Institute of Sociology
Over 10 years of reforms in
Poland has been marked with great intensity of civic initiative. The
development of the sector of non-governmental organisations as a whole, on the
one hand confirms the recovery of many forms of authentic social self-organisation
that existed in the mid-war period (charity societies, economic societies,
Caritas, associations of the Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox Churches and of the
Jewish community). On the other hand, many new, often innovative, organisations
come into being. The network of centres of the so called “Third sector
infrastructure” has been created: Forum of Non-Governmental Organisations
Association (FIP), Volunteering Association, the Network of Information and
Support Centers for NGOs (SPLOT), the NGO Trainers Association (STOP), the
Working Community of the Associations of Social NGOs (WRZOS). The activity of
non-governmental organisations has noticeable effects: among others it affected
legislation which was the basis for four great system reforms of 1 January 1999.
At present, the Institute of
Sociology is in the course of developing the university studies reform (new
curriculum starts 1st October 2000):
From
the third year of studies, students can choose one out of four vocational
specialities. One of them is Social Policy and it is supposed to educate
future leaders of changes (organiser, moderator, animator). The graduates in
social policy are expected, regardless of their place of work and functions, to
be able to implement innovative solutions, at the same time taking into
consideration the common good. Training in Social Policy is supposed to
maximise opportunities of integral development of individuals, on the one hand,
on the other – of participation of an individual, family, movements,
non-governmental organisations in the exercise of power through their partaking
in different communities.
The social
policy specialisation will make a student acquainted with conditions of
integral development of the person in a free social order (i.e. maintaining
balance between economic growth, social development and individual freedom) and
teach direct and indirect ways of influencing social structures. The expected
result is to educate leaders of governmental and non-governmental social policy,
to include them in designing, implementing and monitoring of local, regional,
national and global strategies of development.
From
the perspective of equilibrated social and economic development, it is
important to be able to analyse and create conditions favouring fulfilment –
based on personal freedom – of the needs in the field of: education, work and
employment, social welfare and social work, health prophylaxis and coping with
disease, culture and spiritual development. Special stress will be put on the
socially marginalised groups (among others, as a result of disability or social
pathology) through identifying conditions favouring their inclusion in the
social and economic life (among others,
identifying conditions favouring social and vocational rehabilitation).
The specialisation will make
it possible to study mechanisms affecting the balance between three sectors of
the contemporary state: public administration, civic society and business. The
role of self-help and non-governmental organisations in maintaining balance
between those three pillars.
Post-graduate School of
Non-Governmental Organisations
The
development of non-governmental organisations, voluntary activities, self-help
initiatives and the broadening scope of services they provide has given origin
to a new – on the Polish market – group of professionals, i.e. leaders of
non-governmental organisations. Our practical and training experience clearly
points to the need of creating our own opportunities of university training for
the leaders of the Third Sector (associations, foundations, Caritas, Polish Red
Cross) and other specialists professionally interested in non-governmental
organisations (public administration, social workers, health care organisers
and health promoters, Church assistants).
The Catholic University of Lublin and the Lublin
Self-Help Centre Association (Regional Support Centre to NGOs – member of the
SPLOT Network of Support Centres to NGOs) take up a common initiative to
provide the opportunity of continual training to the leaders of non-governmental
organisations through the Post-graduate School of Non-Governmental
Organisations, working as a part of the University. The School uses the
intellectual resources of the newly opened speciality: Social Policy at the
Institute of Sociology (Faculty of Social Sciences), other faculties and
departments, and also of the SPLOT Network's trainers. At the same time, after
graduation from the School, the SPLOT Network offers the former students an
opportunity of expert assistance and participation in training courses.
In the first place, the School is addressed to NGO
leaders and specialists in the Third Sector, who would contribute to the
studies with their experience and raise practical issues which they wish to
investigate in scientific manner. Simultaneously, the School is an offer to
university students who became acquainted with problems related to NGOs and
wish to connect their future careers with the Third Sector.
The training for NGO leaders presupposes:
1. possibility
of continuous training,
2. assistance
of external experts (including experts from other countries),
3. creating
the research potential in the field of the Third Sector and solving their
problems with the university resources,
4. activities
on behalf of social policy constructed on the basis of self-help and voluntary
initiatives and non-governmental organisations.
Basic courses
1. Social
policy building: planning, implementing, monitoring
2. Non-governmental
organisations: dynamics of change, social role and functioning
3. The
leader of a non-governmental organisation: between professionalism, self-help
and voluntary commitment
4. Social
partners to non-governmental organisations
5. Philosophical
(anthropological) and ethical foundations of self-help
Facultative courses
1. Non-governmental
organisations on the international arena – comparative perspective
2. Legal
foundations of the activities of non-governmental organisations
3. Animating
social activities
4. Individual
assistance plan (in the field of social welfare, health care, rehabilitation,
education): strategies of fulfilling one's dreams
5. Provision
of social services: contract, grant, subsidy
6. Self-help
groups and mutual help groups
7. Voluntary
work: between philanthropy and charity work
8. Social
and religious movements
9. Advocacy
and lobbing
10. Federalisation
and the Third Sector infrastructure
11. Management
of an organisation: team-building and community-building
12. Strategic
planning in a non-governmental organisation
13. Project/programme
management
14. Evaluation:
the measures of social effectiveness
15. Public
image of a non-governmental organisation/public relations
16. From
a bulletin to a magazine: how to edit information materials
17. Internet
and non-governmental organisations: between local and global approach
18. Fundraising
19. Financial
management in a non-governmental organisation
20. Tax
obligations of non-governmental organisations
1. Attention:
facultative courses will be offered depending on the number of interested
participants. The student is obliged to choose ... facultative courses and
three additional ones, which could be an option if the chosen courses were not
offered. In the case of choosing the course which is not going to be offered,
the student has also possibility to individually choose the subject when
participating in a seminar.
2. Seminars:
a) Team
and organisation building (management, creating strategies and programmes,
monitoring and evaluation
b) Services
and social support system
c) Influencing
the social policy
(Structure)
Master’s Studies
Ø Politology
Ø Municipal
Administration
Ø Social
Policy (with Post-Graduate School of Non-Governmental Organisations from
2001/2002 academic year)
Ø Mass
Media – Communication
For further information contact:
Andrzej Juros, PhD
20-082 Lublin, ul. Zielona 3, phone. /fax (+4881) 7436613, phone (+4881)
5328875
E-mail: juros@los.lublin.pl and
Department of Social Policy
Catholic University of Lublin
Al. Rac³awickie 14
20-950 Lublin
E-mail: jurand@kul.lublin.pl
NGOs Support Program, Batory Foundation, Poland
Program
Co-ordinator
tel. (48 22) 622 12 89
e-mail:
irybka@batory.org.pl