MaCTRI Summer School 2025 – Decolonial Education and International Exchange
Introduction
The MaCTRI Summer School 2025 brings together students, scholars, and community partners for an inspiring programme focused on decolonial education, inclusive learning, and international academic exchange. Taking place online this September, the Summer School offers workshops on themes such as Black feminist pedagogy, neurodiversity in education, and reclaiming Black leadership.
Although in-person seats are fully booked, participants from around the world can still join online. This year’s programme is part of the Abdias Nascimento Academic Development Program, a collaboration between Brazilian universities and MaCTRI in the UK, designed to strengthen decolonial praxis through dialogue, research, and community exchange.
Register Now:
Register by 25 September 2025 to secure your place and access the full range of workshops and discussions. Click the link below to register:
MaCTRI Summer School Programme – ONLINE Tickets, Sat 27 Sep 2025 at 12:00 | Eventbrite
Full Programme
12:00 – 1:00 pm
Brazilian Welcome Activities
1:00 – 2:00 pm
Lunch (for in-person participants)
2:00 – 3:00 pm – Workshops
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Workshop 1: Paths to University
Led by Master’s Student Miriane Feitoza. An interactive session exploring barriers and supports to higher education, with reflections on inequalities in university access. -
Workshop 2: Intersectional Black Feminist Pedagogy and Creative Learning
Led by a PhD Student Raescla RIbeiro with authors Carla Medeiros, Francisco Ricardo and Raescla Ribeiro. Sharing Amazonian writing practices and introducing their new book Rio Negro de Pessoas Pretas (2025). - Workshop 3: Neurodiversity, Inclusive Education, and the Prison System, Led by Brazilian PhD Students Suzy and Poliane. A decolonial reflection on academic journeys, cultural encounters, and life in Manchester and London.
- Workshop 4: Talk Authored by Black Amazonians (Hybrid) Led by PHD student Raescla RIbeiro with special participation from Francisco Ricardo and Carla Medeiros. In this talk, authors Carla Medeiros, Francisco Ricardo and Raescla Ribeiro will share their experiences as writers in the Amazon and present their recent publication, the book “Rio Negro de Pessoas Pretas” (2025).
3:00 – 4:00 pm – Workshops
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Workshop 1: Introducing UFAM to the Community
Led by Master’s Students Manuela Gomes and Caio Lima. Presenting vlogs and reflections from studying at the Federal University of Amazonas. -
Workshop 2: Reclaiming Black Leadership – A Multilateral Approach
Led by a MaCTRI PhD Scholar Jacqueline A. Hinds. Exploring Emotional, Cultural and Spiritual Intelligence and Emotional Resilience in leadership, with insights from the forthcoming book Reclaiming Black Leadership.
4:00 – 5:00 pm – Workshops
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Workshop 1: Ujamaa Systemic Healing – Life after Ancient African Futures (AAF)
Led by a MaCTRI PhD Scholar, Artist and Consultant Stuart Taylor. A soundbyte journey through AAF, including a Whole System Constellation linked to the MaCTRI/Dabacuri Project Partnership. -
Workshop 2: A Restitutive Commitment to Community and Nature
With Archival Artist and Poet Pauline Rutter. Exploring pluriversality and decolonial practices through the From Collections to Connections initiative, engaging with UK archives and natural heritage sites. -
Workshop 3: The Collective Experiences of Black Youth in Northern Amazonia & Quilombos in Brazil
Led by PhD Students Audrilene Santos de Jesus and Josiney da Silva Trindade. Presenting research on student participation in Northern Amazonia and the historical processes of Brazilian quilombos.
5:00 – 6:00 pm
Plenary Session – Closing reflections on the day’s themes.
How to Join Online
Although in-person places are fully booked, you can still participate online.
Register by 25 September to receive your access to workshop links.
Register Now:
MaCTRI Summer School Programme – ONLINE Tickets, Sat 27 Sep 2025 at 12:00 | Eventbrite
Programme Origins
MaCTRI is hosting the UK arm of the Abdias Nascimento Academic Development Program, a collaboration between the Federal University of the Amazon, the Federal University of the Mato Grosso, and the MEaP Academy Community Training & Research Institute (MaCTRI) in Manchester, UK.
The programme began in 2024 with an institutional visit to England. In 2025, eight Brazilian Master’s and PhD students participated in exchange activities in the United Kingdom through this partnership.
The Summer School provides an opportunity for Brazilian students to share their learning from UK community experiences and to begin a dialogue with MaCTRI Scholars and community partners about a shared vision of decolonial praxis.
The overall goal of this programme is to use UK grassroots decolonial praxis as inspiration for the Brazilian development of methods and strategies that combat epistemic racism in curricula and research practices, ensuring Black, Indigenous and Latin American critical knowledge is central.
The second phase of the project will involve MaCTRI Scholars and community partners visiting Mato Grosso and Amazonian communities to gain insights into their grassroots decolonial practices.
Key aims include:
- Developing multifocal exchange experiences by offering joint hybrid-format courses, enabling knowledge exchange between Brazilian graduate students and MaCTRI Scholars with their networks in Manchester, Luton and London.
- Supporting the development of a decolonial praxis that values Black and Indigenous epistemologies and ancestral heritages, complementing MaCTRI’s decolonial doctoral publishing programme.
- Strengthening Brazilian Graduate Programmes by awarding scholarships, facilitating exchange missions, promoting international cooperation between research groups, and increasing the inclusion of Black and Indigenous Amazonian students in higher education.