This is an indepth case study that investigated a popular health education practice. This practice sought to contribute to changes in training for the Unified Health System (SUS), since, despite the advances made in public health in Brazil, there is still much progress to be made in order for SUS' principles and guidelines to materialize in care, management and education practices in the health sector. Participant observation was the method used to produce data; documents relating to the organization and development of the course and materials produced by the participating subjects in their course were also used as a source of information. All of the material that was produced was analyzed from the hermeneutics-dialectics perspective, and the theoretical framework used to analyze the experience was that of Paulo Freire. The practice investigated was the continuing education course titled "Health, education and politics: the SUS practice," offered by the Rio Grande Federal University in 2009. Loveliness, dialogue and hope, among others, were the elements of popular education that characterized this educational practice, which did not remain neutral in training the students, but was markedly in favor of a critical-reflective university education designed to meet the interests of the population in the pursuit of consolidating the right to quality public health.
Unified Health System; popular education; health education