It has already become a tradition that on November 3, 2014, the international scientific conference New Social Education of Man was once again held at the Orthodox Theological Faculty of the University of Prešov in Prešov. This year, the conference was thematically focused on various aspects, primarily of social therapy, as well as on spiritual, anthropological, philosophical, psychological and social aspects of education, training and counseling today. Thirteen contributions were made in the plenary part of the conference, and during the next session of the conference, a large number of experts from university workplaces and experts from the field of practice from Poland, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic presented their contributions. At the conference, many important scientific and professional opinions and positions were presented, as well as research results and good practice experiences. We provide at least brief and summary information about the topics covered by the conference participants:

  • The theory, methodology and practice of social education depends on the understanding of man, on his individual anthropology and way of life in the contemporary world. Knowledge should lead people to the truth of life. However, the problem for many is how to recognize and distinguish reality from illusion, because the contemporary person is supported in illusions by various stimuli of the social environment in which he lives. A person often recognizes what does not actually exist and, on the other hand, does not recognize what exists and what is true.
  • Values ​​and his understanding of the meaning of life are decisive in a person's actions. The internalization of spiritual values ​​is especially important for him. Social education should be defined by a value context. The question that arises in connection with the education of a person is the following: Who is poor? In the biblical sense, a poor person is one who does not cling to material wealth. If a person lacks ideas, enthusiasm and the meaning of life, then the poverty of the spirit seizes him and this gives rise to material poverty.
  • Considering the diverse social problems of people, it is necessary to prepare specialized workers for the field of social education who will achieve a high professional and spiritual level. An example is the preparation for spiritual social counseling, which helps to heal a person. One of the ways of healing is the perception and writing of the Icon, which was brought to Slovakia by the missionaries of St. Cyril and St. Method. Man himself is both an Icon and an Iconographer, he perceives the icon according to himself, he looks for a source of spiritual power in it. Therefore, the icon has a significant educational and therapeutic effect on a person.
  • In the contributions of the conference, the authors presented many inspirations, experiences and proposals for the preparation, implementation and evaluation of social education activities and events, which provoked a rich discussion. They reported on experiences with educational social work with families and also with educational social counseling in social service facilities for people from disadvantaged social groups and for people at risk of social exclusion.
  • Other creative authorial topics of the conference participants related to the project of intervention-preventive programs for social work with families whose child has socio-pathological manifestations; as well as innovative procedures in peer social education.
  • An important social project of establishing and implementing citizen counseling centers in Slovakia is aimed at providing systemic counseling assistance.
  • The issue of persuasion (influence and communication) in work with social clients was presented and discussed, as well as specialized university training of social workers for preventive educational social work and for educational social counselors in particular.
  • Attention was paid to multicultural education, including research on teachers' attitudes towards the given social phenomenon, as well as professional families and the education of professional parents.
  • Contributions to various forms, methods and effectiveness of art therapy, sociotherapy, psychotherapy and methods of achieving spiritual, psychological and social change of persons within the framework of social education, social counseling and andragogic influence were particularly important within the main theme of the conference.
  • The participation of social education in the prevention of socio-pathological phenomena was presented theoretically and empirically, and the need for educational social work in penitentiary care provided behind the walls of correctional facilities and in social guardianship was discussed.

Conference New social education of man III. characterized the following phenomena: Internationality as a real enriching principle of professional and institutional cooperation of experts in the field of social education (that means the fields of upbringing, education, counseling, therapy). Interdisciplinarity as a necessary requirement of the synergistic effect of scientific, research and practical cooperation of experts in the field of social education of persons, social groups, social communities. Interpersonal professional communication as a desired path to the development of science, research, practice and personalities of professional workers in the field of social education.

The conference provided the participants with a friendly environment for mutual human, professional and collegial enrichment of each other, with the intention of supporting the desire and will to act and help the other person as well as themselves, because experts working in social education cannot be indifferent to their own lives or the lives of others.

Author: Doc. PhDr. Mária Machalová, CSc. Scientific guarantor of the conference New social education of man III. Therapy in helping professions, which took place on November 3, 2014 in Prešov