The main goal of this project was to unlock the potential of Service-Learning (S-L) for the systematic acquisition of democratic competences. In more detail, the partners formulated the following strategic goals: - to support the integration of S-L in formal school education in participating countries by enabling schools and teachers to utilize the potential of S-L for the acquisition of democracy competences, - to strengthen students’ democratic competences through S-L and facilitate their active participation and sense of civic engagement, thus leading to a more sustained participation in democratic life - to strengthen education on Europe by facilitating cross-border S-L projects, providing teachers European experiences and creating a European community of practice among teachers in Europe - to facilitate the acquisition of key competences of teachers and students, such as 21st Century Skills, teamwork, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving skills and reflection, as all of them are key elements of S-L - to increase the quality of teaching by learning about innovative approaches such as S-L
Recent years have shown the vulnerability of European democratic societies. Thus, the relevance of civic education and the acquisition of democratic competences in schools has increased. The rising importance of democracy education is also portrayed by the development of theoretical frameworks for democratic competences, most notably the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC 2018) by the Council of Europe (CoE). However, many teachers struggle to transfer such theoretical concepts into their lessons. There is a missing link between theory and educational practice. According to the CoE, Service-Learning (S-L) is one suitable teaching method to allow students a holistic acquisition of democracy competences. It is a teaching and learning method that combines formal education with civic engagement. The effectiveness of this method has been scientifically proven and politically acknowledged (CoE, 2018; Reinders, 2016; Yorio & Ye, 2012). While S-L is becoming increasingly known in Europe and more and more schools are implementing it, the potential and the use of S-L for a structured acquisition of democratic competences has been under-developed in secondary school education across Europe.