Community leaders perspective on their role and links with social education. Case of Poland

The aim of the paper is to present the study about the social activists’ and community leaders’ perspectives on the relationship between social engagement and broadly defined education. Some of them feel they are informal educators but how do they “educate” the outside world, and what visions of change do they represent and transmit to others? By whom and how were they educationally shaped so they became socially active? What particular lessons on community and individuals, social activity were brought to them? The presented research included over 30 interviews with persons of different ages, with various years of experience, from small villages to big towns all over Poland. Their common characteristics were the recognition they enjoyed in their local community for their achievements in the community engagement—and thus there is a strong social impact of the vision of education they have. In my analysis, I also refer to the traditions of Polish social pedagogy, cultural and socio-political contexts in which the definition of a social activism has different connotations, and so the search of identity among the groups of contemporary activists is still taking place. The analysis of their statements about social education as well learning by experience, allowed the reflection on both: local, current situations and broader–long term social change contexts, where the role of social educators is constantly discussed, mainly in the oppositions of the professional vs. unprofessional roles that in particular touch the discussions on community education and social pedagogy around the world.