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Support Programmes
The service-learning promotion programme in Central and Eastern Europe, running from 2016 to 2022, was an initiative of CLAYSS.
Its main objective was to advocate for service-learning in educational institutions and civil society organisations in the region while seeking to produce a critical mass that would encourage and sustain it by creating a Regional Service-Learning Network.
The activities were designed together with partners in the region and intended for educators, CSO leaders, public officials working in the education sector, and students at all levels of education and youth organisations.
The Programme included online and onsite training sessions, Service-Learning Congresses in Bosnia Herzegovina, Romania, Slovakia and Kosovo, research and specific literature for the region, as well as technical assistance to promote service-learning locally.
The institutions that are members of the Network run the Regional Service-Learning Award.
“In a region like Central and Eastern Europe, suffering segregation and a long history of conflict and war, education is a powerful means for change. Providing inclusive, quality and holistic education is key not only to sustainable development but also to reversing the cycle of violent conflict, as pointed out by UNESCO (2011):
It is a huge challenge to rebuild education by making the most during times of peace and reconstructing education in post-conflict contexts. However, successful education can help legitimate governments and set societies on a path to a more peaceful future….. Build on community initiatives: In many conflict-affected countries, communities have filled the void created by the government’s failure to sustain education. Supporting community efforts can produce rapid results in education and prove that the government is starting to work.
CLAYSS seeks to understand and address different regional concerns to contribute to developing democratic societies committed to social justice. As a Latin American organisation, CLAYSS is aware of the dangers arising when well-meaning foreign consultants advise by imposing their models. Therefore, CLAYSS embraces the common ground that facilitates greater cultural rapprochement while acknowledging the differences that prevail in other regions and seeks to establish pathways of dialogue and cooperation as it co-designs, implements and evaluates along with local partners”(1)
(1)Batista, Alejandra. Story of a network weaving experience. Management report on the programme for the Promotion of Service-Learning in Central and Eastern Europe 2016-2022 / Alejandra Batista; Luz Avruj (general coordination). 1st ed. adapted – Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires: CLAYSS (2022).
