Is the Social Integration Possible? The Role of Training among Young Adults Beneficiaries of Social Services Institutions

Abstract

The aim of the research was to verify the effectiveness of the steps taken to activate social integration and the evaluation of the activities undertaken in that respect. The main assumption was that changes occur through the gaining of experience, its structuring and restructuring—particularly in the area of self-knowledge and evaluation of life opportunities. In the study it was presumed that the process of experiencing something in a new group and improving communication-related and professional skills could change the future prospects of an individual. Methods: The study involved 521 partizipants from two groups (unemployed and worked or studied). The following tools were used for the purpose of conducting the research: life experience questionnaire, questionnaire of the sense of control over events, tool for investigating expected changes and self-esteem scale. Results: The results pointed to the need for adjustment of preventive treatment to the current stage of development, as indicated by developmental tasks and future expectations. The observed and analysed changes in the dimensions of self-knowledge before and after participation in the project indicate that the project gave the respondents the improved ability to evaluate themselves realistically and closer contact with the reality, thus offering them an opportunity to change.