The topic is connected with the social dimension of the education, narrowly with the social responsibility of students. Usually higher education researches focus on academic performance, neglecting the role of extracurricular engagements of students. My objective was to emphasize the role of the elementary communities, as the context of educational processes.
Students learn to socialize in communities, the norms and values of these communities have enormous individual and academic benefits. The participation in charity, volunteering, civil or church communitiess activities increases the chance that the students will have supporting attitudes towards non traditional peers (Pusztai 2004, Berei 2018).
The term 'social responsibility' is connected with ethic in business. Corporate social responsibility means environmental protection and renewable energy development but philanthropic social support, social engagement or action also. This is for the benefits of the large society and can be measured at individual or institutional level. In our neoliberal era, when the cooperation between public and private institutions has a significant relevancy, external and internal institutional dimensions are more researched, than individual level (Muresan and Potincu 2008, Mulec 2015, Vazquez Parra 2017).
The theory of corporate social responsibility is based on Caroll pyramid. Economic, legal and ethical responsibilities are managements obligations but philanthropic is more voluntary. Philanthropic responsibilities, at the top level of the pyramid means contribution to improve the quality of life of the community. 'To play by the rules of the game' - to be legal is an obligation, but to contribute with resources to the community is a voluntary act (Caroll 1991).
In social sciences Putnam studied the role of the private institutions and revealed the contributions to the cohesion of the society (Putnam 1995). At individual level, social responsibility and maturity are connected (Nagy 2013). Increasing social responsibility, the prejudices of people decrease and increase the cooperation between different ethnically or cultural groups (Eyler 2001).
In our society one negative effect of the globalization is the social isolation of children and young people. At the individual level the social immaturity problems are connected with relational (un)responsibilities (Nagy 2013, UNICEF Magyar Bizottsag 2014).
Starting from the theoretical framework outlined above and adapting the general concept of social responsibilities among students, the aim of my research was to study the social engagement of students on charity organizations activities in two EU member countries, Hungary and Romania. I am looking for the answer to the questions:
Are students involved in charity activities? What kind of activities? What are their motivations? Is there differences between Rumanian and Hungarian students?
