Community Education and Resilience: Making Knowledge, Making Community

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15826/csp.2025.9.2.330

Abstract

This exploratory qualitative study focuses on the importance of community education in fostering community resilience. The research is grounded in a conceptual framework that encompasses resilience, well-being, and community education. The data were collected in Slovenia between 2020 and 2022 through two cycles based on the principles of participatory qualitative research involving 18 community education actors. Semi-structured interviews and participant observation were employed. A thematic content analysis of the interviews identified key themes and categories. Additional anecdotal data were gathered through participant observation in three selected community organizations and informal conversations with program providers, such as teachers. These anecdotal data served as a means of source triangulation and category validation. The findings indicated that community education enhances resilience and cohesion through knowledge co-creation, the development of social and emotional well-being, motivational programs, and emancipatory engagement. It empowers communities to build their capacity to respond to unpredictable challenges. The participants emphasized the need to develop new forms of community education, characterized as a pedagogy of contingency.

Author Biographies

Klara Kozar Rosulnik, Slovenian Migration Institute, The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Klara Kožar Rosulnik (PhD in Adult Education), is a Research Associate and Assistant Professor at the Slovenian Migration Institute. Her research interests focus on biographical learning, learning in everyday life, knowledge transfer, migration, female migration and intercultural education. Her recent articles deal with intercultural education and the mother tongues of immigrant children, brain circulation and brain exchange as well as migration experiences, learning and identity (re)construction.

Mojca Blažič, University of Novo Mesto, Novo Mesto, Slovenia

Mojca Blažič (PhD in Economy), is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Informatics. Her research focuses on career management, lifelong learning, and the development of modern approaches to professional education. She is particularly dedicated to exploring strategies for effective career counseling and the integration of educational systems with the labor market.

Petra Javrh, Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Petra Javrh (PhD in Education), is an active Senior Researcher at the Slovenian Institute for Adult Education. Her research focuses on various topics in adult education, including research on adult literacy and skills, sustainable development. She has co-authored or edited several scientific monographs, textbooks for adults, and a series of educational films.

Nives Ličen, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Nives Ličen (PhD in Education), is a Professor of Adult Education, her research and writing focuses on non-formal education, informal learning, and education for older adults. Among her latest publication are textbooks in the fields of community education and cultural heritage.

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Published
2025-07-12
How to Cite
Kozar Rosulnik, K., Blažič, M., Javrh, P., & Ličen, N. (2025). Community Education and Resilience: Making Knowledge, Making Community. Changing Societies & Personalities, 9(2), 311-330. doi:10.15826/csp.2025.9.2.330
Citation Formats
Issue
Vol. 9, No. 2 (2025)
Section
Articles