Significance of regional education in shaping regional identity before and in the pandemic times

The undertaken considerations concern the role of regional education in shaping the regional identity of children between 5–12 years old before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The basis of scientific analysis is the experience of children and their mothers. Regional education should lead to the development of the individual and collective identity of an individual, root a young person in his own cultural heritage and enable him to function creatively in a multicultural society. An outcome of the conducted research indicates minor impact of regional education in the range of shaping a regional identity of examined children during the period before the pandemic and its exacerbating ineffectiveness in the Times of isolation and distance learning. Mothers propound the need of action in the area of regional education in order to make children aware of their responsibility for their place of residence, the local community, the protection and multiplication of the cultural heritage of the region. The research indicates the need of consideration both: the current condition of regional education in kindergarten and school space and its actual role in the process of shaping children’s and youth’s regional identity.

The article recounts the changes in the security perception of Poles after the outbreak of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Upon utilisation of comparative empirical research carried out in 2020 and 2021, using the diagnostic survey method with the survey techniques, the conclusion confirmed that Poles’ sense of security decreased in 2020 and 2021. According to the respondents’ answers, the most frequent explanation for declining security perception coincides with the threat of contracting the coronavirus. Those include losing a job due to the restrictions introduced in economic activity, determined by the appearance of the coronavirus, and the introduction of restrictions on movement in connection with the occurrences of COVID-19. In addition, the study found that the respondents’ most frequently chosen methods of improving their sense of security include using personal protective equipment, avoiding contact with other people, and refraining from leaving their homes.