Building bridges: community-based projects for participation and social inclusion of rural NEETs

This chapter focuses on factors that facilitate community-based projects for providing effective and sustainable responses to the challenges faced by young people Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEETs) in rural areas and more specifically to promote their quality of life and social inclusion. In line with Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model (1977, 1979) and considering community-based projects as part of the exosystem, we aim to identify the barriers and constraints faced by projects targeting young NEETs in rural areas. As part of the collaborative research developed by the members of the “WG1-Rural NEETs Social Networks and Social Inclusion” of the Rural NEET Youth Network, we identified five promising community-based projects in Portugal, Italy, Sweden, North Macedonia, and Lithuania and conducted semi-structured interviews with the project coordinators. Our analysis showed that the identified projects take into account the different levels of the bioecological model and the need to involve how young people and local communities. Both these factors are crucial for their success and sustainability over time. Keywords: Rural NEETs; Youth inclusion; Quality of life; Participation; Community-based projects

Instrumental music tradition of Lithuania Minor

Mažosios Lietuvos instrumentinio muzikavimo tradicija 2022 m. buvo pripažinta nematerialaus kultūros paveldo vertybe ir įtraukta į Nacionalinį sąvadą. Šios tradicijos pagrindą sudaro vertingi XVI-XX a. Prūsijos lietuvių, lietuvininkų, muzikos instrumentų ir muzikavimo aprašymai, ikonografinė medžiaga, keliasdešimt instrumentinės muzikos garso įrašų bei dainų ir šokių melodijos. Instrumentinė Prūsijos lietuvių muzikavimo tradicija nebuvo nuosekliai perduodama iš kartos į kartą ir galėjo nutrūkti, jei XX a. 7-ajame dešimtmetyje nebūtų kilęs folkloro gaivinimo judėjimas, o vėliau, atkūrus Lietuvos valstybingumą, akcentuota etnografinių regionų svarba. Entuziastingų Klaipėdos krašto žmonių dėka ši tradicija buvo rekonstruota ir dabar įvairiomis formomis yra tęsiama.In 2022, the instrumental music tradition of Lithuania Minor was recognised as an intangible cultural heritage value and included in the National Inventory. The foundation of this tradition is valuable descriptions of Prussian Lithuanian musical instruments and music-making from the 16th to the 20th centuries, iconographic material, several dozen recordings of instrumental music, as well as the melodies of songs and dances. During World War II, the majority of the inhabitants of this region emigrated, so the instrumental music tradition of Prussian Lithuanians was not consistently passed down from generation to generation and could have been interrupted if the folklore revival movement had not emerged in the 1960s. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the people of the Klaipėda region, this tradition was reconstructed and is now continued in various forms. The article presents information from written sources about Prussian Lithuanian musical instruments from the 16th century and efforts to reconstruct this musical tradition. In the 20th century, it was developed by newcomers who came to live in this region; the hubs for supporting tradition are concentrated in the northern part of the ethnographic region of Lithuania Minor - in the Klaipėda region

The Role of communication and creativity in the implementation of sustainability and sustainable innovations

Sustainable development becomes a strategic goal of modern business organizations and an aspiration to ensure long-term economic growth through the creation of innovative products and services, saving resources and their sustainable use, nurturing the environment, and contributing to the creation of public welfare. It should be noted that communication and creativity constitutes a significant part of the innovation generation and implementation process. Promotion of idea generation, the interpretation of the need for innovation, the provision of opportunities for expressing new ideas, the development of relationships both within the team itself and with stakeholders are important in each phase of communication. The article presents the research, the purpose of which is to determine how creative communication solutions condition the involvement of the organization’s stakeholders, developing sustainability and creating sustainable innovations in Lithuanian business organizations. The applied research method is qualitative content analysis of the web pages of the largest Lithuanian business organizations, seeking to collect data on the essential organization of sustainable innovation development activities, challenges and features of stakeholder involvement. The data required for the research was collected by reviewing the publicly available information of 100 websites of Lithuanian business organizations in order to determine the essential communicated sustainability topics. Documents related to sustainable activities of organizations were also investigated (sustainability performance reports, corporate social responsibility reports, etc.). The results of the study show that Lithuanian business organizations consider the development of a sustainable activity strategy an important priority in the near term. However, although they understand the need for sustainable activities, developing sustainable innovations by involving stakeholders in these activities is difficult due to the lack of such practices and various organizational factors. Keywords: business, communication, creativity and innovation, stakeholder involvement, sustainability, sustainable innovation

Declining interest in afforestation under the common agricultural policy: evidence from Poland and Lithuania

Land afforestation is an important aspect of forested land development. Increasing the area of forest areas through the reforestation of uncultivated, abandoned or agriculturally unsuitable land is considered an important way to diversify economic activities in order to reduce dependence on agricultural activities and improve environmental conditions in rural areas. The main objective of the study is to identify the factors affecting the afforestation of agricultural land carried out in the years 2004–2020 by farmers under the individual financial perspectives of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) in Poland and Lithuania. The study included a review of Polish and Lithuanian regulations aimed at providing financial support for afforestation under the RDP. Moreover, a comparative analysis of the rules and criteria for financial support for afforestation in relation to selected socio-economic indicators of the two countries was carried out. Based on the study results, it can be clearly stated that in both Poland and Lithuania, the support for afforestation under the RDP fails to meet the beneficiaries’ expectations. It would, therefore, be advisable to adapt the Programme to the changing economic conditions and keep the afforested land under the RDP under technical supervision. Support for afforestation should be continued to ensure the improvement in land use and the enhancement of the prospects for long-term economic activity in rural areas as well as to implement the assumptions of the green economy. Keywords: agricultural land, afforestation, common agricultural policy, forest policy, green economy, rural development programme

Another study of the glosses to the Missal (1501)

[...] Net ir būdami kiek vėlesni, Mišiolo lietuviški įrašai gana reikšmingi mūsų senosios raštijos tyrimams. Jie papildo negausų XVI–XVII a. pradžios Vilniaus rašomosios kalbos tekstų inventorių ir liudija savitas rašybos tendencijas. Mišiolą paviešinus Lietuvos skaitmeninto kultūros paveldo portale atsirado proga ir galimybė atidžiau panagrinėti pačius Mišiolo įrašus. Šiuo straipsniu siekiama patikslinti glosas (jų perskaitymą) ir skaičių; aptarti naujai pastebėtus įrašus, taip pat pateikti naujų duomenų glosų datavimui. [...]The article narrows down the specification of the Lithuanian entries published by Sigitas Narbutas and Zigmas Zinkevičius in 1989 that had been found in the Latin Missale ad usum romane ecclesie (1501) and introduces a number of newly discovered glosses that make an addition to the compilation. The study found the Missal to contain a total of 95 glosses (158 words and 176 forms) that are used to translate certain parts in the Bible. Five cases that Narbutas and Zinkevičius considered dubious have been revised and updated with ne knowledge: three of them are Lithuanian words or phrases – kunʃcʒiais, niemielaʃsirdingai; o beda; Kaip waikvi numirvʃiá iß ʒivato matijnaσ gimvʃiam; two instances constitute text written in foreign languages – Lat. uiuere; Pol. dʒiedʒijnij. Two entries now come with an indication of conjecture: the participial ending dijncivs; the prepositional compound or loanword precʒa. The five glosses that have been newly observed are these: ape piktadeias ~ apie piktadėjas, pakolai, ivadijmo ~ įvedimo (įvadymo, įvadijimo), ʒemie₉₉ ~ žemėjejus (žemėjijus), ßakiełaes ~ šakelės. The entry ivadijmo represents a special term referring to a holiday of Virgin Mary. The grapheme in the entry ßakiełaes, just like the that occurs in some of the other glosses, is not typical of the eastern variant of the written language; these charac ters – as probably does the definite locative adjective ʒemie₉₉ (and some forms of the glosses that do not carry the typical eastern characteristics) – testify that at least one of the authors of the entries had been closely connected with the Kėdainiai region and its written texts, and perhaps the tradition of Lithuania Minor. The links that the glosses have with the tradition of Polish biblical texts made it possible to narrow down their dating. Most of the glosses ante quem date back to around 1580s, predating Jakub Wujek's texts

Chronological considerations for the use of the Late Roman-Migration period cemetery at Plinkaigalis, Lithuania

This study presents new (n=32) and previously published (n=35) human bone 14C AMS dates from 54 individuals interred in 50 burials in the Plinkaigalis cemetery (3rd–7th century AD, Lithuania). The aim of this study is to establish duration of use and identify temporal subgroups within the cemetery. Individuals in group burials were assessed for temporal agreement across individuals and the dates for individuals with multiple dates were combined using OxCal. The Sum command, Interval command, and two Bayesian models (overlapping and abutting periods of use) were used to approximate the use of the site over time and evaluate the chronology of dated burials. An IDW (inverse distance weighted) model was employed to visualize median radiocarbon dates across the cemetery for comparison to earlier IDW interpolations of time at Plinkaigalis. While the two models cannot be distinguished at this time, it can be determined that the site was likely in continuous use from 200–600 cal AD (Sum), 230–560 cal AD (Model 1), 220–550 cal AD (Model 2), or cal 283–508 AD (IDW). The area of the cemetery associated with earliest use shifted east when the IDW model was compared to original data. There was also poor agreement in some group burials and burials with multiple dates. The models generally agree on assignment of burials to phases, but disparate phase assignment was noted across the IDW and Bayesian models. Temporal subgroups cannot be confidently reclassified beyond early/later periods of use based on these models without additional sampling and refinement of the IDW modeling method. Keywords: Late Roman period; Lithuania; Migration period; Plinkaigalis Cemetery; Radiocarbon dating

Areas of crime in cities: case study of Lithuania

In all countries, cities and their suburbs are the most densely populated areas. They are also the places visited by the largest number of tourists and one-day visitors, who inevitably run the risk of becoming victims of crime. It is, therefore, important, not only at national but also at the international level, to know the structure of urban crime and identify urban areas that differ in terms of their criminogenic situation. This requires a geographical approach and regionalisation based on the quantitative data that can offer it. This paper presents the results of a study using big data regarding violent crime, property crime and infringements against public order registered by the police in 2020 in the territories of three major Lithuanian cities and their suburbs (n = 149,239). Events in open spaces were separately addressed. A series of experiments were carried out using several spatial clustering methods. The automatic zoning procedure method that gave the best statistical results was then tested with different combinations of parameters. In each city, seven types of areas of urban crime were identified. Maps of crime areas (regions) were created for each city. The results of the regionalisation have been interpreted from a socio-geographical point of view and conform with previous sociological urban studies. Seven types of areas of crime have been identified, which are present in all the cities studied and, according to a preliminary assessment, roughly correspond to the socio-demographic and urban zones of each city. The maps of crime areas can be applied for crime prevention planning and communication, real estate valuation, strategic urban development planning and other purposes. Keywords: crime; regionalisation; mapping; cities; urban crime; areas; regions

State strategy of international art exhibitions in interwar Lithuania 1918-1940

The Republic of Lithuania was one of several young nation-states that re-established or proclaimed their statehood in the aftermath of the First World War, following the dissolution of empires in Europe. The quest for cultural identity and attempts at its representation within the country, in the region, and on the international stage was the crucial element in the nation-building process, where cultural diplomacy played a pivotal role. For Lithuania, as for most European countries of that era, exhibitions, especially art exhibitions or art sections in the case of world shows (for instance, the Expo 1937 in Paris or the New York World’s Fair in 1939), served as a prominent means of expressing its identity. An overview of the Lithuanian state art exhibition strategy, the dynamics of its organizational process, the exhibition content, and their geographical reach are discussed in the article. To comprehensively grasp Lithuania’s cultural strategy and to reconstruct the network of its artistic connections, foreign art exhibitions organized at the state level and the acquisition of artifacts from these exhibitions for Lithuania’s national art collection, the M. K. Čiurlionis Art Gallery, are briefly reviewed as well. Keywords: international art exhibition; cultural diplomacy; Lithuania; nationalism; identity; representation; modernism

Between a spiritual pilgrimage and criminal tourism: a cultural analysis of neo-shamanism

Straipsnyje tyrinėjamas neošamaniškasis turizmas, jo paplitimas ir kompleksiškumas kultūrų studijų kontekste, atsižvelgiant į skirtingas mobilumo formas – ne tik į fizinį žmonių, bet ir į idėjų, vaizdinių bei daiktų judėjimą. Analizuojami neošamanizmo vaizdiniai kultūrinėje vaizduotėje, lėmę šio turistinio reiškinio plitimą, turistų charakteristika ir motyvai, pagrindiniai ištekliai bei šios turizmo industrijos problemiškumas. Remiantis mokslinės literatūros analize, internetinių šaltinių apžvalga ir atlikto etnografinio tyrimo duomenimis straipsnyje pabrėžiama, kad neošamaniškasis turizmas yra sudėtingas reiškinys, apimantis tradicinių etninių religinių praktikų apropriaciją ir įtraukimą į šiuolaikinės Vakarų kultūros asmenybės tobulinimosi tradiciją. Aptariami neošamanizmo ryšiai su Naujojo amžiaus religiniais judėjimais, gamtiniu dvasingumu ir aplinkosaugos idėjomis bei šio reiškinio vaidmeniu vartotojų visuomenėje. Išryškinami su neošamaniškojo turizmo industrija susiję iššūkiai, tokie kaip turistų srautų poveikis vietos bendruomenėms, etiniai ir teisiniai klausimai, susiję su enteogenų vartojimu. Straipsnis atskleidžia neošamanizmo kompleksiškumą, teorines reiškinio konceptualizavimo strategijas. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: neošamaniškasis turizmas, kultūrinė vaizduotė, enteogenai.This study delves into neo-shamanic tourism from a cultural studies perspective, employing mobility theory to reveal the phenomenon’s complexity. It examines flows of movement, not just of people but also of ideas and materialities, to uncover the intricate dynamics within neo-shamanic tourism. The research aims to understand the imaginaries associated with shamanism circulating in the socio-cultural imagination, and their connection with the development of neo-shamanic tourism. The goal is to identify the characteristics of this tourism sector, and the needs it addresses in contemporary individuals. The methodology encompasses the comparative analysis of scientific literature, and an analysis of internet sources documenting the neo-shamanic tourism industry. Additionally, it relies on ethnographic data from the Lithuanian community living in an exotic locale, exploring their relationship with nature and spiritual practices. Shamanism is conceptualised from an anthropological standpoint as a socio-religious phenomenon that is common across many non-Western societies, facilitating community healing through interactions with spirits. Neo-shamanism in the Western cultural context involves the appropriation, recreation and eclectic syncretism of the customs and rituals of indigenous cultures, integrated with scientific and psychological perspectives. Mobility studies show that traditional distinctions between tourism and migration, and work and leisure, are blurred, and this study further extends this blurring to encompass neo-shamanic practices and tourism, underscoring the influence of a consumer society where everything is transformed into commodities and services. The research identifies the cultural imaginaries related to the spread of neo-shamanism, and analyses the cultural specifics of the development of neo-shamanic tourism globally and in Lithuania. It seeks to determine the motives and socio-cultural characteristics of individuals pursuing neo-shamanic practices, and examines the main resources of this tourism industry worldwide and in Lithuania, including the role of the use and practices of psychoactive substances. Key insights relate to the notion that neo-shamanism may appeal to those in search of spirituality who are no longer satisfied by traditional Church offerings. Furthermore, the article introduces a scientific discussion suggesting that neo-shamanism could positively influence an increase in environmental awareness. In conclusion, the emergence of neo-shamanic tourism in the West, catalysed by figures such as Mircea Eliade, Michael Harner and Carlos Castaneda, reflects the propagation of an attractive universal shamanic image. Supported by the New Age movement, psychological research on psychedelics and global cultural dynamics, neo-shamanic tourism, interwoven with alternative spiritual practices and the search for psychological wellness, mirrors the dynamics of contemporary socio-cultural processes. The study underscores the ethical and cultural challenges of neo-shamanic tourism, including issues of cultural appropriation, impacts on local communities, and the safety and legal regulation of psychoactive substances, thus highlighting the challenge of delineating this sector of tourism from recreational drug tourism. Keywords: neo-shamanic tourism, cultural imagination, entheogens

Conspiracy theories from a philosophical, sociological and communicative point of view

Straipsnyje apžvelgiama mokslinė konferencija „Sąmokslo teorijos filosofiniu, sociologiniu ir komunikaciniu požiūriu“, įvykusi Lietuvos mokslų akademijoje. Konferencijoje iš įvairių socialinių ir humanitarinių mokslų perspektyvos buvo nagrinėtos šios temos: sąmokslo teorijų atsiradimo sąlygos ir priežastys, sąmokslo teorijų meniniai-estetiniai aspektai, Atėnų ostrakizmas kaip sąmokslas prieš individą, kvantinės fizikos ir sąmokslo teorijų paralelės, sąmokslo teorijos ir ezoterinis gyvenimo stilius, sąmokslo teorija kaip socialinės ir politinės cenzūros įrankis, sąmokslo teorijos kaip atsakas į primetamą propagandą, sąmokslo teorijos švietimo sistemoje, socialinės politinių sąmokslo teorijų ištakos, tikėjimo sąmokslo teorijomis ir pasitikėjimo mokslu psichologiniai veiksniai, sąmokslo teorijos kaip kalbiniai žaidimai, simbolinis religinis pasaulis kaip sąmokslo teorijos šaltinis ir kt. Straipsnis atspindi konferencijos eigą, jame aptariamos pagrindinės konferencijos dalyvių mintys – su kai kuriomis iš jų polemizuojama. Raktažodžiai: sąmokslo teorijos, etika, medijos, technologija, komunikacija, filosofija, visuomenėThe article reviews the scientific conference ‘Conspiracy Theories from a Philosophical, Sociological and Communicative Point of View’ held at the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. At the conference, the following topics were examined from the perspective of various social sciences and humanities: conditions and reasons for the emergence of conspiracy theories, artistic-aesthetic aspects of conspiracy theories, Athenian ostracism as a conspiracy against an individual, parallels between quantum physics and conspiracy theories, conspiracy theories and the esoteric lifestyle, conspiracy theory as a tool of social and political censorship, conspiracy theories as a response to imposed propaganda, conspiracy theories in the educational system, socio-political origins of conspiracy theories, psychological factors of belief in conspiracy theories and trust in science, conspiracy theories as language games, the symbolic religious world as a source of conspiracy theory, etc. The article reflects the course of the conference, discussing the main thoughts of the conference participants – with some of these thoughts being debated. Keywords: conspiracy theories, ethics, media, technology, communication, philosophy, society