Projekte
Unser Netzwerk engagiert sich für die Verankerung und Weiterentwicklung von Service Learning an Hochschulen – in der Schweiz und darüber hinaus. Gemeinsam mit Partnerorganisationen aus Hochschulen und Zivilgesellschaft beteiligt sich das Netzwerk an Projekten, die gesellschaftliches Engagement mit akademischem Lernen verbinden, den internationalen Wissensaustausch fördern und innovative Lehr- und Lernformen weiterentwickeln.
Auf dieser Seite stellen wir fortlaufend die Projekte vor, an denen ben:edu als Partner beteiligt ist.
DUR – Service Learning for Gender Equality
Project objectives
The overall objective of “DUR – Service Learning for Gender Equality” is to enhance the course “Gender, Sexuality, Identities – From Oppression to Equality” at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, which connects theoretical knowledge with students’ practical work in civil society organisations.
By modernising and digitalising course content, the project aims to make the course more accessible to students from different faculties and departments of the University of Rijeka, improve its practical component and strengthen cooperation between the academic community and civil society organisations. The project will also strengthen the capacities of teaching staff and civil society organisations to deliver high-quality service learning.
Project description
The project builds on the longstanding cooperation between the Centre for Women’s Studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, and the civil society organisations SOS Rijeka, LORI and Pariter in delivering the course “Gender, Sexuality, Identities – From Oppression to Equality”. Through the course, students acquire knowledge of gender equality and human rights and connect it with practical experience in civil society organisations.
The project will modernise and digitalise the theoretical component of the course and develop new teaching materials to improve access to educational resources. A publicly accessible online handbook will also be developed, bringing together experiences and guidance on applying service learning in the fields of gender equality and human rights.
The practical component of the course will be delivered in cooperation with SOS Rijeka, LORI and Pariter. With mentoring support, students will have opportunities to apply their knowledge to issues addressed by the partner organisations and develop their professional and social competencies.
Alongside the course, the project includes volunteering activities for young people in the local community. Through their involvement in the partner organisations, young people will help prepare and implement various activities, gain new experience and contribute to the organisations’ work and the community.
The project also includes capacity building for staff and volunteers of the partner organisations and teaching staff at higher education institutions. Training, mentoring and exchanges of experience, including cooperation with the Swiss partner Ben, will strengthen the knowledge and skills needed to plan and implement service-learning programmes.
Project results, educational materials and implementation experiences will be shared with the public, other civil society organisations and higher education institutions to encourage wider application of this learning model and further cooperation between the academic community and civil society organisations.
Project activities
The project includes the following activities:
- Development and implementation of service-learning programmes
- Capacity building for staff and volunteers of civil society organisations
- Capacity building for teaching staff at higher education institutions
- Promotion, visibility and knowledge exchange
- Volunteering activities in the local community related to service learning
Lead organisation and partners
The project’s lead organisation is SOS Rijeka – Centre for Nonviolence and Human Rights.
The project partners are: University of Rijeka, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Centre for Women’s Studies, Lesbian Organisation Rijeka “LORI”, Pariter and Ben:edu, the Swiss network for service learning in higher education
Contact person: Marina Jakšić, Projects and Administration Manager. Email: marina.jaksic@sos-rijeka.org
The project runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2029.
The total project value is EUR 276,000.00, of which EUR 248,400.00 is provided through grant funding. The remaining 10% is covered by the project organisations’ own co-financing.
The project is implemented under the Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Programme, Second Swiss Contribution, through the call “Strengthening the Contribution of Civil Society Organisations to Service Learning”.
Supported by the Swiss contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in the EU.
Project is co-financed by the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.
The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of SOS Rijeka – Centre for Nonviolence and Human Rights and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Swiss Confederation or the Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs.
