The Service-Learning Program of the Arrupe Office of Social Formation (AOSF) participated in the 9th Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning (APRSCL) on 19-21 July 2023. Hosted by CHRIST (Deemed to be University) in Bangalore, India, this 3-day conference highlighted best practices and recent research on the implementation of service-learning as a pedagogy. This year’s gathering of member institutions of the Service Learning Asia Network (SLAN) centered on the theme: “Service-Learning: Touching Lives and Transforming Communities through Innovative Pedagogy, Research, and Partnerships.”
A paper entitled “Pedagogy and Spirituality: A Case Study on the Implementation of Service-Learning Program in the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), Philippines,” was presented by Mr. Dyester G. Abo-abo, Coordinator for the S-LP. This case study was part of the larger research titled “Institutionalization and Impact Assessment of Service-Learning Programs of the Jesuit Universities in the Philippines,” led by the Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and co-authored by the researchers from Ateneo de Davao University, Ateneo de Manila University, Ateneo de Naga University, and Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
During the SLAN Business Meeting, Ms. Agnes J. Sagaral, AOSF Director, presented the updates and ways forward for the implementation of the S-LP in ADDU. In that meeting, Ms. Sagaral also expressed ADDU’s intention to be the SLAN’s next secretariat and host the 10th APRCSL in 2025.
The APRCSL is a biennial gathering of member institutions of the SLAN, which was initiated with the assistance of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia. This network aims “to promote the common interests and networks of student exchanges, faculty research, curriculum development and program evaluation among colleges and universities interested in Service-Learning in Asia.”[1]
[1] About SLAN from https://christuniversity.in/servicelearningasianetwork
Article and Photos by Mr. Dyester G. Abo-Abo – Arrupe Office of Social Formation