Trucha Camp Origin

Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world (Freire, 2000, p. 34). Paulo Freire sought to empower Brazilian peasants to practice their freedom to deal with reality, both critically and creatively, to discover their role in the world (Freire, 2000).

My curiosities, respectively as an educator and a product of the public school system, was to explore Freire’s critical consciousness pedagogy (CCP) and its’ usefulness in empowering marginalized Latino students.

Because of my own experiences with marginalization (which include standardized curriculum and teacher bias) it is my strong belief that students in the educational system should never be subject to these injustices. School should serve as a place where students can find their voice and thrive in the world both critically and creatively. As Freire (2000) mentioned, the function of education can be used either as means of conformity or freedom. I advocate the latter.

To accomplish this, I sought the advice of Professor Ramsés Noriega of UCLA, and with his counsel, Trucha Camp Critical Consciousness Program was born. The intended outcome was to pilot this CCP Program to develop proficiency in three areas; (a) Character development, (b) leadership and (c) critical thinking, in (all students with focus on Latino Students) Latino students. Beginning in 2001, Noriega and I began researching culturally responsive methods by which to shape the elementary physical education program for the CCP pilot.