NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS AS AN ENVIRONMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION
NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS AS AN ENVIRONMENT OF ADULT EDUCATION

Author(s): Agnieszka Naumiuk
Subject(s): Pedagogy
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: adult participation; non-governmental organisations; social education; social activist
Summary/Abstract: This chapter discusses the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as a place of formal, non-formal and informal civic education of adults. Such a role is internal, taking place towards their personnel and volunteers as a means of their professional development. It is also external, purposefully directed to various audience groups, through awareness campaigns, local programmes, thematic conferences, etc. In the literature, much attention is dedicated to the need to acquire civic competences and civic involvement in social change, which is taking place due to NGOs. However, andragogy has yet to answer the questions of what such education looks like, and what is being learned and taught along with gaining civic competences. The author argues that hidden among activities focused on pragmatism and daily affairs are subtle matters of participants’ formation through learning by experience, which play key roles in furthering volunteers’ or an NGO staff’s professional, social and personal decisions and engagements in the social sphere. The ongoing task of NGOs as a learning environment is also changing, due to social needs changing, and to cultural transformation as well as new technology offering participatory tools. This chapter explores three decades of development of the non-profit sector in Poland as a changing platform for adult education. Though it could be said that this is an adequate period on which to develop a sound study, the author shows that such research remains in its early stages, with much additional material and data becoming available.

• Details
• Contents