Extracurricular education institutions in Tarnów

Abstract

The article raises the issue of organising children’s and young people’s free time from school activities. This problem seems important and current especially at the present time, when parents most of the day spend at work. The issue of children and families at risk of wider social pathology can also not be ignored. The extracurricular education institutions play a significant role in awakening and developing the interests of young people in various fields of science, culture, art and sport. Young people attending the classes are discovering that free time does not only mean unproductive sitting at home watching TV or playing on the computer, but the time, in which they can develop their interests in productive and pleasant way, improve their skills in a specific field of science or art, gain new experiences, meet valuable people and pursue their passions and dreams. The study recalled the rich history of after-school education in Europe and Poland and the modern educational achievements. In general, the types of Polish institutions pursuing a number of educational and welfare tasks in the scope of extracurricular education has been presented. Also the article presented the forms of organising children’s and young people’s free time in the city of Tarnów.