In this essay, the author discusses schooling in the context of war, privatization, and the general neo-liberal shift in education. Specifically, the author reflects on the experiences of three schools in Medellin, Colombia, that are found in the cross-hairs of an ongoing civil conflict. In contrast to the prevailing ideologies and social conditions that limit the full range of possibilities made available to youth to develop their full human potential and participation in civic life, the author makes an argument for critical democracy based on Freire's notion of dialogic action. Liberal and deliberative models of democracy grounded in Western social theory are also discussed. (Contains 2 footnotes.)