Radawnica Folk High School started its educational activities in 1946. The first courses were aimed at adults who had been prevented from learning by the war. The subjects of the courses were reading, writing, the basics of mathematics, Polish history and geography. In the following years, courses were run for cultural activists and employees of village clubs and community centres. From 1970-84, qualification courses were run with a specialisation in photography, film and dance. Graduates of these courses developed their passions and interests in culture, becoming artists known in Poland and abroad. Throughout its existence, Radawnica Folk High School has focused on balancing the positions of its educative and educational functions. In these processes, the acquisition of interpersonal skills, group work and teamwork are important elements.
Our Folk High School is located in a historic palace from the second half of the 19th century, in a neo-Gothic style, surrounded by a 3.5 hectare park. The facility is run by the association Polskie Uniwersytet Ludowy (Polish Folk High Schools Association), a non-governmental organisation. The main tasks carried out by the Folk High School include the formal and non-formal education of adults in vocational skills, in the area of assistance to disabled and dependent persons, cultural and civic education for adults and senior citizens. The method of Grundvigian pedagogy is used in achieving the intended goals in working with adults. The author of this method is M.F.S. Grundtvig, a Danish pastor, philosopher and teacher. Characteristic features of this method are a holistic and comprehensive approach to learning, with particular emphasis on the acquisition of lifelong "self-learning" competences, self-education work, the development of key competences: social, civic, awareness of belonging to a group and the positive effects of identification with a group, the awakening of cultural awareness and cultural expression.
Our school operates in the countryside of the Wielkopolska voivodship. This is influenced by who becomes the addressee and recipient of the educational, cultural, all-school and workshop offer. We respond to the social needs of the rural, small-town area and counteract marginalisation and social exclusion, with a particular focus on the principles of lifelong education. We play an important role in cultural, vocational, environmental and social education. Our school operates as an association that employs 28 people. Eight people - artists of handicrafts, painting and photography - occasionally work in specialised creative workshops, shows and vernissages. The people associated with Radawnica Folk High School are creative, with a passion for working with others, promoting the spread of basic skills and the development of social competences as well as personality strengths through creativity and participation in cultural activities.
The projects implemented by our institution and the workshops organised in the project activities are attended by hundreds of people from the Zlotow district. Cultural events such as exhibitions, vernissages, meetings gather usually between a hundred and three hundred people interested in a particular aspect of arts. An important element of our work are project activities. We actively participate in many projects under the ERASMUS + programme. We focus on the exchange of experiences and skills by offering our students the opportunity to do internships in Germany, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia. On a regular basis, our staff go on study visits to Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Bulgaria, which allows us to improve our teaching methods and techniques on an ongoing basis by incorporating ICT into our classes.
Our Folk High School has been the beneficiary of programmes of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for three times. Thanks to this, the local community - the inhabitants of Radawnica and Złotów - had the opportunity to benefit from a wide range of workshops in handicrafts, ecology and participate in cultural events - exhibitions, presentations, vernissages.
Radawnica Folk High School (understood as a team of people with potential, experience and openness to the future) is ready to take on new challenges in line with the needs of modern man. We use a variety of methods in our work and activities. We activate and motivate participants in our activities by using modern tools and methods. We encourage the acquisition of new cognitive as well as social competences.
We cooperate with folk high schools all over Poland within the Polish Network of Folk High Schools of which we are one of the founders. Moreover, we are not limited to this country but we also closely cooperate with folk high schools from Germany, Denmark, Finland, Austria and Sweden as well as some adult education centers in Italy, pain, France and Bulgaria.