Shaping social competences and social capital in children and adolescents by means of non-formal education methods and techniques

This paper is aimed at presenting an innovative method of effective education for children and adolescents in the field of social competences through animation games and activities, as well as presenting the gist of non-formal education in this process. The research showed that activities which employ the abovementioned methods and techniques (i.e. energizers, ice-breakers, team-building tasks, communication and projects games) offer a significant educational potential, which may be used to develop social competences, and – consequently – social capital. Amongst the most frequently reported benefits of shaping social competences by means of non-formal education were: cooperation skills, self-confidence, decision-making skills, overcoming shyness, ability to help others, taking care of the weak, and coping with challenging situations.