Title: Service learning as an educational outreach project for community's sustainable development and social responsibility support

Authors: Orlando Petiz Pereira; Oleksii Goncharenko; Yulija Chortok; Oleksandra V. Kubatko; Maria Manuela Coutinho

Addresses: Economics and Management School, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal ' Department of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Business Administration, Sumy State University, Sumy, Ukraine ' Department of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Business Administration, Sumy State University, Sumy, Ukraine ' Department of Economics, Entrepreneurship and Business Administration, Sumy State University, Sumy, Ukraine ' University of Fernando Pessoa, Praça 9 de Abril, 349, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal

Abstract: This study stresses the importance of curricular innovation for strengthening the relationship between the education market, the labour market and the community's life. Hence, we aim to discuss hypothetical pedagogical solutions to innovate the orthodox teaching system. It envisions reflecting on how to deepen citizens' awareness about another way of being, teaching and learning at the university, through active, cooperative, flexible and exciting practices. This article defends the implementation of the service-learning because it structures society in line with the values of justice, equity, solidarity and respect for human rights, things and nature. This work enshrines some novelty as it deals with a teaching-learning process that voices and gives time to creative participation of students, both in their educational process and in the construction of a plural and democratic citizenship.

Keywords: democratic citizenship; educational innovation; service learning; relation university-community; service to the community; social responsibility; sustainable development; volunteering work; civic engagement universities; personal development; student-university-community relationship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2020.114865

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2020 Vol.19 No.1/2/3, pp.53 - 69

Received: 08 Oct 2019
Accepted: 05 Jun 2020
Published online: 10 May 2021 *

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