Service Learning in Primary Schools – Learning through Engagement Foundation

The award "Where Learning Comes Alive – Learning through Engagement in Primary Schools" honors innovative service-learning projects from primary schools in challenging situations in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia. The Learning through Engagement Foundation grants a total of four prizes of €1,500 each for committed teaching in all phases from planning to completion, as well as two awards of €2,000 each for the sustainable integration of LdE into school programs and curricula. This initiative promotes both subject-specific content and interdisciplinary skills equally. The prize money supports the further development of service-learning at the primary level and recognizes participants who actively bring democratic learning and social engagement to life in the classroom. Applications are only possible online until March 27, 2026; a standardized questionnaire is available via SurveyMonkey.

The program aims to reduce experiences of disadvantage in primary education and to empower girls and boys early on to act with self-efficacy. Through close cooperation with research institutions such as Ruhr University Bochum, didactic success factors are systematically examined and tailored support offers for teachers are developed. Participating schools benefit from practical suggestions for involving local partners, methodological reflection, and collegial exchange. The jury will announce the winners in April 2026; the official award ceremony is expected to take place in June in the respective federal states. Schools that wish to establish service-learning as a permanent part of their school profile will find here an attractive opportunity to showcase their LdE practice.