The Young Educator in Tourism – a Case Study of Teenage Instructors of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association

Abstract

Purpose. The article deals with the issues of youth participation in the organization of tourist events on the example of the work of teenage instructors of The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (ZHP). The purpose of this article is to answer the questions: who are the teenage educators, what kind of experience do they have, what is their motivation to perform such a role, do they see the results of their work? The main axis of research is to verify the hypothesis concerning the phenomenon of self-education among respondents. Method. This article regarded the author’s own qualitative research based on case study analysis. The study was conducted during scouting camps of the 2016 Summer Scout Action. Four instructors participated in the study. Findings. The interviewees, despite their young age, already have considerable experience working with children, and their participation in tourist trips, organizing leisure time within the ZHP organization stimulates them to further develop and is a source of pleasure and inspiration. The process of self-education among participants in the study - young ZHP instructors, was also observed: they are able to indicate their achievements and fields to continue working on themselves, they have strong internal motivation to achieve more goals. On the basis of the obtained research results, a model of becoming a conscious educator was constructed. Research and conclusions limitations. The case study analysis is based only on a selected piece of reality. The results cannot be generalized to the whole population. Practical implications. Thanks to the results of research, it is worth recognizing and using the effects of participation of young people in organizing tourist events in tourist practice. Originality. The presented views of the participants in the survey are an important voice in the discussion on the educational role of tourism. The originality of the research results concerns a new perspective of the analysis of self-education within or through tourism. Type of paper. This article is based on case study analysis.