Learning, serving and being solidary in times of a pandemic

Abstract

In times of a pandemic, the ability of individuals, social groups, organizations, institutions, policies and governments to create and recreate learning, service and solidarity is severely challenged. Based on the framework of solidarity service-learning and a strategic organizational perspective, this paper analyzes the ‘Service-Learning in times of a pandemic’ map. Two hundred solidarity service-learning experiences were identified, explored and analysed, georeferenced in four continents and 22 countries, between March and September 2020. The thematic content analysis technique and the digital ethnographic perspective were used to systematize and categorize the experiences. The analysis shows the evolution of solidarity service-learning in times of a pandemic, its focal point, actions and goals, evidencing how the projects have remained focused on the learners’ central role, the bond with the community and the integration of solidarity service into the curriculum. The map denotes an organizational habitus (learning from and with others); its design and development supports the perspective of a collective construction of knowledge, which is shared and generates recreates hope and invites us to (re) build solidarity networks in times of pandemics. The map is evidence of the interweaving of solidarity service-learning citizenship (political action), rights and education, which systematizes and enhances a way of being-making-knowing that has been shared for decades between local and global actors and the networks that are configured in times of a pandemic.