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In the heart of rural Goiás, a workers’ camp became the stage for a transformative project: the application of the PCA method – Pedagogies of Creativity and Autonomy – for adult literacy. The community, composed of men and women of various ages, many with histories marked by educational exclusion, found in education a new opportunity for personal and collective rebuilding. The project was born from the residents’ own demands, who sought to learn to read and write to gain greater autonomy in daily life, particularly for handling documents, land contracts, and correspondence.
The arrival of the educational team was met with enthusiasm and curiosity. The PCA methodology was introduced in an accessible way, respecting the participants’ prior knowledge and experiences. The first step was listening to the adults’ stories. Accounts of interrupted childhoods, early labor, and the pain of never having set foot in a classroom were common. This moment of active listening already represented a break from traditional literacy models, as the PCA method emphasizes that the starting point is always the individual and their story.
In the first weeks, the participants’ names became the primary teaching material. Instead of standardized primers, educators used the participants’ own names, their children’s names, and local place names as the basis for building words and sentences. Handmade posters were created with the students’ help, and activities took shape based on what was meaningful to them. Maria learned to write her husband’s name, while João was moved to tears writing his newborn grandson’s name.
The use of the Mané Beiçudo Puppet Theater (TBMB) sparked immediate enchantment. The puppets, crafted and manipulated by the students themselves, reenacted everyday rural scenarios: a trip to the market, a visit to the doctor, or discussions about land rights. These playful moments not only facilitated the learning of new words but also strengthened community bonds. Laughter, emotion, and relatability created a light and conducive learning atmosphere. Many participants remarked that it “didn’t even feel like class,” such was the joy of being there.
In parallel, the MAT – Mindset, Action, and Theater – component was implemented to help students overcome limiting beliefs. Group dynamics, discussion circles, and short skits on themes like “I can learn” and “Every day is a new beginning” fostered a new self-perception. A 58-year-old woman, with tears in her eyes, said that for the first time, she believed she was capable of learning, after decades of hearing otherwise. The community’s self-esteem visibly grew.
The ThM – Theater Movement – component was also incorporated, using music, rhythm, and physical expression. Popular regional songs were adapted for reading and writing exercises. Each bodily movement was linked to sounds and letters, promoting multisensory learning. Outdoor classes, accompanied by drums and clapping, became a symbol of the project’s energy. The body, often overlooked in education, became a tool for memory and meaningful expression.
Technology, despite limited access, was also part of the experience. With donated tablets and offline apps, participants engaged with educational games, listened to recorded stories, and recorded their own readings. A group of young adults created a small “community radio” where they recorded and broadcasted short news and messages from the camp using portable speakers, promoting the functional use of reading and writing in daily life.
After six months, the results were remarkable. Over 80% of participants could read simple sentences, fill out forms, and write short notes. But the most striking transformation was subjective. Literacy became more than a technical process—it became an act of liberation. Many adults began to dream again: of taking courses, completing elementary education, or helping their children with homework. Literacy was just the beginning of a new life cycle.
The project also trained multipliers. Some participants became monitors and started teaching their neighbors. Inspired by the PCA spirit, these new popular educators adapted activities for other groups within the community. Knowledge spread like a carefully lit fire, in a genuinely collective movement. Literacy practices became part of the camp’s daily life, during rest times, discussion circles, and even celebrations. Moreover, the newly literate formed a theater group to preserve and celebrate local culture.
The experience in rural Goiás shows that with humanized and creative methods like PCA, it is possible to teach adults to read and write with dignity, effectiveness, and poetry. Beyond teaching literacy, the project sowed seeds of autonomy, self-esteem, and belonging. When education respects the individual’s time, body, history, and dreams, it becomes a revolutionary act. In the silence that once marked exclusion, words, laughter, and stories are now heard, told, and performed by those who, for so long, were silenced.
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