7 September 2023. Manizales, Colombia. During the 5th Cooperation and Internationalisation Meeting held in Manizales, Colombia, by the Association of Latin American and Caribbean Universities (UDUALC), the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC), represented by Baltazar Ojea, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General of FREYRE, and Miguel González, Coordinator of Multilateral Initiatives-Knowledge Development, Exchange and Partnerships, introduced the programme “Framework for the Reinforcement of Exchanges between Youth and Regions through Education (FREYRE)” to academic institutions from South America and the Caribbean.
FREYRE is a visionary initiative by the Organisation of Southern Cooperation (OSC) to promote academic mobility, cultural exchange, and Southern integration. This platform is being developed to obtain educational experiences that are contextualised to the problems and challenges faced by the Member States of the Organisation.
Some of the highlights of FREYRE include student and scholar mobility opportunities across the Greater South, cross-cultural enrichment, endogenous development, and the creation of an alumni network.
“Much like the influential Brazilian educator, philosopher, and activist Paulo Freire, the FREYRE Programme emphasizes the importance of education as a process of dialogue in and with the world, as well as a means of social transformation, awareness, and collective action,” stated Baltazar Ojea.
FREYRE will be implemented through student and scholar exchanges, recognition of learning, reciprocity in tuition fees, and ongoing support for everyone participating.
“The programme will offer opportunities for young people from all Southern societies to gain new knowledge and perspectives through equitable and contextualised learning. It aims to reverse the asymmetrical relationships regarding academic learning mobility between the Global South and Global North,” he remarked.
FREYRE is intended for students, scholars, and young people between 18 and 40 years old from the Member States of the Organisation, as well as educational institutions and governments.
