ADULT EDUCATION AS A SPACE OF SUPPORT AND RESILIENCE IN WARTIME: EXPERIENCE OF THE NGO «POLTAVA ADULT EDUCATION CENTER»

Abstract

The article reveals the role of adult education centers in supporting the population during periods of social instability, transformations, and wartime challenges. It highlights the activities of the NGO «Poltava Adult Education Center» as a modern hub of adult learning, which, under the conditions of full-scale war in Ukraine, performs important social, adaptive, and educational functions. The main areas of the Center’s work are analyzed, its mission and key objectives are outlined. Special attention is given to the Center’s work with vulnerable social groups, including internally displaced persons, veterans and their families, elderly people, women in crisis situations, people with disabilities, the unemployed, and low-income families. Key projects and educational initiatives implemented in cooperation with state institutions, international organizations, and the civic sector are presented. Significant emphasis is placed on the inclusive direction of the Center’s activities, particularly the creation of an educational space for young people with mental differences and people with disabilities. Integration and adaptation courses are characterized as an important tool for socialization, the development of life skills, and the formation of a more tolerant society. Using the example of the Poltava Adult Education Center, it is demonstrated that adult education contributes not only to acquiring new professional competencies but also to restoring self-confidence, fostering civic engagement, and creating new opportunities for personal development.

Key words: adult education centers; non-governmental organizations; social support; veterans; civil society; Poltava region.