SECURITY AND HIGHER EDUCATION IN A LOCAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE

Security determines many possibilities for clarifying its positive character, which is associated withthe possibility of achieving goals that favour the development of an entity. They express securitywith values such as: survival, persistence and certainty of existence, homeostatic nature of relationswith the environment as maintaining one’s own identity, pursuing common social interests,conflict prevention and protection against threats and development. Security in this approach isemphasized by its properties, which last and develop regardless of the occurrence of threats.In the social structure, the local community is distinguished by ties associated with living ina specific area, arising from the very perspective of related needs and values derived from thelocal community. In addition, the local community shapes its own universal values, which includethe rights and civil rights and freedom expressed in the second chapter of the Constitution of theRepublic of Poland. From the authors’ point of view, local governments are currently looking forsolutions that would allow them to keep young people in the region and, if necessary, educate thelocal community to an acceptable level. It should be emphasised that the projects carried out bythe central government limit the simplicity of activities undertaken by local governments, whichfeel obliged to ensure security in the region.The aim of the article is to identify and analyse evolving foundations in the context of shapingsecurity, relevant needs and values, as well as educating the local community, which cansignificantly affect the contemporary local security environment.The presented results of pilot studies constitute a sufficient database to identify and diagnoseconditions for the development of local communities with specific educational needs in theregion, which may contribute to their staying in the place of residence and taking up studies ata university. The results emphasized the organizational and financial needs, as well as those relatedto educational disproportions between rural and urban areas, which constitute important safetyfactors for the local community.