 Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. All rights reserved.