Conference Agenda

Service-learning (SL), particularly in its critical, transformative, and reciprocal form, has been described as one of the most effective methods of engaging university students in community-oriented scholarship, fostering the development of critical inquiry, understanding of needs assessment, and deep reflection on inequality (Coffey & Arnold 2022). In general, service-learning combines community service experiences with academic requirements and not only has an impact on academic learning; it also contributes to personal development by providing opportunities for critical reflection and analysis of one's own biased schemas (Rodríguez-Izquierdo 2021), building an activist mindset (Coffey & Arnold 2022) and cultivating a social justice stance (Shiller 2022).

In order to ensure the impact of service-learning for social justice in this way, a number of precautions need to be taken, and in particular the limitations imposed, for example, by the neoliberal constitution of universities (Clifford 2017) need to be considered. The symposium, therefore, brings together four service-learning projects from three different European countries to compare their contexts and to identify both challenges and opportunities in each case. In doing so, theoretical considerations and empirical findings from Austria, Germany and Spain will also address research desiderata, with the first two presentations from Spain, one focusing on the underrepresented voices of community partner organisations (Doran, Rhinesmith & Arena 2021) and the second linking service learning to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations 2015). The following two presentations will continue the discussion on socially and educationally relevant and topical issues that can be addressed through service-learning, such as inclusion (see the third presentation from Austria) and forced migration (see the fourth presentation from Germany as well as Fißmer, Rosen & tom Dieck 2023; Rosen in preparation).

What the four papers have in common is that service-learning is seen as an activating, student-centred method in higher education didactics that can contribute to improving the quality of higher education teaching and students' academic commitment (Rodríguez-Izquierdo 2020), as well as enabling the development of university faculty in the direction of social justice (Rodríguez-Izquierdo 2017).

Traditionally, the empirical evidence to assess programs and practices that lead to relevant and sustainable levels of partnership between higher education institutions and the community is limited although relationships are a central and defining dimension of SL experiences. Literature, instead, is abundant on evaluating other components of Service Learning (SL) (e.g., curriculum, achievement, competencies), and weakened programs of reciprocity and community engagement. Researchers know that “What is measured is important and recognized”. Improving understanding of what it means to engage and foster such partnerships can be a critical element in strengthening SL practices and institutionalizing it in higher education institutions and in the community at large. This understanding can enable administrators and faculty to evaluate several partnership-building processes, as well as facilitate the advancement and testing of theory related to the establishment, development, and sustainability of collaborative networks. Using the Butin´s framework (2005), this paper focuses on the evaluation of the impact of SL projects on the quality of the partnership perceived by the stakeholders. More specifically, the paper presents a case study based on a program implemented between the University Pablo de Olavide (UPO) and a primary school located in “Polígono Sur” (Seville, Spain) with a high percentage of gypsy population. The data collection process was mixed and consisted of face-to-face interviews guided by a questionnaire and a scale completed individually by the respondents. The study confirms that when partnership teams take time to evaluate their efforts, they demonstrate a seriousness of purpose that leads to more equitable outreach and more goal-linked engagement activities that contribute to programs which are at least mutually beneficial and transformative. Based on this work, a conceptual framework, an analytical tool, and an assessment instrument are discussed to better understand how stakeholders and university authorities could capitalize on the transformative potential of SL and the engagement between universities and collaborating entities.

Butin, D. W. (ed.) (2005). Service-learning in higher education: Critical issues and directions. Palgrave Macmillan.

SL and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) run interconnected. If we go deeper into the analysis of this relationship, three of them seem inherent to this methodology, since all the projects are affected by them, with more or less intensity, presumably, due to the very nature of the SL: quality education, since the SL is guided by the principles of inclusive, equitable and quality education; Alliances to achieve the goals, not in vain one of the basic requirements of the methodology is networking; and Reduction of inequalities, considering that one of its aims is social justice and seeking the common good. In addition, all SL projects specifically involve one or more SDGs. Our objective in this paper is to demonstrate, based on some evidence of the research project “The impact of the university in the community through Service-Learning projects. A study focused on reciprocity (SL(C))” (PID2021-122827OB-I00), the link between SL and these three SDGs in the framework of higher education. Universities know, or should know, that they cannot remain on the sidelines of rapid and profound changes and that, therefore, they must face global challenges without delay. In this scenario, its leadership through innovation, open and connected to the great social challenges, will be crucial. They must dialogue with society, to try to offer effective responses to the main problems of humanity, and the social and environmental crisis that we are experiencing. Moreover, it is urgent to define a framework for sustained reflection on their civic mission, so that they can be at the forefront of programs and projects capable of changing and improving their surrounding environment and contributing to a more inclusive society. For some time now, committed sectors of civil society have been calling for a more involved university in and with the community. What is required is to train a more critical and responsible citizenry, in addition to working to lessen, at least, existing injustices and inequalities, while continuing to strive in favor of the common good. In short, the university cannot reduce its great task to the training of technically competent professionals. They have to perform as prepared people in their respective fields of activity, but without the capacity for critical analysis, nor the skills to make appropriate decisions to their environment, and without the degree of sensitivity and social awareness that current circumstances demand, they may not become more than managers of a failed society.

United Nations (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/9814.

The need for social commitment and social responsibility among the European youth is stated explicitly by policy documents, research, and strategic plans (EUROSTAT, 2019). To support the improvement of these skills, service-learning is addressed as one of the methods. The integration of service-learning into to school curriculum as a methodology can help engage students in activities where they learn about community needs and develop civic responsibilities (Furco, 2009; Seifert, Zentner & Nagy, 2012). The development of such competencies would promote interpersonal skills and raise awareness about underserved groups and how to respond to the diverse needs of society. The service component of service learning can help develop connections with the world outside the school. Students can experience a sense of agency through helping, supporting or advocating for a community-based cause. Service-learning has favorable outcomes in terms of overcoming the gap between practice and the wish for inclusiveness. The integration of service-learning projects into the school curriculum engages students in service to the marginalized groups of the community such as the disabled, elderly or refugees but at the same time, it can develop a feeling of inclusiveness. Students encounter the diversity of the population in real-life situations. Turning schools into inclusive communities requires creating possibilities where students can develop feelings of belonging and contentment with achievement (Lavery, Chambers & Cain, 2018). However, the integration of service-learning as a methodology into the school curriculum and achieving the development of civic competencies through it requires teachers on board. Planning, implementing or assessing service-learning projects within the school cannot be achieved without teachers who believe in the necessity of it. Developing skills and competencies that guarantee the required professional and personal development is an important task for universities, especially for teacher education departments. In this study, a study with teacher candidates who study inclusive education as a subject will be presented. By using the journey maps method, teacher candidates reflect on their experiences with service-learning projects that they planned and implemented within their practice teaching. They evaluate the inclusiveness that can be achieved through service-learning projects, which also demonstrate their readiness to integrate service-learning into their teaching and how to make use of it to promote inclusiveness.

EUROSTAT (2019). Young people and social inclusion. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Young_people_-_social_inclusion Furco, A. (2009). Die Rolle von Service Learning im Aufbau einer gesellschaftlich engagierten Universität. In K. Altenschmidt, J. Miller, & W. Stark (Eds.), Raus aus dem Elfenbeinturm? Entwicklungen in Service Learning und bürgerschaftlichem Engagement an deutschen Hochschulen (pp. 47–59). Weinheim & Basel: Beltz Verlag. Lavery, S., Chambers, D. & Cain, G. (2018). Service-learning: enhancing inclusive education. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited. Seifert, A., Zentner, S. & Nagy, F. (2012). Praxisbuch Service-Learning – Lernen durch Engagement an Schulen. Weinheim & Basel: Beltz Verlag.

In Germany, empirical research has revealed an increase in civil society engagement in 2015. This is also the case in other European countries (Rea, Martiniello, Mazzola, & Meuleman, 2019). In particular, new organisational forms of engagement have been developed, such as "Ankommenspatenschaften” [arrival sponsorships] (Schüler 2020), which are strictly limited in time and considered low threshold in order to mobilise new, previously unreached volunteers. However, it is not only the low sustainability of these short-term engagements that migration researchers are questioning, but also the risk of perpetuating or even reinforcing hierarchical relationships (Bygballe Jensen & Kirchner 2020; Maestri & Monforte 2020). The problem of power imbalances is also evident in 'traditional' community service learning (Mitchell 2008): Without drawing attention “to root causes of social problems” service-learning can involve students in the community in ways that “perpetuate inequality” and reinforce “an ‘us-them’ dichotomy” (ibid., p. 51). In particular, service-learning in the context of forced migration risks perpetuating white privilege and institutionalised racism (Endres & Gould 2009, p. 419). Participating students then tend, for example, to individualise and trivialise structural problems (Gomez 2016, p. 21). Considering this justified criticism of service-learning, we have developed a seminar for university students of Intercultural Education that is based on the concept of critical service-learning (Mitchell 2008). In our paper, we present this seminar, which has been running since 2018 at two different universities in Germany (Cologne and Kaiserlautern-Landau) and with different cooperation partners from the refugee support sector (Fißmer, Rosen & tom Dieck 2023). Furthermore, we focus on the experiences of the participating students and conduct a grounded theory analysis (Charmaz 2014) of their written portfolios for this purpose (for an analysis of peer interviews with these students, see Fißmer, Rosen & tom Dieck 2023). The explorative findings show, that on the one hand, the students feel partially disempowered in the face of the asylum regime. On the other hand, moments of self-efficacy can also be found, especially among the participating students who themselves have a family history of (forced) migration. We discuss these findings in relation to the adaptation of the seminar concept and the differences between process and solidarity vs. products and reciprocity, in order to deepen an understanding of service-learning that is more explicitly oriented towards social justice (Clifford 2017).

Bygballe Jensen, L.S., & Kirchner, L.M. (2020). Acts of Volunteering for Refugees. Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 10(4), 26–40. Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing Grounded Theory. Sage. Clifford, J. (2017). Talking About Service-Learning. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 21(4), 1-13. Endres, D., & Gould, M. (2009). I am also in the position to use my whiteness to help them out. The communication of whiteness in service learning. Western Journal of Communication, 73(4), 418-436. Fißmer, J., Rosen, L., & tom Dieck, F. (2023). Freiwilligenarbeit in der Flucht*Migrationsgesellschaft. In T. Sturm et al. (ed). Erziehungswissenschaftliche Grundbegriffe im Spiegel der Inklusionsforschung. Barbara Budrich, 119-138. Gomez, M. L. (2016). The Promise and Limits of Service Learning. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 6(1), 19-32. Maestri, G., & Monforte, P. (2020). Who Deserves Compassion? The Moral and Emotional Dilemmas of Volunteering in the ‘Refugee Crisis’. Sociology, 54(5), 920–935. Mitchell, T. (2008). Traditional vs. critical service-learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 14(2), 50–65. Rea, A. et al. (2019). The Refugee Reception Crisis in Europe. Éditions de l’Université de Bruxelles. Schüler, B. (2020). Ankommenspatenschaften. In F. Gesemann et al. (Hrsg.). Engagement für Integration und Teilhabe in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft. Springer, 287–305.