Good practices against exclusion. An example of social economy in Podkarpackie Voivodeship

Abstract

Systemic transformation is an opportunity for the development of democracy. Changes occurring in the area of public life allow individuals and social groups to develop in an individual and sustainable way, as well as plan their own lives in both private and public space in line with their individual choices. However, difficult situations in the labour market and economic crises lead to the unemployment and impoverishment of households which results in the widening of financial and social gap between the well-educated and creative persons on one side, and those who are unable to adapt to the new reality for either personal or random reasons on the other. These are the individuals who have lost their jobs or social security, helpless in practical situations, inadequate, homeless, ill or disabled, the caregivers of ill or disabled family members, members of large and single-parent families, families suffering from alcoholism, and persons who have completed a prison sentence. The concept of social economy is one of the forms of actions aimed at the elimination of exclusion, as well as a method of solving the problems of persons/groups that have been excluded because of social maladjustment. This study presents various forms of social activation aimed at improving the situation of people threatened with exclusion, on the basis of literature on the subject, internet sources, and an analysis of official documents made available by institutions acting in the area of supporting social economy in the region.