Service-learning in Higher Education for Ukraine’s Recovery

ongoing

Data confirms that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused $ 137.8 billion in damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure, with 4.8 million people officially registered as internally displaced persons in Ukraine. When such significant infrastructure and human losses occur, there is a need to reorient education to the real-world context through the application of pedagogical approaches and the implementation of study courses focused on addressing local needs on-site. The ServU project aims to enhance synergy between Ukrainian higher education institutions (HEIs) and local territorial communities to jointly contribute to the recovery of Ukraine through the implementation of Service-learning education. The project proposes an innovative approach to stimulate the acquisition and development of citizenship competencies among students, taking into consideration the needs of three types of local territorial communities, that have been affected by the war: 1) territories with a large number of internally displaced people, 2) liberated territories, and 3) territories in close proximity to the front lines, whose infrastructure has been significantly damaged. Five specific objectives have been defined: • Adapt the Service-learning (SL) methodology for wartime and recovery. • Remodel the Community Needs Assessment (CNA) for wartime and recovery, taking into account three types of local territorial communities affected by the war. • Develop active citizenship competencies through the teaching of Service-learning courses. • Activate collaboration between European Union, Ukrainian HEIs, and local territorial communities in their efforts for the recovery of Ukraine through the implementation of Service-learning courses. • Create a Ukrainian Service-learning Resource Platform for knowledge sharing, transfer of best Service-learning practices, and networking.