Guide to the contemporary folk high schools “School for life”
Guide to the contemporary folk high schools “School for life” its title and content refer to the traditions of folk high schools (FU) that go back to the middle of the 19th century and are significantly connected with the spiritual heritage of Nicolai Frederik Grundtvig (1783-1872), eminent Danish theologian, preacher, historian, writer and social activist.
The purpose of the present Guide to the contemporary folk high schools “School for life” is to demonstrate to all interested how diversified are the attitudes to schools for life and folk high schools in contemporary thinking. It is also to show how institutions modelled on Grundtvig’s work function in a number of countries. In the editorial work on the present “Guide”, for obvious reasons, we reached for contemporary Scandinavian experience, mainly Danish, and also Swedish. We wanted to acquaint our Readers with the present condition of folk high schools in societies which have the longest tradition of their operation. In the scope which was of interest to us, we looked into selected solutions in Germany and in Poland, that is in countries where inspiring Scandinavian ideas and practical solutions were adopted and adapted for own needs very quickly. The fact is that in each of the countries the developments of folk high schools have gone different ways. The picture becomes more complete with the information about the functioning of selected cultural and educational communities akin to folk high schools and schools for life in Bulgaria, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Tomasz Maliszewski – editor of „The Guide”