Wielka rodzina mniejszości narodowo-etnicznych w Unii Europejskiej

Abstract

Author of paper seeks understanding and cooperation between people representing different nations and cultures, regional education in the „little homeland”, pertaining to the multicultural dialogue, creates the sense of community. Regional education livens up practical teaching (it reorganises the course and the forms of work, teaches to be tolerant and introduces the bases for dialogue), but it requires the traditional and closed education to be abandoned and the open one, focusing on the environment and offering cooperation, to be embraced instead. The new type of education has both an axionormative and a pragmatic dimension, which makes it offer the following advantages: (1) educational advantages, providing knowledge about the region and shapes the regional identity; (2) cultural advantages – showing cultural models and their importance for the local community; (3) enriching human capital and thus supporting animation of social changes, thus addressing social needs by stimulating the activity around the local heritage. The little homeland may function as the source of universal sociocultural values uniting people representing different nations, cultures and religions. In this way it supports the process of European integration. If the relation between the little homeland and Europe is perceived dynamically and contextually, the relationship between the little homeland and Poland will be built. The little homeland generates information that reaches Europe and is exposed to European sociocultural influences in return. The main educational tasks to be performed in this respect include: (1) reduction of the distance between the feelings of inferiority caused by one’s origin and one’s self-esteem and (2) development of the dialogue and social cooperation for the sake of the common good. Active participation in the little homeland influences one’s European identity by means of accepting and developing the values that unite people. Such an identity is formed through the bottom-up and top-down mechanism operating within the society. If the bottom-up dimension is identified with a strong local identity of the „little homeland”, this homeland will remain open to European values, considering them to be an opportunity for its own development. This, however, requires a lot of grassroots work.