Solidarity as a polysemous (ambiguous) concept is a multicultural or supra-cultural value rooted in ethics all over the world. It refers primarily to human community life and the universal tendency to support each other in dangerous situations, a tendency that is written in our genes. This concept is currently experiencing a renaissance, appearing in new areas of human life, e.g. in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic, climate disasters, the war in Ukraine; in scientific research; in new technologies (artificial intelligence); or in microbiology – where it is solidarity discovered in the natural world (e.g. the world of fungi), and thus also an introduction to the synonyms of solidarity and the concept of symbiosis. The concept of solidarity includes the obligation to care for those in need and the responsibility to continue living in the „global village“ as an expression of solidarity with future generations.

The main objective of the present study is to learn about the understanding of civil society among the students of Kraków’s econdary schools. A school is an institution that, apart from teaching and creating space for students’ learning, performs other social functions, including socialisation and development of subjectivity. School is the first community in one’s social life that can be a space for the development of social, democratic and civic competences. The starting point is learning about students’ mental models regarding the construct of civil society. Qualitative research was conducted among 308 secondary school students from the city and Commune of Kraków. The young generation understands civil society as con-sisting of active citizens who create an engaged, independent, goal-oriented community. However, our research shows that this concept is understood differently and that this understanding needs to be debated and constructively discussed among young citizens. The authors also set a practical goal of developing recommendations for schools on how to support students’ civic articipation.

In the Italian Republic, the management of the educational system has been divided between the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Science, and its delegations in twenty Italian regions, as well as – in partial addition to that – the authorities of the regions comprising 94 provinces and municipalities (with highly diverse demographic and economic potential). The Article 34 of the 1947 Constitution of the Italian Republic obliges the state as well as regional and local authorities (in provinces and municipalities) to ensure equal access to education. Italian law establishes compulsory schooling of at least eight years of instruction. In doing so, it guarantees free primary and secondary education. At the same time, it mandates the removal of discriminatory practices. Able-bodied youth are guaranteed by law financial and material support in accessing educational institutions up to and including the university level. This guarantee is implemented through a system of scholarships and allowances, in which regions and local communities (and authorities) can also participate.

As of 2019, the civic education program conducted for at least 33 hours per school year has been mandated by law as an element of compulsory teaching in Italian schools after years of previously variable practice. The program of this separate subject includes four main thematic segments: a) knowledge of the rights and duties of a human being and citizen, b) knowledge of the institutions of public power at the state, regional, and local levels, c) knowledge of the environment and instruments for its protection, d) knowledge of the institutions of the European Union and the entitlements of single European citizenship. The civic education should be taught not only in all public schools but also in both types of the non-public (with some autonomy as to the methods of teaching and the sequence of its content) schools in Italy as an independent subject that is to be assessed in the context of its educational effects.

The worsening mental health of children and adolescents is a growing issue, both globally and – with some delay – in Poland. This is primarily due to the ever-increasing challenges in this area. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these problems, as psychological and psychiatric care receded into the background during a situation of the pandemic threat caused by the Sars-CoV-2 virus. At the same time, the level of fear, anxiety and stress associated with the real threat to health and life, as well as the forced social isolation increased, which only compounded with the pre-existing problems. Children and adolescents have been deprived of real contact with their peers, which is particularly problematic from the perspective of their proper psycho-social development and overall well-being. Moreover, in the initial stages of the pandemic, some were confined to their dysfunctional homes, cut off from the external environment (school, teachers, psychologists, friends), and therefore without support in this highly difficult situation. Now – thanks to widespread immunization – the pandemic situation is slowly stabilizing, so schools are returning to on-site education, but the emphasis is primarily on catching up with the material, and not necessarily on rebuilding the social ties. So are school principals in Poland aware of their students’ mental health issues? Are they aware of the new mental health challenges faced by children and adolescents? Do they have a plan to support the mental health of students in their charge? In the context of the aforementioned issues, the purpose of this article is to increase the awareness of the problem and to develop possible support plans for the mental health of students in the face of the existing health and social crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that could be implemented by the school administrators in Poland. To research this notion, an online survey was conducted among school headmasters in Poland. The survey results and its conclusions may prove interesting – in particular – for the headmasters of educational institutions, school psychologists as well as educators, teachers, parents and anyone interested in education management and mental health of children and adolescents.

The article refers to marketing tools used in the practice of medical care providers as the common tools in medical services market. It presents the characteristics of management aspects – which may not only constitute opportunities for these facilities but also pose a threat to patients treated as consumers of services – as it also showcases legal provisions that guarantee the protection of the patient’s status on this market. The issue is presented from a practical perspective – based on observations of the medical services market, as well as on the authors’ own conclusions resulting from the analysis of scientific works in the field of management (subject literature) and generally applicable (selected) legal provisions. The argument presented in the present article identifies the desired attitudes in respect to the people providing health services (medical professionals) and entities performing medical activities (medical care providers).