Use of social pedagogical concepts in planning local community support

The present master's thesis discusses the role of a local community within a globalized, postmodern society. At first glance, it may seem that the local excludes the global and vice versa. This thesis, however, starts from the premise that this is not necessarily the case, and that the local exists within the global. In this social action, I also place social pedagogy. As the very name itself suggests, the mission of social pedagogy is to participate in the society. This means that in social processes, social pedagogy is not only an observer but a subject that is aware of the fact that the current state is neither “sacred” nor “natural”. Another way is possible. Furthermore, it is necessary to renounce the idea of “another way” meaning something that is better or worse, and rather understand it as something that is just different. “Another way is possible” means uncertainty and a challenge; it provokes the question “What way?” The social pedagogical – and mine – answer to this question is: “I do not know, but we can find it through mutual brainstorming.” The reflection on how to create this “another way”, is the core of the present master’s thesis. In line with its name and tradition, social pedagogy deals with society, including local community, and learns how to co-create it together with people. Through questioning about the key topic – What is social pedagogy? –, and on the basis of some social pedagogical concepts, the thesis raises the question of place and the way social pedagogy is affecting the local community. It is surprising that despite appeals for inclusion of various marginalized groups (such as youth in reform schools and people with mental health disorders) in local communities, the local community as a whole only has a marginal position in academic writing. Through analyzing the process of planning supportive activities for selected community in the empirical part, I highlight the role of social pedagogy in the local community.. The topics addressed are social pedagogical in their nature, as is the way they are discussed. By refusing to set general instructions and simple “truths”, this approach creates the uncertainty of existence of various possible ways