New Possibilities for People Experiencing Disadvantage: Insights from Clemente Australia

Abstract

Clemente is a community embedded university humanities course providing higher education opportunity in collaboration with social agencies for people experiencing multiple disadvantage. It has set out a vision for confronting the reality of disadvantage, especially multigenerational poverty through studying the humanities.  The program had its origins in the United States of America in the 1990s when Earl Shorris, a journalist and social commentator, was researching a book on poverty.  The insight that the Humanities empower people to think about and reflect upon the world in which they live. which promotes a broader re-engagement with society allowing the disadvantaged learn to see themselves, not as victims, but as agents of change led Shorris to devise a humanities program for the poor. Clemente was first offered in New York City in 1995 at the Roberto Clemente Family Guidance Centre   In 2003 the first Clemente university program in Australia was initiated with eight people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.   It is now operated by many partnerships across Australia.