The Role of Associations of Municipalities in Non-formal Education

Abstract

All activities conducted by municipalities towards the sustainable development are important for environment protection – that is one of key factors of the concept of sustainable development. Therefore, developing programs and methods regarding environment protection for local communities is essential. Those programs should both provide principles of sustainable development and implement guidelines for local authorities. They should consist of educational information and suggestions of activities that may be taken by local authorities in order to engage inhabitants into the environment protection and increase their environmental awareness. This ultimately results in shifting the opinions and changing the attitudes in the community. This paper presents the results of the qualitative research (participant observation and interviews) conducted among representatives of the selected municipalities located in the provinces of Malopolska and Podkarpacie. The involvement of the governing body in the implementation of projects to improve the state of natural environment is extensive. It also requires much effort from teachers and students of local schools. In most cases, the main objective of those projects is to achieve quality standards consistent with the EU regulations taking into account the National Environmental Policy. According to the respondents of the interviews, projects financed from external sources directly affect development of local economy and support the implementation of educational activities. Actions in form of informal education conducted by municipalities contribute to a change in the attitude, habits and awareness of local communities and thus lead to the improvement of the quality of the natural environment. In most cases, these activities are concerned about particular field.