Conference Program

This presentation will explain the findings of a case study to highlight the key aspects of democratic practices and activities used in resilience building in an alternative educational community following Hurricane Maria (2017) in Puerto Rico.

The analysis emphasizes the role of schools as entities that acted appropriately when governments failed to respond promptly and effectively to the crisis (Amnesty International, (2018). Schools, as “protective collectives” (Vargas-Díaz & Zambrana-Ortiz, 2019), extending beyond their physical facilities, also undertook the work of building resilience—psychological, emotional, physical, and community-based—resulting from the interaction between protective and risk factors, both individual and environmental (Celinski & Allen, 2017). However, to effectively strengthened protective factors that will mitigate losses of the human ecology, this must be accompanied by cultivating critical thinking in students and, in adults, promoting a democratic culture of care (Gilligan, 1982) within the community, delegating and co-working on community solutions, seeing the Otherness within the community (Falcón, 2008), as well as continuously cultivating human social capital (Putnam, Leonardi & Nonetti, 1995).

Alternative schools are in a particular favourable position to enhance these democratic practices which allow its participants -early school leavers from economically disadvantaged communities-, to encourage a sense of belonging and commitment (Barrientos, 2022). Community understanding of the causes and effects of socio-natural phenomena requires a critical and preventative approach, geared towards the active development of resilience and social justice, as Fraser (1996) described it, encompassing redistribution and representation. Prioritizing the development of democratic practices is a strong tool to nurture the internal strength to become “resilient to vulnerability" in alternative schooling environments. By grounding theoretical and technical elements in the school community´s realities and worldviews, the result will be a school community that may positively enhance its future autonomy, equilibrium, and peace.