European Association for Service Learning: Capacity Building Event

SPACE co-learning model presented at European Service-Learning Conference in Utrecht

On 17 October 2025, the SPACE project team held an interactive workshop at the European Association for Service-Learning in Higher Education (EASLHE) Capacity Building Event in Utrecht. The session, led by Bojana Ćulum Ilić and Thomas Farnell, introduced the SPACE co-learning programme – a professional development model supporting university staff in designing and implementing community-engaged teaching and learning.

Over 20 participants from across Europe took part in the workshop, which invited them to reflect on what makes an effective professional development experience through a “KISS analysis” (Keep, Improve, Start, Stop) exercise. The insights from participants confirmed many of the strengths of the SPACE approach, highlighting the value of:

• starting from participants’ personal motivation and sense of purpose,
• fostering openness, honesty and humour in learning environments,
• supporting peer learning and shared reflection, and
• ensuring that training formats remain flexible, experiential and not overly theoretical.

Participants also emphasised the need for stronger institutional and leadership support for community-engaged learning and for recognising participation in such programmes through certificates or other incentives.

The lively discussion showed growing enthusiasm across Europe for new approaches to professional development in community engagement, and many participants expressed interest in following the upcoming SPACE results and publications.

The EASLHE Capacity Building Event gathered service-learning practitioners, researchers and educators from across Europe for in-depth sessions on reflection, assessment and university–community partnerships.

The SPACE project (Supporting Professionals and Academics for Community Engagement in Higher Education) is funded through the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. More information on the project is available here.