Autonomy of Refugees from Ukraine — Tasks for Education in Poland

Abstract

On February 24th, 2022, the situation in Ukraine changed dynamically due to political events that had a significant impact on the lives of many people. Among the most affected groups are women and children who, forced to flee the threat, have found shelter in Poland. Since then, many countries neighbouring Ukraine, including Poland, have faced the unique task of providing organised assistance and integration to these people. In this article, I present the situation of women and children of refugees from Ukraine, highlighting the challenges they face, as well as the hopes and initiatives that can help them rebuild their lives in a new environment. The role of Polish society, institutions and NGOs is becoming a key element of this process, which requires cooperation on many levels. In this article, I present an attempt to define the concept of autonomy and a sense of personal effectiveness, as well as the tasks that Polish education faced in order to help refugees create autonomy and agency in the new reality in two directions: the individual experiences of refugee women and the educational situation of their children.