The role and use of art in social pedagogy

The purpose of the presented diploma paper is to explain the meaning and role of art with its creative media and the role of the creative process in social pedagogy. I am exploring and emphasizing different aspects in use of art on individual, group, community and social level and researching, where there is a potential for their use in the professional field of social pedagogy. The importance in the empirical and theoretical part of the thesis was in questioning, exploring and trying out different uses of art and principles of creative process, for example: help through art and its different modalities, creative arts therapy, art as a communication tool and experiential learning, art as medium for connecting and empowering groups and creating a positive group dynamic, art in the role of reflection and critique of society, as harbinger of marginalized groups, cultural animation and resource of social activation. The thesis also explores various aspects of developing a creative attitude. All mentioned is unified as a potential for social pedagogical intervention, a particular reality of experiential learning, defined as »free spaces« »socio-cultural refugees«. A safe environment, which enables (by means of art and other arrangements) a more free experimenting with one’s own concepts, paths, habits, thinking and emotions. This supports a positive change, learning and development of individuality and collaboration skills. Empirical part of the paper presents a case study – an organized, carried out and evaluated international education and cultural animation project, which lasted for seven days. In it different individuals shared their practical experiences and reflections on the use of arts in working with people. The case study is also an example of practical implementation of a socio-cultural refuge in which I was especially interested in the role and influence of art media on individuals and groups. This helped me in discovering the proper ways of social pedagogical interventions with different art mediums. Finally, thesis results can be used as a basis to create practical guidelines for progressing quality of educational trainings and more efficient interventions in the field of social pedagogy combined with arts