Expression of the Culture of a Unity Environment in Free Age University Activities

One of the key features of society in the 21^st century is its multidisciplinary nature, which necessitates that social activities and research be based on a context analysis that takes into account the political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions as well as technological conditions. The Lisbon Strategy (2000) emphasizes sustainable growth, and social cohesion makes it possible to talk about the trends of the convergence of sciences and the multicultural nature of activities and research. However, miscommunication between representatives of different fields can become a dangerous phenomenon, as intensely developing multiculturalism, driven by demographic and technological change – the aging of society, migration, information technology, and the dictate of the market economy – raises tensions in all areas of human and societal life and increases the danger of social polarization and social risks (Lorenz, 1998; Bell, 2003; Bauman, 2007; Urponen, 2017).

In this context, the need for cooperation between professionals and organizations involved in helping people is obvious, as is their mission – to initiate, maintain, and develop a safe and collaboration-based social environment that enables individuals, families, and communities to successfully participate in lifelong learning, overcoming the challenges of social exclusion caused by the aforementioned transformations. Tomlinson (2000), who analyzed the effects of globalization on culture, calls this the creation of a unity environment. The experience of interdisciplinary cooperation between specialists in education, health, social work, and psychology when working in interdisciplinary teams and networks of organizations is essential in creating and developing such a social environment.

In the context of multidisciplinarity, an essential aspect of creating a unity environment emerges: by what educational means and in which educational space are the preconditions, opportunities, and conditions for social inclusion in an aging society constructed? An important place here is played by the institute of the free age university, whose activities include the interaction of representatives of different generations, different professional cultures, and different social and general cultural experiences, enabling the formation of a multidisciplinary community.

The aim of this report is to reveal the peculiarities and possibilities of free age university activities when developing the culture of a unity environment on the local, national, and international levels.

The objectives are as follows: a) to discuss the peculiarities of the European tradition of a free age university; b) to describe the experience of the free age university in Lithuania, highlighting its uniqueness and specificity; c) to identify the directions of educational research that the experience of the free age university implies in the process of creating a unity environment.

Methodologically, the report is based on the preconception that agreements on a common vision, aim, and values determine the successful operation of each professional in a team as well as interdisciplinary cooperation, and thus agreement on the aims of the education and training of professionals formulated on the basis of common values is an essential condition for developing collaboration competencies (Walter, Petr, 2000). The report is based on the results and conclusions of a longitudinal (2004 - 2018) study conducted by researchers of education science at Vytautas Magnus University and the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, as well as on practical work experience at Kaunas free age university (2016 - 2021), which highlighted the importance of volunteering in a free age university as a non-governmental organization.

The interpretation of the results of the longitudinal study has revealed three significant conceptual notions whose expression in the community is briefly reviewed in the report: multiculturalism (in terms of ethnicity and professional culture) as an essential feature of modern society (Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development. Action and Impact, 2012); multi-literacy as a requirement for a functioning and creative 21st-century person who understands him- or herself and the world (Foucault, 1972); social capital as a key resource for creating a unity environment in a changing and aging society, significantly complementing economic and human capital (Coleman, 2005). A free age university is becoming one of the significant institutions for creating a unity environment in an aging society. The report reviews the directions of the European tradition of the free age university and provides a retrospective of the activities of the free age university in Lithuania. The result of this content analysis is the highlighting of the directions of educational activities and the prediction of the perspectives of educational research as a generalization and conclusions of this theoretical research.

1.Abramson, J., Rosenthal, B. (1995). Inter-disciplinary and Inter-organizational Collaboration. Encyclopaedia of Social Work, Vol. 2, Washington, DC. 2.Bell, D. (2003). Kapitalizmo kultūriniai prieštaravimai. Vilnius: Alma littera. (The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism) (Lithuanian translation) 3.Brunevičiūtė, R., Večkienė, N. P. et all. (2011). Practical preconditions for the development of the interdisciplinary collaboration competence in healthcare. Santalka: filolologija, edukologija, Nr. 2, p. 132–140. Vilnius: Technika. 4.Brunevičiūtė, R., Braždžionytė, J., Gudaitytė, D.,Večkienė, N. P. (2007). The Influence of Educational Research on Changes in the Content of Studies: a Comparative Study of the Curricula of Medicine and Social Work. Genth. Prieiga internete: http://www.education-line@leeds.ac.uk. 5.Brunevičiūtė, R., Večkienė, N. P., Naujanienė, R., Braždžionytė, J. (2005). Intercultural dimension within the changes in the aims of the curriculum. Dublin. Prieiga internete: http://www.education-line@leeds.ac.uk. 6.Coleman, J. S. (2005). Socialinės teorijos pagrindai. Vilnius: Margi raštai. (Foundations of Social Theory) (Lithuanian translation) 7.Abstract book. (2012). Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development. Action and Impact. 8–12 July 2012, p. 435. Stockholm, Sweden. 8.Lorenz, W. (1998). Social Professions for a Social Europe – European Dimensions in Training and practice of Social Professions. Ostrava: University of Ostrava. 9.Tomlinson, J. (2000). Globalization and Culture. Polity Press in Association with Blackwell Publishers. 10.Urponen, K. (2017). Current Social Work Imposes New Challenges: Two Approaches And A Paradigm Shift. Tiltai. Mokslo darbai, Nr. 77 (2), p. 1–10. 11.Večkienė, N. P., Budėjienė, A., Ražanauskaitė, V., Ramanauskienė, K., Valiulis, A. (2012). Socialinis darbas senėjančioje visuomenėje: teoriniai ir praktiniai tarpdisciplininio bendradarbiavimo aspektai. Gerontologija, Nr. 13(1), p. 3–11. (Social Work in an Aging Society: Theoretical and Practical Issues of the Interdisciplinary Collaboration) (in Lithuanian) 12.Večkienė, N. P., Dirgėlienė, I. (2010). Paramą teikiantis bendradarbiavimas socialinio darbo procese: nuo idėjos link praktikos. Socialinis ugdymas, Nr. 11(22), p. 35–43. (Supportive Cooperation in the Process of Social Work: From Idea Towards Practice) (in Lithuanian)