Postmodernism Problems

Trajectories of Child and Youth Well-Being: Editorial

Dilyana Keranova, Vladislava Lendzhova, Gabriela Neagu — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0300

The specifics of the NEETs population in Bulgaria and Romania

Gabriela Neagu , Vladislava Lendzhova, Dilyana Keranova — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0300

NEETs are a social category specific to today's society characterized by increasing inequalities between people, precariousness, and insecurity. At the level of the majority of the population but also among the authorities and specialists (economists, sociologists, psychologists, etc.) the dominant perception is negative on this category of populations often associated with the underclass, dangerous class (Avis, 2014), people getting nowhere (Bynner, Ferri & Shepherd, 1997) or people at risk (Conrad, 2005). The interest for this category of the population is even higher for Bulgaria and Romania because the share of NEETs is the highest in the EU: 23.8% in Romania and 20.7% in Bulgaria (Eurostat database). This paper aims to analyze this category of population to obtain a more realistic image of NEETs, especially in the two Eastern European countries. One of the few positive effects resulting from the accentuation of interest for this category of the population consists in increasing the number of documents (articles, reports, books, etc.) that analyze NEETs. By using alternative research methodologies (literature review) these documents can provide relevant information on NEETs and can provide several clarifications on their situation at the national and European levels.

Problems and Challenges to the Modern Bulgarian Family with Children

Todorka Kineva — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0300

The main purpose of the article is to present some of the problems and challenges modern Bulgarian families with children are facing, revealed empirically, and to make suggestions for their regulation and overcoming. To achieve the goal, answers to the following questions are being sought: what changes have occurred in modern Bulgarian families over the previous three decades, what challenges lie ahead of the families, how do they affect children, and how to be regulated and overcome?

The Role of Space in the Creation of the Social Capital of Sofia Students Before the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

Lucien Peters — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0300

The paper starts from the notion that the social capital of young persons is an essential part of their well-being and an individual's success in life and society. It presents ethnographic re-search of the role of urban and regional space as one of the factors relevant to the creation of young people’s social capital. The period of research is 2014-2020, until the beginning of the novel coronavirus pandemic in late February 2020. The principal research method is longitu-dinal ethnographic participant observation in a higher education setting in Sofia, comple-mented by semi-structured interviews and life histories of informants, gathered in informal settings, with members of the post-1980 generations. Informants were aged 19-36, of both genders, and all were known to the enquirer for periods ranging between two and seven years. Their socialization and education took place largely in post-Communist times. The ethno-graphic observation examines the geographical environment of students’ lives, as the space where life takes place is a key factor for the quality of youth people's lives and well-being. Their homes, hometowns, educational institution, leisure pursuits; their potential contacts with other cultures, and other factors which may have emerged during observation, and which may have contributed to the formation of students’ social circles and their attitudes towards civic life, have been examined.

Family Support in the Republic of North Macedonia

Irena Avirovic Bundalevska, Makedonka Radulovic, Angelka Keskinova — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Ensuring children's rights and family well-being is a priority of every European country. The Republic of North Macedonia, as a candidate country of the European Union, shares the same family values and family policies as the remaining EU member states. However, despite the past governmental efforts in the area of legal harmonization, several gaps have to be fulfilled and policies to be improved to achieve efficient institutions at the European level.
To expand existing policies regarding family support, we consider crucial the analysis of the factual situation in the country, as a basic step towards further research. Therefore, this paper aims to initially provide an analysis of the family support legal framework of the country. Secondly, we intend to map governmental and non-governmental institutions in the Republic of North Macedonia which is responsible to provide family, children, and parents' support. By doing so, we can develop additionally omitted family policies or improve existing ones. Finally, the paper will present a list of competencies of the employees of family support institutions to evaluate more peculiarly their staff's skills standards.

Media and Communication Strategies Supporting Parents and Children in COVID-19 Pandemic Environment

Mihaela Racheva — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0300

The article addresses the social and emotional problems of children and students during the isolation that transformed the lives of children, parents, and society. Emphasis is placed on the need to support parents and train them in skills that will be useful in the fight against childhood obesity in Bulgaria (based on media and communication strategies) in the context of the COVID-19.

Aspects of Communication Behavior: Medical Institutions and Public Interest

Asya Asenova-Todorova — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0300

Not a single organization is immune to crisis. Negligent handling of regulations and standards, misprotection of personal information, mistakes in care and treatment, financial resources frauds, non-compliance with operational and technical processes, or hygiene scandals are just some of the issues that can turn into a crisis. In addition to the universal risks, the emotionally charged topic of healthcare, combined with the importance of healthcare facilities as trustworthy institutions, turns hospital mistakes into events of high news value. This article provides tips and ideas for developing practical communication activities in times of crisis, including answers to the question of what a medical institution can do to be better prepared when a crisis occurs and how to reduce physical, psychological, and emotional stress on the staff and patients.