The article outlines Beck’s major concepts in order to show some theoretical frameworks for the study on migration, young people and possible conflict-laden interactions between them. The example of Poland seems to be particularly relevant to the discussion about the validity of Beck’s contribution to the understanding of divisions, contradictions, and desires of the global generation. Although Poland is not perceived as a country of immigration, many young people declare their greater orientation to migration. However, many young people also appear very reluctant to accept immigration to Poland. The article attempts to consider some explanations for this reluctance. The study is descriptive and designed to explore new perspectives. The main goal of the article is to start discussion about generational interconnectedness in times of rapid migration and set up a research agenda for work on Polish young people in a described framework.

Slactivism- illusory activity or real action?

The development of new technologies at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries led to a considerable virtualization of everyday life. Young people increasingly perceive new technologies as a space to create their own identity, as well as to new sources of virtual acquaintanceship. Slacktivism, which is termed by most researchers as a pejorative phenomenon, is also used in today’s reality to promote various events or social campaigns. The main purpose of this article is to answer the question whether passive activism is only an illusory activity of young people, or can lead to a greater involvement in real life.

An integral part of social discourse is discussions concerning the issue of how to motivate citizens to actively build civil society. Scholars search for the factors that develop and promote pro-civic attitudes. The discussions mostly refer to young citizens, as they are the ones that determine the direction of changes. This article presents a study following the trend of searching for psychological determinants of young people’s civic engagement. The researchers found that the determinants include two motivational variables: the sense of self-efficacy, and dispositional optimism. They also diagnosed the structure of values of individuals with different levels of civic engagement.

At the beginning of 21st century, we are witnessing a global transformation of the generational dynamics that exacerbate intra-generational tensions across ethnic lines. Amid crises, global challenges and deep-seated insecurity are interwoven with the turmoil of the present. With the instability of an increasingly complex world, young people are highly exposed to the forces of global risks. All young people are affected, but not all young people equally. Therefore, global generations break down into different fractions in a conflictual relationship with each other. This article outlines Beck’s major concepts in order to show some theoretical frameworks for the study on global generations. The focus is on the role of the university that should play in the contemporary world. The example of Poland seems to be particularly relevant to the discussion about the validity of Beck’s contribution to understanding of divisions, contradictions, and desires of the global generations. Many young Poles appear to be open for migratory experiences, but at the same time, they are reluctant to accept immigration to Poland. The article attempts to explore some contexts of mixed feelings about migration such as individuality and insecurity, media and the culture of catastrophe, education and neoliberal agenda. Nevertheless, the main goal of the article is to reconsider the role of education in times of rapid migration and generational interconnectedness.

The life aspiration of young Polish people in context of changing reality – empiric reflections

In this article the authors are presenting the outcomes of their own studies about life goals of young adults in Poland. The empiric material was collected from January till May 2015, on the amount of 700 people who are living in Kujawy and Pomorze province, in age between 16 and 24 years. Main research aim was attempt to answer the questions: (1) Does current world geopolitical situation has an influence on distraction of feeling safety among young adults and their expectation about their own future. (2) Does modern culture and hybridization of contemporary lifestyles affect declared life aspirations of young Poles? (3) Does the current political, economic and social situation in Poland affect attitudes and decisions about the future of young adults in the country?

This article focuses on young people in Poland and their ways of constructing identity. The research is based on fieldwork conducted in 2013-2014 among (605) Polish secondary school students. The respondents were asked to answer the “Twenty Statements Test” and, later on, to write down their own associations related to the notion of identity. The obtained data comprises answers provided by the respondents, whose places of residence are characterised by a high num- ber of people declaring nationality other than Polish (according to the Polish National Survey of 2011) and whose places of residence are homogenous in terms of national affi liations. The collected empirical data was suffi cient to indicate six milieus in which human identity is constructed: personality, gender, family, religion, language, and “space” (i.e., people’s identifications with a region, state, or nation). The first four milieus were very frequently placed in statements produced by the secondary school students. When confronted with the question “Who are you”, the secondary school students were no longer willing to say “I’m a Pole/ German/Silesian”. Perhaps the 21st century marks a time when nations or states are no longer relevant spaces of domestication and people are more willing to refer to cities or regions in their quest for identification.

Celem opracowania jest zwrócenie uwagi na znaczenie, jakie aktualnie młodzi ludzie przypisują oddziaływaniom socjalizacyjno-wychowawczym dziadków. Głównym obszarem rozważań staje się rodzina jako miejsce międzypokoleniowej transmisji wartości oraz międzypokoleniowych kontaktów. W celu ukazania szczególnego rodzaju kodu kulturowego przekazywanego w środowisku rodzinnym autorka przywołuje fragmenty narracji studentów, zwraca uwagę na fakt, że problematyka stosunków międzypokoleniowych dziadkowie–wnuki, osadzona na pograniczu wielu dyscyplin, jest także przedmiotem zainteresowań edukacji międzykulturowej.

Artykuł przedstawia tematykę związaną z realizacją projektu badawczego podejmującego zagadnienie podmiotowości i tolerancji wśród młodzieży na pograniczu kultur. Młodość jest czasem określania swojej tożsamości, która jest trudna do określenia w okresie zmian globalnych i lokalnych. Przedstawiono wartości preferowane przez młodzież wiejską regionu oraz ich wizję świata i próby określenia własnego miejsca w społeczeństwie. Badania były wspólnym projektem polsko-czeskim, w którym badano młodzież i lokalnych liderów wiejskich.

Celem tego opracowania jest zwrócenie uwagi na znaczenie, jakie aktualnie przypisują młodzi ludzie oddziaływaniom socjalizacyjno-wychowawczym dziadków. Głównym obszarem rozważań staje się rodzina jako miejsce międzypokoleniowych kontaktów. W celu ukazania szczególnego rodzaju relacji międzygeneracyjnych autorka odwołuje się do wyników badań zespołowych przeprowadzonych na pograniczu polsko-czeskim. Środowisko rodzinne stanowi najważniejszą przestrzeń, w której żyje człowiek, uczestnicząc w jej przetrwaniu, zachowaniu ciągłości i rozwoju. Za Robertem Mertonem autorka przyjmuje rozumienie rodziny jako najważniejszego pasma transmisyjnego, służącego przekazywaniu wzorców kulturowych następnemu pokoleniu.

Theoretical deliberation on the process of transformation of family system and how its functioning as well as data obtained in course of empirical research specify conditions of development of youth brought up in single-parent families. Picture of situation of educational development functioning of single-parent families gives theoretical knowledge on deficite of these educational environments. The most common hazards are within psychosocial factors. On the basis of obtained data and scientific theories conclusions were drawn for educational practice and requirement of work with families at the school counselor level were finally expressed. Within the framework of activities addressed to families of changed structure both work with children growing up in described environments must be included and work with single parents. Proposed activities should be of repair and support type.

Mental Health of Young People in Times of Military Conflict

The complex set of political, social, economic and environmental factors that result from military conflicts have an indirect and prolonged effect on public health. The destruction of medical and public health infrastructure complicates the process of providing assistance to victims, limiting both access and quality. Mental health is an important dimension of human capital that significantly affects aspects of human life such as well-being, employment, work, capital, stigma, and so on. According to the WHO, in situations of armed conflict, about 10% of traumatized people will have serious mental health problems, and another 10% will develop behaviors that interfere with their ability to function effectively. Depression, anxiety and psychosomatic problems, such as insomnia, are the most common consequences. The younger generation living in conflict-affected areas is vulnerable to mental health problems. During the war, young people face two types of traumatic events: type I (sudden traumatic event) and type II (prolonged exposure to adverse events, which leads to dysfunctional coping mechanisms). As a result, young people suffer from anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and dissociative disorders. The most important variables that determine the impact of war on the mental health of young people are the deprivation of basic resources (housing, water, food, education, health, etc.); broken family relationships (due to loss, separation or relocation); stigma and discrimination (significantly affect identity); pessimistic worldview (constant feeling of loss and grief, inability to see a bright future). Meta-analyzes use mixed methods to study mental health and psychosocial well-being in non-standard settings, such as focus groups and in-depth interviews. This is necessary for the formation of the research question, modification of tools for the analysis of local situations and interpretation of the collected epidemiological data. Models of rehabilitation of psychosocial systems are based on the need for a multilevel approach to psychosocial interventions that take into account the individual, family and the community as a whole. The public health model requires the interaction between social and individual age and time variables, with particular emphasis on risk and protection groups at different stages of life.

Generational Specificity of Socio-Political Transformation in Georgia: Between Tradition and Modernity

The article’s purpose is to analyse the generational transformation and outline the characteristics of individual generations. Moreover, the concept of V. Papava indicating generational trends was juxtaposed. The analysis characterises the young generation of Georgians in relation to other generations. I used research methods to solve this research problem based partly on secondary sources. The basic research methods used in the article are the method of analysing existing data and the comparative method, which allowed for juxtaposing the division into generations proposed by V. Papava with the general characteristics of global generation trends. Secondary statistical data studies from the Caucasus Research Resource Center completed the other methods, allowing for a more in-depth analysis of the generations. This article is a snapshot of studies on the generational transformation of Georgian society and is part of a series of articles on the young generation of Georgians and their opinions about democracy and democratisation.

Life plans of the inhabitants of the Polish-Czech borderland against a comparative background

The article concerns a part of the research carried out among learners and university students from the Polish-Czech border area (Prudnik, Nysa and Opole counties on the Polish side and Moravian-Czech district on the Czech side) within the Pradziad Euroregion Project. The theoretical aim of the project was to get to know the lifestyle and quality of life of the inhabitants of the Czech-Polish border area, their life plans and identity, as regards the activities of the Pradziad Euroregion, as well as the knowledge of young borderland inhabitants about the life and problems of their neighbours from abroad. The practical aim of the project was to raise awareness of the role of quality of life for the functioning of the society by popularising the issue (conferences, publications) and the possibility of enriching the knowledge of these young inhabitants. This article presents only the part of the research that deals with respondents’ opinions on life plans in the context of the Polish-Czech borderland. The analysis was focused on one of the specific questions of the research: What are the life plans of pupils and university students from the Polish-Czech borderland? The research results refer to the declarations related to plans to stay in the homeland, perceptions of the respondents’ place of residence, or perceptions of the different qualities of their own towns and countries. In the data analysis, statistical methods related to testing the statistical significance of differences between variables with the Chi-square test (x2) were applied.

Ideological Orientations Of Polish Students: Consistency Of Left-Right Self-Identification With Beliefs, Views, And Values

The article draws attention to the explanatory weaknesses of left-right self-identifications measured on quantitative scales. The author assumes that this way of measurement is too minimalist, and in order to understand the specificity of the beliefs, views and values of people who define themselves as “left-wing” or “right-wing”, it is necessary to use the category of “ideological orientations” as more coherent axiological packages. In addition, he points out that age is an important variable that differentiates political views. He also characterizes the implications of the categories of “left” and “right” for empirical research. Using data from his own survey of Polish students, he argues that the left-right self-identification scales only partially explain the real beliefs of young people on specific economic, ideological and socio-economic issues. It was found that those who identify with the left have beliefs that are significantly more consistent with their identification on the left–right scale.

Difficult conversations with young people about war

The aim of the article is to analyse the most important challenges faced by parents, guardians, educators, teachers, and psychologists in communicating with Ukrainian youth after the start of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. Selected good practices of educational, pedagogical, and psychological institutions, organisations and scientific research centres in Poland supporting the mental health, well-being and promoting intercultural integration of Ukrainian adolescents residing in Poland were identified. Using individual, semi-structured interviews, barriers and facilitators to communication and integration of Ukrainian teenagers with their Polish peers were also explored. The conducted analysis confirmed the necessity of addressing the topic of war in discussions with young people, considering their psychological needs and perceptual capabilities. Systemic solutions are needed to educate them in the field of information security and intercultural dialogue, and to intensify activities increasing the social inclusion of teenage refugees from Ukraine in Poland.