Economy, finances, management: Topical issues of science and practical activity

YATSENKO Oksana Vasilivna  –  PhD  (History), Head of the Education Department, Vinnytsia 

City Council (21100, Vinnytsia, 59 Soborna St., e-mail: vmuo@vmr.gov.ua).

CHORNYI Oleh Vitaliyovich  –  PhD (Philosophy), Doctorate of the  Marketing and Agrarian 

Business  Department, Vinnytsia National Agrarian University (21018, Vinnytsia, 3 Pirogov St., e-mail: 

phd.chornyi@gmail.com). 

The article deals with the problems related to the development of non-formal education and its connection with the acquisition of economic knowledge and skills. Some aspects related to the development of non-formal education in Europe and Ukraine are analyzed. Considerable attention is paid to the game method of the Aflateen program. Lessons and tasks in the form of didactic games contributes to better comprehension of a large number of diverse knowledge, that is acquired during lessons. It is explored that Aflateen's non-formal education program has strong interdisciplinary character that borders with transdisciplinary. The Aflateen program's holistic approach relates to the acquisition and improvement of the skills needed in modern society. Within the program, particular attention is paid to economic problems, that affect lives of young people. Economic knowledge is an integral part of the Aflateen program and it helps to understand complex contemporary economic and social problems.

Modern dynamic life creates new conditions of existence for the whole society and individual person. The problem of teenagers' education has special place among the problems related to the development of  the society. Acquisition of useful knowledge and practical skills, by Ukrainian young people, is a prerequisite for success in adult life. That is why the acquisition of financial and social education should be seen as important problem in modern conditions.

In many European countries, non-formal education has become a necessary and indispensable part, that complements formal education (school and university). At the moment, Ukraine needs to develop a network of non-formal education and recognize it at all levels. Scientists and governors must take into account different levels related to the development of non-formal education. Non-formal education connected with acquisition of financial and social skills needs special attention. With this purpose, we chose the Aflateen non-formal education program, headquartered in the Netherlands, as a subject of our exploration.

Particular attention should be paid to the involvement of various stakeholders and their ability to improve and promote non-formal education. For example, within the Aflateen program, interaction with local communities, entrepreneurs, and social groups is encouraged. Thus, Aflateen non-formal education, helps to facilitate young people orientation in the complex socio-economic environment. Within the program, students learn to interact with their families, friends, classmates, organizations, entrepreneurs, etc. This is one of the main futures of non-formal education.

Consequently, the need for non-formal education is indisputable. Interdisciplinary content is an important thing, but we need to take into consideration teaching method as well. To do this, we take the example of the Aflateen program. Within this program, most of the lessons are divided into several exercises that are conducted in the form of a game. It should be noted that the game form is considered as one of the most effective forms of education for children and young people. If we consider some features that relate to the use of the game as an educational method, we find out that it helps students to be aware, independent and proactive.

If we look at the structure of the Aflateen curriculum, we can see that it is quite diverse. The very large number of scientific knowledge areas is used to create the program. In general, Aflateen uses knowledge from several dozens of different academic disciplines.

The knowledge from various social disciplines, that received by students during primary lessons, serves as the basis for understanding of economic reality. Within the program, understanding of religious, cultural, social and legal peculiarities of the country's life is directly linked to the possibility of student’s personal finances and private business organization.

Problems of non-formal education are very important for the Ukrainian educational system. Non-formal education provides many benefits, both for the education of children and adolescents. Non-formal education is practical and teaches adolescents to be independent and proactive. Informal education Aflateen allows, in the form of a game, to acquire knowledge about many spheres of social life. The combination of terms and concepts from numerous academic disciplines helps to form the practical skills necessary for a real life. One of the most effective manifestations of such combination is the ussage of economic and sociological knowledge for the development of financial competence. The issues discussed in this article are quite promising. Problems of non-formal education improvement must be discussed on various levels with the support of all the main stakeholders.

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