Tiltai

Scientific journal Tiltai / Bridges / Brücken published by Klaipėda University (established in 1991) is devoted to the issues of social sciences, and seeking academic dialogue, also to other human and society functioning-related humanities and biomedical sciences, with expand and interpret different social phenomena and current issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. The publications attempts at analysing and solving actual problems of economy, management, demography, social geography, geopolitics, political sciences, history, education, religious, regional planning and land use, other social problems. Science has no borders. Therefore scientific cooperation is one of the most important elements in the progress of world’s community. Scientists from different countries of the world are kindly invited to write for and contribute to the journal.

This article is an analysis of the historical roots and ethical semantics of the social work concept ‘a marginal person, a client’ (the Greek words ξένος, ksenos and αςτος, astos). The question is relevant in modern social work in relation to the concept of ‘strange’ or ‘marginal’. The article analyses how the concepts ‘strange’, ‘other’ and marginal’ have re-entered the modern world from the Ancient world, as they were used in Ancient Syria (in the fourth century), Greece, and Medieval Europe. However, nowadays in social work theory they should be described anew using the discourses of social work and anthropology. The article explores the question of how to communicate with the ‘other’ or marginal person, based on reciprocity and internal solidarity.

The present paper discusses the role of gender equality policy in the military. The aim is to find out, paying due attention to unconscious bias, whether or not soldiers enrolled in mandatory initial military service in Lithuania support any stereotypes regarding women, and if so, then what are the stereotypes they adhere to, and what are the stereotypes that women in mandatory initial military service are confronted with. The paper analyses gender equality issues in the following two important contexts: the democratic value of gender equality in military service, and the need and readiness of the military to accommodate different genders. The latter context forms a stark contrast with the former two, especially given the traditional point of view that military service is meant to ensure effective security and defence, rather than the effective implementation of gender equality. The paper analyses how stereotypical attitudes towards women as a gender support the above-mentioned tradition. Based on the results of empirical research, stereotypes have proven to be still maintained by soldiers in the target group. The dominant stereotypical attitude is that active military service may be putting women at greater risk of harassment and sexual abuse. Female soldiers in the target group are confronted with stereotypical attitudes. They link the reasons underlying the overall support of stereotypical thinking to the age of the individuals concerned, their inherited stereotypical attitudes, and their education.

The article analyses the prospects for small and medium-size farms relating to the development of the ‘From Farm to School’ model in the Klaipėda region. The research aimed to reveal the possibilities for involving farmers in the Klaipėda region in cooperation with educational institutions in order to provide them with farm products/services. Questions relevant to the study were discussed during a focused group discussion with representatives of small and medium-size farms in the Klaipėda region: Are farmers interested in providing services and products to educational institutions? How do they evaluate the public procurement system? What are the possible cooperation opportunities and obstacles? etc. The results show that the needs and expectations for cooperation between Klaipėda region farmers, municipal employees and educational institutions as buyers of services basically coincide. The participants in the research agreed that the food from local growers is good, and they would like children to be fed quality food from local farms in schools. However, the results of the study assumed the insufficient literacy of small and medium-size farmers in order to effectively develop cooperation with educational institutions. Therefore, the article aims to raise awareness of representatives of small and medium-size farms and all interested groups about the ‘From Farm to School’ model, which could have an impact on the better involvement of farmers, and strengthen the connection between local farming communities and educational institutions. Better awareness could help to develop targeted actions of interested parties in order to shorten food supply chains, improve the quality of food in school meals, and promote the supply of products from small and medium-size farms to educational institutions in the Klaipėda region. The research also aims to contribute to the goals of the national Sustainable Development Strategy, by developing knowledge on how it is possible to preserve or restore natural ecosystems with the help of the activities and services of small and medium-size farms.

The childcare system in Lithuania is going through extensive changes in order to ensure the preparation and assessment of people who want to care for or adopt a child, on-call guardians have appeared, care centres have started operating in all municipalities, a unified agreement of guardians (carers), on-call guardians, adoptive parents and community children has been approved, as has the GIMK training and counselling programme for nursing home workers. Individuals who want to become a child’s guardian are trained and evaluated, and mutual support groups have started being organised. This is one of the measures aimed at strengthening, supporting and providing assistance to guardians (care givers), and there is an opportunity to solve issues relating to child custody. There are more and more guardians (care givers) who face difficulties in communicating with the ward, their relationship is strained, and the child experiences learning and adaptation difficulties, as a result of which the guardianship process is becoming more and more complicated. The current problem is manifestations of non-constructive behaviour that arise in adolescence, which worsen if these problems are not solved. A frequent guardian (carer) turns to care centre specialists, social workers and psychologists for help. Children’s guardians (carers) need constant qualified assistance from specialists and the state, because only in this way can guardians properly and competently perform their duty and meet the child’s needs and interests. This article analyses the experience of a mutual support group for care givers, and presents a qualitative study. The results of the study confirm the effectiveness of this type of support, and allow us to predict and design other support measures for care givers.

The professional development of health-care workers is a key prerequisite for professional success, and its effectiveness contributes to the quality of health-care services at any level of health-care institution. Health-care professionals face constant changes, as a challenge to adapt to the competitive environment around them. This makes it important to ensure that health-care workers have effective training to meet their professional development needs. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyse the theoretical assumptions of professional development, and to reveal the attitudes of health-care professionals towards the needs and specifics of professional development. The study has indicated that the professional development for health-care workers is result-oriented, yet of insufficient quality, with organisational, financial and other problems. It has been found that the planning and implementation of professional development for health-care professionals is subject to specific requirements. The combination of these requirements and the way they are evolving imply that the needs and specifics of health-care professionals in the field of professional development need to be addressed beyond doubt.

Social anxiety is a problem in modern society because it can affect many areas of a person’s life. This can negatively affect not only interpersonal relationships but also learning outcomes. The study analyses the relationship between students’ social anxiety and self-esteem and the perception of feedback, in order to find out the prognostic value of the variables as well. The study revealed that individuals with stronger social anxiety usually perceive the feedback received in the academic environment negatively, and their self-esteem is lower than among students who do not feel strong social anxiety.

Acting is inseparable from the art of improvisation; it is an all-encompassing and holistic context that requires not only acting skills, but also relevant personality traits, a virtuoso mastery of techniques of expression, psychosocial resilience, and most importantly, unique and authentic expression. It is useful for an actor to be able to choose the necessary vocal techniques and apply them in performances of various kinds, to various roles, including musical roles and improvisation. It is important to be able to integrate the most progressive vocal techniques in the work, and to understand the perspective of using methods and experimenting without losing one’s individuality, which includes all styles. The article presents the Complete Vocal Technique (CVT), which covers all styles from Classical singing to hard rock, provides the opportunity to experiment with timbres and vocal effects, and allows for the application of voice techniques in speech, based on physiology and anatomy. The study and its results are presented in order to integrate this method into theatrical activities.

In this article, we analyse the process of case management in the context of inter-institutional cooperation while providing aid to families at social risk in Lithuania. According to the theoretical framework, effective inter-institutional cooperation depends directly on the communication practice, and is oriented towards certain strategic goals, building a more effective system of social services, and improving opportunities for aid for families. In order to argue for the importance of inter-institutional cooperation as a significant aid tool for families at social risk, it is appropriate to examine the experiences and expectations of the participants in the process related to the management of interdependency between organisations and involvement in the exchange of necessary resources. With the help of analyses of the practice of inter-institutional cooperation in the case management process, we attempt to emphasise the essential factors in and obstacles to effective inter-institutional cooperation, assembling aid providers, planning, providing aid to the child and (or) family, and cooperating with government and local authority institutions, and other organisations.

Social work has its roots in life itself. The profession of social worker is a creative combination of knowledge, values and skills. In recent years, social work with families facing social risk has received more and more attention in the country, and it can be said that social work with these families has become one of the priority areas. The article discusses the difficulties experienced by case managers when working with families facing social risk. The analysis of the problems faced by the case managers will help to improve the quality of social work, and, accordingly, to develop and expand social services for families facing social risk. Four case managers participated in the study. The results of the study revealed that a common phenomenon in families facing social risk by not having a job and not looking for one is low self-esteem. Many families facing social risk live in poverty, and this determines their further life, development and improvement. The study revealed that case managers working with families facing social risk had the following difficulties: alcoholism, a lack of social skills, violence against children, neglect of children, and lack of motivation. A close, trusting relationship between case managers and families improves the quality of the services provided, and helps to address the problems faced by the family more effectively. Case managers empower the family to be proactive in dealing with difficulties. Cooperation enables families to meet their needs for security, self-esteem and social support.