The present article tackles the topic of the status of young people in the multicultural environment. The status of the young people from the indigenous minority determined by them is compared with the evaluation of the minority status by the young people from the majority living in the same environment. This topic is considered relevant for the quality of “intercultural milieu” and the identity of the society living in the particular environment.
The objective of the article is to show the changes of the minority status by comparing the opinions in that matter recorded in the years before joining the EU and those expressed in 2010. We consider consequences of the changes in “intercultural approaches” in the particular environment within the integration processes in the EU.
The way of presenting the topic is based on the theory of „groups of mutual reference”. The results of the study presented in the article refer to the dimensions of valued resources and opportunities, and in particular opinions of young people considering their availability for the minority, which illustrates the position of group members and their status and prestige.
Further, there is a comparison of opinions of young people from minority and majority groups concerning access to resources and opportunities for the indigenous minority group. This shows positioning of the minority, and at the same time establishes the position of majority in the particular environment. The opinions comprise a lot of information about relationships and ways of communication in the society, that is “interculturalism”: “«Status» is a relative position of an individual and thus it depends on the fact who the others are” (Sowa, 1962, p. 59).

Deriving from the very concept, colere (culture) should indicate a significant, and at the same time, the main factor which is a human society. Culture exists in close proximity to people and their activities. Subsequently, through participation in a particular social group, everyone may create a system which is called culture. The foregoing interaction highlights the impact of culture on human behaviour and the people’s ability to model and create “the foundations of culture”. Culture forms the human individuality, which over time improves and enriches it, or on the contrary – affects its gradual loss. This means that man exists due to culture – and culture positively coexists or negatively disappears through human actions.
Dynamic trends in the civilizational development of countries, changes in the environment, progress in science, engineering and technology, and in particular information lead to the appearing of new socio-cultural tools for new policy scenarios of military security.
The constant dynamism of these phenomena requires, from our currently formed Armed Forces, mainly bearing the burden of maintaining military security, but also new, unconventional and at the same time resolute response, even to minor regional conflicts which incidentally may become dangerous for Poland over time. Responding to emerging threats will not be unilateral or brief, as the experiences in the former Yugoslavia and in the Middle East indicate.
For a long time, the security of the states was based on military force. Force and sovereignty were the cornerstones of the system of national states. The rest of the military structure was subordinated to the remaining components of the state, e.g., natural resources, geographic location, demographic potential, scientific and technological advancement, etc. Over time, this condition has changed. After the Second World War, two alliances of states centered around the empires of powerful military forces were formed. The rise of military potentials on both sides did not cause the necessity to their use. These potentials have become a great means of deterrence and political influence on their opponents.

W artykule poddano analizie dwujęzyczny dramaturgiczno-inscenizacyjny wspólny projekt Sceny Polskiej i České scény (Sceny Czeskiej) Těšínského divadla (Teatru Cieszyńskiego) w Českém Těšíně (Czeskim Cieszynie) pn. Těšínské niebo Cieszyńskie nebe. Ten muzyczny „sentymentalny rajd tramwajowy – sentymentální tramvajová rallye” przez wieki po wielokulturowym regionie i wielokulturowym mieście był – zgodnie z zamierzeniem realizatorów przedsięwzięcia: Jaromíra Nohavicy, Renaty Putzlacher, Radovana Lipusa, Tomaša Kočko – „próbą spojrzenia na cieszyńską ziemię przez pryzmat minionych lat i zdarzeń, pełną nostalgii i humoru, z przywołaniem związanych z tym regionem postaci prawdziwych i mitycznych”1. Próbą przeprowadzoną zgodnie z przyjętą przez autorów projektu nadrzędną, zainspirowaną przez ideę euroregionu, zasadą eksponowania tego, co społeczność pogranicza łączyło/łączy i w efekcie tworzy płaszczyznę wartości wspólnych, a nie tego, co dzieliło/dzieli. Poszukiwanie wspólnych elementów kultury, podobieństw dziejów okazało się tutaj zbieżne z założeniami edukacji międzykulturowej. Przyjętą opcję postrzegania polsko-czeskich pogranicznych dziejów oraz wizję współistnienia obu narodów w Cieszyńskim determinował nadto fakt przyjęcia obu państw w struktury Unii Europejskiej (premiera spektaklu 15 maja 2004 roku). Z tej perspektywy została skonstruowana materia następujących po sobie sekwencji spektaklu i wyłaniała się koncepcja człowieka pogranicza jako człowieka pełniejszego, bo wzbogaconego duchowo innością drugiego. Przedstawienie współuczestniczyło w podejmowanym po 1989 roku procesie formowania odpowiednio wysokiego poziomu zbiorowej tożsamości lokalnej, regionalnej oraz euroregionalnej społeczności zamieszkujących oba miasta graniczne i oba przygraniczne obszary.

Przedmiotem rozważań tekstu są przysłowia, aforyzmy, związki frazeologiczne, wyrażenia przysłowiowe i porzekadła wykorzystujące motyw psa w opisie jakiejś cechy ludzkiej lub zjawiska świata rzeczywistego, występujące w języku polskim oraz w językach należących do irańskiej grupy językowej: perskim, tadżyckim i szugnońskim. W badaniach nad przysłowiami i frazeologią zastosowano metodę etnolingwistyczną. Wykazano istnienie znacznych podobieństw z metaforami polskimi. Z perspektywy koncepcji ucieleśnionego i osadzonego w kulturze umysłu (EEM), traktującego metafory jako reprezentacje umysłowe, świadczy to o znacznym podobieństwie tak odległych kultur, jakimi są polska i irańska. Podobieństwa te wskazują na istnienie w jakiejś głębszej warstwie faktycznej jedności doświadczenia człowieka niezależnie od różnic dzielących ludzi żyjących w różnych kulturach.

The article is aimed at drawing attention to the research motifs explored by the author in his studies and, first of all, at raising questions about the sense of research into the Romani identity. An attempt is made here both to suggest some theories and methods which can be useful in identity studies and to signal the difficulties in carrying such research out. The major subject matter of the suggested research projects should address the problems of the Romani identity and culture, this ethnic group’s participation in education, and their specific social and professional activity. What seems to be justified (after a reliable diagnosis of the needs, problems, prospects and possible solutions) is the unceasing need for designing programmes, projects and local policies which address the Roma and which come into being with their participation. However, the activities conducted so far should be subjected to an in-depth analysis and evaluation, also in regard to the specificity of Roma communities from various groups and countries. This might help to indicate the elements of their identity, as well as the level of joint participation in the context of the still incomplete integration with culturally dominating majorities.

Artykuł jest próbą ukazania zakresu znaczeniowego pojęć: wielokulturowość, międzykulturowość, transkulturowość. Więcej uwagi i miejsca poświęcono transkulturowości jako kategorii mniej prezentowanej w analizach i prowadzonych badaniach. Wskazano na wartość kształtujących się subdyscyplin - pedagogiki międzykulturowej i transkulturowej. Przedstawione analizy i formułowane pytania mają na celu spowodowanie dyskusji dotyczącej zakresu i istoty wymienionych pojęć, wymianę poglądów w postrzeganiu i interpretowaniu subdyscyplin, określaniu, co jest w nich wspólne, a co odrębne, czy i jak je kształtować i rozwijać w kontekście złożonej i dynamicznej teraźniejszości oraz zauważanych licznych problemów przyszłości.

Szkoła w społeczeństwie wielokulturowym jako miejsce kontaktów z Innymi i wzajemnego oddziaływania różnych grup społecznych zmaga się z różnymi wyzwaniami w realizacji funkcji społecznych. W artykule ukazana została analiza społecznych funkcji edukacji i szkoły w perspektywie koncepcji strukturalno-funkcjonalnej, konfliktowej, interpretatywnej i podejścia środowiskowego. Na tym tle podjęto próbę zarysowania koncepcji pracy szkoły w społeczeństwie wielokulturowym, z uwzględnieniem jakości środowiska, które stanowi ważne zaplecze socjalizacyjne uczniów i opanowania kompetencji kulturowych niezbędnych do sprawnego obcowania z ludźmi pochodzącymi z różnych kultur. Zwrócono uwagę na środowisko rodzinne, lokalne, regionalne, a także na kulturę narodową i ogólnoludzką. Dokonująca się socjalizacja oznacza proces budowania wiedzy uczniów, modelowania ich percepcji świata i działania w tym świecie.

Artykuł koncentruje się na kategorii wielokulturowości wpisanej w dziedzictwo kulturowe miasta, będącej przyczynkiem dla praktyki edukacyjnej realizowanej w ramach edukacji regionalnej i międzykulturowej. Wielokulturowe tradycje miasta jako przedmiot działań edukacyjnych ujęte zostały w niniejszym tekście jako próba pogodzenia wewnętrznego i zewnętrznego dialogu tożsamościowego, możliwość spotkania zarówno z Innym, jak i samym sobą. Wskazane idee zaprezentowano w opracowaniu na przykładzie projektu edukacyjnego realizowanego w Lublinie wokół bajki międzykulturowej „O Unijanku - dzielnym chłopcu, który Rzeczpospolitej poznawał kultury”. Bajka powstała z okazji 450. rocznicy zawarcia unii lubelskiej, która dała początek wieloetnicznej, wyznaniowo i narodowo tolerancyjnej Rzeczpospolitej Obojga Narodów. Uwrażliwiając na wielość i różnorodność kultur, wpisaną w kulturowe dziedzictwo Lublina, stanowi przykład działań pomiędzy lokalnością a międzykulturowością.

Germany on the way to intercultural care for the elderly

Globalization is a process that has brought many changes in recent decades. Improvement and further development of economic aspects meant that people were offered new opportunities, and this outside the country. It is not only the existing infrastructure that is responsible for the fact that the world is increasingly becoming a multicultural world. Despite many changes, differences between cultures in terms of their attitudes and beliefs, but also the meaning and interpretation of everyday life, are still visible. Migration is closely related to labor policy. If legal requirements allow, the goal of many migrants is to earn money abroad. Over 100 nations live and work in Germany (Visser / de Jong 2002, p. 110). Germany is a multicultural country. Due to the growing number of elderly people, caring for them must adapt to a multicultural clientele. Interculturalism is of great importance not only for care but also for society as a whole. Multicultural work teams are and will continue to be an increasingly common form of work in Germany (Barth, 2000). Not only more and more care recipients, but also more and more carers come from other countries and cultures. For this reason, practice and a change of approach are needed to deal with this topic in a delicate and structured way.

Scouting and the Polish scouting movement and the idea of interculturalism and education in the conditions of cultural diversity

The Scout and Polish Scouting movement is characterized by the possibility of meeting and cooperation of people from different backgrounds and cultures. A natural thing for this social movement is daily confrontation with Otherness/ Alienness in conditions of cultural diversity and undertaking various forms of educational activity based on the idea of interculturalism. The study presents some partial results of a research project devoted to the content referring to the idea of interculturalism and education in the conditions of cultural diversity, present in the program studies of the scouting movement. These studies contribute to the historical trend of intercultural pedagogy and the history of education in the context of ideological assumptions and activities of children and youth organizations. The article contains a description of the applied conceptual categories and the characteristics of the precursors and the contemporary scouting movement. In a chronological order, it presents a selection of examples of the content of scouting program studies that are related to the idea of interculturalism and intercultural education.

Global cultural exchange is a well-known, boundless phenomenon. Therefore, it is fundamental for countries to promote mutual understanding and tolerance of cultural diversity, to prevent stigmatization and social hermetization from migrant backgrounds, and to foster social inclusion, thus fulfilling the assumptions of sustainable development. Polish society is considered to be relatively homogenous in terms of culture, however, the increasing influx of immigrants, especially from Eastern Europe, poses a new challenge for its national schooling system and multicultural education. That is why the aim of the article was to verify the state of preparation of Polish schools for multicultural education, mutual attitudes of the participants of the educational process, and the relationships between them, as well as to indicate dependency between parents, students, and teachers. The article presents the results of quantitative research carried out in a group of early childhood education teachers from border regions. The results of the conducted research showed the state of intercultural education in Polish schools before the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine. The study is barely the attempt of monitoring the condition of intercultural education, especially in the current “new multicultural reality” in Polish schools.

This study comprises an analysis of the school education system in the context of using modern technologies. Its main goal is to present the benefits and limitations associated with the implementation of modern technologies in the school environment. Two fundamental questions will be asked: 1) What are the effects of using new technologies in education, including intercultural education? 2) Can modern technologies pave the way for implementing the ideal of education as an activity aimed primarily at shaping an individual capable of effective and creative adaptation to the social reality in which otherness, including cultural otherness, is common? The authors indicate the types of implemented technologies and assess their impact on adapting students to the extracurricular reality. Referring to the source data and postulates of the contemporary pedagogical and sociological thought, the authors highlight the topicality of the message requiring from the school the activation and development of students’ competencies that will be effectively and creatively implemented in their future professional and social life. It should also be noted that education takes place in cyberspace as well, especially when it is related to the use of modern technologies, which is why great importance should be drawn to cybersecurity.

Due to the emergence of new social problems resulting from weakening pro-integration moods regarding culturally, ethnically, or religiously diverse societies, the Acting in Context by Training the Trainers in Social Empowerment (ACTTE) project was prepared and implemented. The Polish National Agency of Academic Exchange (NAWA) financed the project as part of the International Academic Partnerships program. The project goals were: 1) shaping competencies/skills in the field of DPA (Developing the Power to Act) in organized training participants (NGO employees and academic teachers), 2) developing tools for intervention work based on the concept of Empowerment. Within the training, the research was carried out based on the action research methodology and the use of scaling and uncategorized interview. The article presents the excerpt of the research, which was aimed at determining the changes in the competencies related to the use of the DPA approach in the project’s participants, as well as their subjective understanding of the DPA. The presented research results show the legitimacy of the project implementation by partner institutions, which are universities and non-governmental organizations. The competences and skills acquired by the project participants can be used in academic and environmental work.

The atmosphere of dialogue in classes I–III of the culturally diverse borderland

The Polish school is constantly changing, which is associated with rapid economic and political changes. We observe very intense population movements taking the form of mass migrations. For these reasons, in the paper, we present the essence of the borderland and its typology, the formation of the intercultural identity of a person from the borderland. It is on the border of cultures that children going to school exchange information, learn about other customs, values, learn respect and tolerance. It depends to a large extent on the teacher/educator, who should build a good atmosphere of cooperation between the educational team of the multicultural borderland. The subject of interpretive research was the ways of defining the work of teachers in grades I–III of the multicultural borderland, indicating the tasks carried out at that time, the meanings given to them by teachers of grades I–III in the Lubuskie Province using non-standardised interviews. The research showed a positive picture of the situation. The respondents’ statements indicated a great need to introduce intercultural education to the school reality.