The project “Service Learning : Intersectoral Collaboration Practices for the development of the students’ soft skills and socially engaged universities” aims at spreading the implementation of Service Learning within European universities and supporting the stakeholders (students, teachers, academic and administrative staff and civil society organisations) to reinforce their collaboration in the higher education system. The innovative learning and teaching practices should support students to gain soft skills and field experience necessary for the labour market.
What is Service Learning?
Service Learning approach in higher education is a type of experiential learning method which involves students performing community service, reflecting critically on the experience and learning from it on a personal, social and intellectual level. The initiatives are aimed at enhancing learning in higher education, encouraging civic duty and enhancing community participation within students but also within universities ecosystems.
Why do we need Service Learning ?
The higher education system should enable students to engage in social and environmental issues. Universities should also promote engagement and empowerment of students and strengthen their cooperation with civil society organizations and institutions within their territory.
We have identified two needs that bridge students, universities and civil society organizations :
- Students are looking for practical and soft skills to gain professional maturity. They need communication, leadership, teamwork skills to facilitate their entry into the labour market.
- Involving students in social and civic experience through SL activities to develop their autonomy and support local project.
In order to meet these needs, we will build new partnerships and reinforce cooperation between universities and civil society organizations.
Our main goals:
- To transfer innovative SL methodologies within European universities, share data and disseminate good practices and key steps to implement SL on the long term.
- To encourage teachers and academic staff to become familiar with the theoretical and practical aspects of the SL method in order to adapt and transfer SL innovation project to European universities.
- To reinforce cooperation between universities and civil society organisations.
- To support students in their learning process with innovative methods and field experiences.
- To support students’ citizenship and involvement on social and environmental issues.
The partners (each of them will work on each activities and will lead one of them according to the following distribution) :
- Eurasia Net : management and global coordination of the project.
- University of Athens (Greece) : mapping and analyzing current SL practices in partner universities.
- Autonomous university of Madrid (Espagne) : training teachers and academic staff to SL methodology and implementation.
- Aix-Marseille University (France) : promoting SL projects at local and European level through events involving the stakeholders.
- University of Bucharest (Bulgaria) : creating a guide on the implementation of SL projects and organizing a European forum on SL.
- University Sapienza of Rome (Italy) : communication, dissemination and evaluation to promote SL teaching.
Erasmus + Agency : education and training, Bordeaux, France
Project type : Key Action 2 – cooperation partnership – higher education.
Project duration : 2 years from November 15, 2022
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