Unit 3
Welcome to unit 3 – Social responsibility as a motivation for participation! In this unit you will learn more about …
- what social responsibility the university can assume.
- what role one takes on as a student in this context.
- examples of implementation where higher education institutions and students put their third mission into practice.
Learning goal
- You know what “third mission” means in a university context.
- You know how to put social responsibility into practice.
- You know what important role students can play in the context of social responsibility and engagement.
Third mission
The tasks of universities are no longer limited to teaching and research, but also include the aspect of social responsibility in university work. Social engagement is lived out in different formats but pursues a common goal of demonstrating societal and social responsibility. Universities anchor this social aspect in their strategic orientation under the term Third Mission. Since the students are an essential part of the university, they are also invited to actively participate in the social initiatives of their universities and to live “Responsible University” together.
The following examples give an insight into how you can live your social responsibility as a student.
Volunteering@WU – Lernen macht Schule
“Learning with and from one another is the motto of the initiative „Lernen macht Schule” launched in 2010 by the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) together with Caritas Vienna, sponsored by REWE Group and BILLA AG. This initiative supports socially disadvantaged young people on their educational path and at the same time promotes the commitment and social responsibility among students.”
Source: Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), Volunteering@WU
Take responsibility – become a buddy!
Whether as a learning or music buddy, find out how you can get involved responsibly as a student.
(c) University of Vienna
The Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw
Another project where you can experience social responsibility in action is at the Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw.
Promotion and communication project “Make it visible!”
The Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw offers many different projects and events. To make these initiatives more visible, the project “Make it visible” was launched. This project aims to promote the activities of the Volunteer Center and to invite students to join them.
Read more about the promotion and communication project “Make it visible”.
The project team formed by students develop strategies how to communicate and promote the activities of the Volunteer Centre. With a lot of creativity and motivation the students created a video script and produced the video. More than 30 participated in this project.
(c) The Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw
Volunteering means …
You have gained an insight into volunteering in a university context. What role does volunteering play in your everyday life? Do you know of any volunteering initiatives or do you even actively participate in volunteering activities?
We would be very happy if you could share your experiences, ideas or projects you know about with us.
