The Importance of Local Action Groups in Developing and Utilizing the Social Capital of Seniors to Build Local Resilience. Selected Case Studies in Poland

The ageing of the population is one of the most dynamic demographic processes of the 21st century, particularly in Central and Eastern European countries such as Poland. In small towns and rural areas, where ageing rates exceed the national average, this phenomenon not only generates fiscal and infrastructural challenges, but also creates opportunities to utilize the social capital of seniors in the process of territorial development. The aim of the presentation will be to answer the question of whether Local Action Groups, as institutions implementing local development strategies in rural areas and small towns, use the social capital of older people in their activities and whether they undertake initiatives to strengthen and develop it. Social capital, include social ties, norms of cooperation and trust, which support cross-sectoral cooperation, has a positive impact on coping with challenges and crises and shaping the resilience of territorial units (Norris, F. H. et al. 2008; Aldrich, Meyer, 2015; Sienkiewicz-Małyjurek, 2022) In ageing rural and small-town communities, where youth migration weakens social ties, seniors have unique potential: life experience, local knowledge, social neighborhood ties and free time, which can be utilized in the developmental processes. The subject of the research are local action groups as territorial and multisectoral partnerships in rural areas and small towns, which have the organizational, financial, social, and institutional potential necessary to utilize, but also develop, the social capital of older people. The research will focus on 6 selected Local Action Groups in Poland, located in regions with the highest % of post-working age population: Świętokrzyskie (25,8%;), Łódzkie (25,6%) oraz Śląskie (24,6%). The presented research results concern knowledge about the use of seniors' social capital and its valorization in improving the effectiveness of territorial development management.