Aktywizacja środowiska lokalnego: od teorii do praktyki – historia edukacyjnego projektu
Activation of the Local Environment: from Theory to Practice – the History of an Educational Project

Summary/Abstract: Contemporary social changes are affected in a crucial way by the activities of individuals and social groups. One can foster the active attitudes of such groups through education. Taking this into account, the Faculty of Social Sciences at UWM in Olsztyn launched an initiative to create a new specialization at the Faculty of Social Sciences called “Education and activation of local communities”. The project was guided by numerous opinions, documents, guidelines, and expert advice. The analysis of documents indicated a real need for the implementation of the initiative, which provided additional inspiration in the planning and finalization of the entire project. Despite the enormous involvement and effort on the part of the organizers, the initiative was, and still is, a failure. The promotional action led in the mass media, as well as having held a special academic conference, were of no help. The main reasons for the failure are as follows: 1. The apparent inertia of the most members of the young generation in the field of widely understood social activity, 2. The resulting low interest in subsequent calls for applications, 3. The lack of support on the part of local institutions, 4. The lack of reasonable, pragmatic programme for the academic conference promoting the new specialization. The confrontation between theory and practice indicates that even the best intentions might fail when confronted with reality.

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