Community members’ initiatives in public open spaces: two case studies from Slovenia

• Published in: Andragoška spoznanja
• Main Authors: Jelenc Krašovec, Sabina, Bosanac, Željka, Hočevar, Sara Dalila, Vrhovec, Neža, Zankolič, Nuša, Kump, Sonja
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Ljubljana University Press, Faculty of Arts 2017
• Subjects: public open space; participation in community; top-down and bottom-up approach; informal learning in community; javni odprti prostor; sodelovanje v skupnosti; pristop od zgoraj navzdol in od spodaj navzgor; priložnostno učenje v skupnosti; Tabor; sami
• Online Access: https://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/AndragoskaSpoznanja/article/view/7531; https://doi.org/10.4312/as.23.3.55-70

The paper deals with public spaces as open, everyday arenas where people share experiences beyond their immediate circle of friends, family and age group. Public space is understood as a forum for social and personal change (Harvey, 2011; Lefebvre, 2013; Arendt, 1996; Habermas, 1989; 2001). Questions are analysed from the point of view of community members, who are strongly attached to the space and who are interested in belonging and in proactive changes in their living environment (Iecovich, 2014; Kohn 2004; Mean and Tims, 2005). The paper is based on the presumptions that public space has an important role in generating ideas and activities of community members and that it is an important venue for community members’ informal learning. Ethnomethodological research in two public spaces (the Tabor community in Ljubljana and a small community in the coastal town of Izola) show that there are differences between both public spaces regarding top-down initiatives and bottom-up, self-organized activities. However, although the activity initiators were in one case different associations rooted in the community, and in the other the local people themselves, most of the activities were conducted by people living in the selected communities/public spaces themselves as is typical of grassroots activities. It was confirmed that learning was not often mentioned by members of either community and was mostly a hidden activity, resulting in tacit knowledge. V prispevku se ukvarjamo z odprtim javnim prostorom, z vsakdanjimi prizorišči, kjer ljudje delijo svoje izkušnje zunaj najožje skupine prijateljev, družine in starostne skupine. Javni prostor razumemo kot forum za družbeno in osebno spreminjanje (Harvey, 2011; Lefebvre, 2013; Arendt, 1996; Habermas, 1989, 2001). Vprašanja analiziramo z vidika članov skupnosti, ki so tesno povezani s prostorom in ki jih zanimajo pripadnost in proaktivne spremembe njihovega življenjskega okolja (Iecovich, 2014; Kohn, 2004; Mean and Tims, 2005). Članek temelji na predpostavki, da ima javni prostor pomembno vlogo v tvorjenju idej in dejavnosti članov skupnosti ter za njihovo priložnostno učenje. Etnometodološko raziskovanje dveh javnih prostorov (skupnosti Tabor v Ljubljani in majhne skupnosti v obmorskem kraju Izola) kaže, da med tema javnima prostoroma obstajajo razlike glede iniciativ od zgoraj navzdol in od spodaj navzgor kot samoorganiziranih dejavnosti. A čeprav so bili organizatorji dejavnosti v enem primeru različne skupnostne organizacije in v drugem ljudje kot posamezniki, so ve- čino dejavnosti izvajali ljudje sami, tisti, ki so živeli v teh skupnostih. Potrdimo lahko, da člani nobene od skupnosti učenja večinoma niso omenjali, tako da je šlo najpogosteje za prikrito dejavnost, ki se je izražala v skritem znanju.