The topic of the current issue of "Chowanna" is revitalization and social changes in the area of culture and education, which are analyzed in various contexts: pedagogy, special education, sociology, education, resocialization, and communication.

The significance of the category of social movements in the processes of revitalization in local communities constitutes the subject of the presented analysis. Social movement was demonstrated as a structure based on categories such as social ties, social network, identification and emancipatory potential. By referring to Ulrich Beck’s theory, social movement was indicated as a derivative of social capital. Reference was made to the classic for social pedagogy concept – the concept of social forces, as well as to selected elements of the theory of activity and social activation and the theory of empowerment.

The author of the article raises the issue of the revitalization of regions and regional identity in Poland after 1989. She points to the need for providing regional education understood as a project “aimed at a person”. In the course of this project, the person will have the opportunity to cognize and shape themselves, build their identity. The author stresses the importance of the process of taking root in the “little homeland” as a basis for multidimensional identity.

What has been applied in the characterization of the Polish national minority inhabiting the Polish-Czech borderland in Cieszyn Silesia and in the description and explanation of various signs of this minority’s activity are elements of Tadeusz Lewowicki’s theory of identity behaviours. They are introduced in the distinguished fields to specify some selected basic determinants: (a) historical (presenting history of the minority, its identification with the territory and social group, as well as its nationality structure); (b) socio-cultural (marking the separateness of culture, language, and religion in the borderland, as well as its school education and institutions or organizations supporting culture); (c) cultural-personal (constituting the images of “dissimilarity”, the group’s specific features, and the description of functioning stereotypes); and (d) industrial-economic (which describe living standards of minority and majority groups in the borderland, their civilization rank, technical and technological condition, and life plans).

The currently reviving interest in local communities has generated discussions about the growing importance of regional education. The purpose of this education is to make students acquainted with basic knowledge on the history of their ancestors, the place and region in which they live and learn. Culture, i.e. theatre performance and film, is becoming both a valuable suport for and complement to this process.

The shutdown of small rural schools is determined by a number of demographic and economic factors. The liquidation of an educational institution is a big loss for the village community, for its cultural and social capital. In Poland since 1999 more than 2 500 public schools have been closed down in the countryside. At the same time, there has been developing a social movement concerned with non government organisations taking over the closed down council schools. Measures implemented by the Associations of Rural Development related to the establishment and functioning of private schools in the country are indications of the activity of local communities and participatory democracy. Small schools – apart from the fact that they provide children the right to education and development in a familiar, safe environment – offer an opportunity to renew the communities, rebuild social capital, initiate change and preserve the identity with the locality.

In the paper there are presented chosen aspects of the problem related to the disabled people’s participation in culture. An attention is focused at the notion, expressions and kinds of participation, as well as at the different dimensions of the disabled people’s participation in the culture. There is exposed a value of culture and it’s meaning in the disabled people’s life. There are indicated examples of the cultural initiatives in which disabled people participate. There are also presented the perspectives of disabled women’s participation in culture (basing at their perception of the problem), as well as the problems of the barriers blocking disabled people’s access to the culture and cultural institutions.

The text consists of two parts. In the first part of the article, the authors discuss the theory of desistance, that is, a trend in Anglo-Saxon criminology dealing with the explanation of the process of withdrawal (desistance) from criminal activity. To the so-called “turnings points,” i.e. life events which bring about the abandonment of further breaching of rules of law are, inter alia, entering into marriage, getting a job and adequate remuneration, the birth of a child, joining the army, starting education, or religious conversion. In the second part of the article, the authors present researches which illustrate the most important family and peer predictors of becoming involved in criminal activity.

Contemporary culture is diverse and does not constitute any longer a platform for the integration of a community. There are new cultural patterns, especially observed in everyday life, which are the subject of social exchange. Changing reality necessitates changing habits. Language is the utility of culture the most sensitive to changes, while at the same time fundamental for sustaining or creating new cultural qualities; on the one hand language is connected with tradition, on the other hand it allows the differentiation of the past, present and future. It seems that spoken, colloquial language (parole) that occurs spontaneously in the process of communication in everyday life, primarily among young people, is the mirror of cultural conditions in which we live.

The presented article is a reflection of the authors on a scarcity of goodness in the social space. Taking into consideration that goodness is a prerequisite for a rewarding human existence, it is vital to be aware of the need for experiencing / the presence of goodness in all areas of human activity at every stage of human life. By recalling some titles of literature illustrating the manifestations of goodness in everyday social relationships, attitudes and actions, the authors would like to direct the readers’ attention to only selected areas which - at low cost of willingness, kindness, responsibility, may become a space where goodness will be not merely a sought-after value, but will become a genuinely real value. What is also worth noticing is the involvement and participation of art / theater in shaping positive needs, including the need for goodness.

Health as a universally desirable value conditions the acquisition of numerous goods and resources which determine the quality of life, being the factor of social differentiation at the same time. An individual living in a particular environment has specific needs and by means of his or her behaviour aims at satisfying them. This provides both biological and social balance. Such balance ensures good physical and mental state, otherwise known as health. Human possibilities are unlimited and changeable. However, regardless of the level of the development, time and place they are good for health which ensures access to knowledge, material and intellectual resources and provide better quality of life.

The subject of discussion is the creative revitalization of the disadvantaged circles, which consists in the activation and integration through creative activities, social, educational and cultural management. The study quotes specific examples of socializing, ludic, developmental, and creative initiatives. An important part of this work are case studies proving that contact with art. and culture opens an individual’s mind to push their own boundaries in the quest for a perfect formula of personal existence. It is difficult to name the variables that are crucial here, but given the complex context of such activities, it seems that the key element in this process is to inspire an individual’s need for self assurance (hubristic need), which “triggers” transgressive tendencies.

This paper is concerned with the experience of imprisoned fathers, their perception of fathering, and relationships with their children. It is an exploratory research work performed with participation of 35 men sentenced to prison. The objective of this research was to deepen the understanding of fathering among the imprisoned fathers. The following research questions were posed: „What does it mean to be a father?”, „Does imprisonment mean an interruption in being a father?” „How the imprisoned men understand their role as fathers?” The obtained results enabled a better understanding of the specificity of being an imprisoned father and have helped in the construction of a questionnaire to measure father’s engagement of imprisoned men. Finally, based on an analysis of the results an educational programmme for imprisoned fathers has been worked out.

The subject of this article is perception of one of the most significant changes the Polish nation has experienced, i.e. the fall of communism in Poland. This article takes into consideration generation differences while evaluating the changes in different spheres of social activity, like individual functioning, life of the Polish nation and the lot of the world. For the purpose of our research, an original and unique procedure provided with the author research device has been created. In the gross, 490 people were examined, including 245 adults and their 245 children who had left primary school. The analysis takes into account generation differences in the perception of the intensity of the change consequences, as well as their value, positive or negative, depending on the actual estimation of the influences. The analysis of the outcome of the research is preceded by an introduction presenting the notion of social change as a subject of social science analysis.

The aim of this article is analysis of visual materials (about School and education) which was published in 2009–2010 in 5 polish opinion-forming weeklies: “Newsweek”, “Polityka”, “Wprost”, “Przegląd”, “Gość Niedzielny”. Visual language is understood by me as language of discourse. When I analysed texts in visual language I used one method – analysis of discourse. The reason is one: this is opinion of researcher who goes about problematic of discourse, R. Wodak. She pays attention to the fact that we can observe many new texts which are connection of written and and visual elements. The reason of this fact is one – exponential development of new technologies. We can observe many interactions and between visual elements and written meanings. Moreover, visual elements have huge impact on written meanings. We can’t ignore this fact in analysis.

In contemporary times science takes more and more important position. Scientific topics are interesting not only for professional researchers, but also for wide groups of people who wave contact with them via modern media. The problem is that the view of science in TV, press or the Internet is commonly distorted. Media show scientific area as something what is easy to understand and full of intuitive or absolutely sure results, which are very easy to apply. One of the consequences of described situation can be replacing another subsystems of contemporary society (e.g. religion, law, family, economy) by the scientific system. The article shows set of examples of problematic ways of presentation science, scientists and the results of scientific researches. The main theoretical background of presented considerations are the concepts of Niklas Luhmann, Jozef Życiński, Michael Hanlon and John Brockman.

Human adolescence is a very difficult period due to the number and intensity of changes taking place at the level of social and biopsychic functioning. The peer group is beginning to play an increasingly important role in one’s life. The impact exerted on a person can be negative as well as positive. The purpose of this article is to focus on selected personal resources namely empathy and the “to be” attitude of junior secondary school students who cause educational problems. The presented pilot study indicate a certain alternative to working with young people during organized mediation workshops. The results of the study point to relatively high efficiency of the completed activities.

An inspiration for writing of this article presented: worrying results of empirical research, Humanistic Model of Assisting the Development by B.M. Kaja and the psycho-pedagogy of adventure. It is possible to suggest limiting of risk of humiliating of tutor by pupil through its transformation in 4 stages: (1) counseling; (2) short-term psycho-education; (3) long-term psychotherapy and (4) self-psychotherapy.
Stage 1. The counseling stage lasts between a few days and a few weeks and most of the time is spent on:
1a. Physical activities in the morning, e.g. walks over several kilometers in forested areas, in which the counselor accompanies tutors, the aim being to form an interpersonal relationship, fill the lungs with oxygen and activate the release of endorphins and – finally – to reach a place where counseling will be held.
1b. Counseling sessions in the afternoon. The parts of motivation enhancement these therapy sessions include: feedback on personal risk of tutor, emphasis on personal responsibility to change and clear advice to change.
Stage 2. Short-term psycho-education combined with several months of qualified tourism and participation in defensive sports activities such as judo or aikido. The parts of motivation enhancement in these therapy sessions include: empathy as an intervention approach, a menu of change options or treatment options, shaping “mental toughness” and realization of Anshel’s COPE model.
Stage 3. Long-term psychotherapy over many years enriched by continuation of occupations from previous stages.
Stage 4. Self-psychotherapy, self-efficacy, an integrated personality and a creative attitude to life.