We empower undocumented youth and fulfill their human right to education

The Four Pillars of Our Work

Based in Atlanta, Freedom University is an award-winning human rights organization that provides rigorous college preparation classes, college and scholarship application assistance, and social movement leadership training for undocumented students banned from equal access to public higher education in Georgia.

Inspired by the legacy of the Southern Freedom School tradition and the critical pedagogy of Paolo Freire, our mission is to educate and empower undocumented students and fulfill their human right to education. We do this by grounding our work in our freedom school program, which directly serves approximately 20-25 undocumented students each semester and provides comprehensive support in a beloved community. This includes tuition-free college preparation courses, college and scholarship application assistance, full legal representation and mental health resources, and social movement leadership training.

Beyond our classroom, Freedom University’s Educator Training Program works with K-12 and college counselors and mentors to deepen their knowledge of immigration history and education policy, and improve their cultural competency in working with immigrant youth populations. Specifically, we share our model and best practices with educators so they are better able to welcome, support, and protect undocumented students in their care. We also offer expert Know Your Rights Trainings for schools, college campuses, workplaces, and faith communities, in which we review constitutional rights that apply to all people, provide digital and printed resources in 15 languages, and share best practices to protect the safety of immigrants.

We also lead policy change initiatives at local, state, national, and transnational levels, and organize vibrant direct actions to hold decision makers accountable, empower our community, and build the world we know is possible. Our hope is that our students not only gain the knowledge and skills they need to earn full scholarships to college and realize their full human potential, but the consciousness and commitment necessary to lead their own freedom struggle for decades to come.

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1. Freedom School

We provide tuition-free college preparation courses taught by university professors and experts in their fields. The purpose of education is to empower students to participate in the positive transformation of their world.

Every semester, students take courses in five fields: Human Rights, Academic Writing, STEM, Arts, and Mental Health.

We also provide holistic support including no-cost legal representation, mental health support, know your rights and digital security trainings, and entrepreneurship workshops that allow our students to focus on their academic and life goals.

Through our Institute for Community Engagement, we also provide these programs to undocumented students and alumni at Oglethorpe, Emory, and Agnes Scott College on a sliding scale fee.

2. Trainings

We offer Educator Trainings for high school counselors and college admissions professionals where we share best practices for welcoming, supporting, and protecting undocumented students. We also offer Know Your Rights Trainings with community organizations where we offer presentations and resources on how to protect ourselves and members of our community during potential ICE raids in homes, schools, hospitals, and places of worship. Both are offered on sliding scale fees to help fund our vital work.

3. Policy Change

We publish policy reports, testify before lawmaking bodies at state and federal levels, file human rights complaints at the international level to advance the human right to education. By working with student and educator allies, we advocate for fair admissions and financial aid policies at public and private institutions of higher education.

4. Direct Action

In the freedom school tradition of “education for social change,” we organize directly impacted undocumented youth and allies to challenge power structures that uphold modern educational segregation of undocumented youth and systematically violate their fundamental human rights.

Through creative and strategic direct actions of nonviolent civil disobedience, we educate the public, hold decision makers accountable, and demonstrate the better world we know is possible.