EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN RURAL AREAS IN LIGHT OF RESEARCH ON ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNES OF LAKE ROZNÓW (Dzialania edukacyjne na terenach wiejskich w swietle badan Zwiazku Gmin Jeziora Roznowskiego)

The author continues his reflections on the research into the educational determinants of regional development in rural areas. In the previous installment of the Discourses, the author paid attention to the opportunities offered by the Internet in developing rural communities. This time, he attempts to analyze educational initiatives undertaken in these milieus and those who pursue them. The author - drawing on the results of his research - characterizes the organizers of educational activities, which he divides into municipal institutions, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, church groups and artistic assemblies. The author also presents various initiatives, drawing attention to the variety of their forms, and wonders why - given the diversity of cultural and educational activities, and a large number of their initiators - educational aspirations of rural youth are realized in a much lesser degree than those of urban youth. While seeking the answer, he points to several essential issues: the time required for changes to occur (especially when it comes to the rural mentality); lack of social leaders; poor promotion of educational and cultural events. The issues presented in the paper stress the visible development of rural areas. However, this is mainly economic development. In order to make social development a 'living' process, we require, according to the author, even farther-reaching changes of education - not only in its school-related dimension, but also understood as a lifelong, continuous process.