Learning through Engagement
Being active together, applying knowledge
Our Service Learning module is open to all students of the University. It gives you the opportunity to combine your studies with social involvement. In doing so, you can earn ECTS credits in the BOK course area, fulfil your SQ requirement, or complete a certificate.
Our kickoff event for the summer semester, featuring an introduction to our community partners, will take place on April 24, 2026, starting at 9:00 a.m. in Room HS 1224 (Kollegiengebäude I).
Please note that the course is taught in German.
Service Learning module – engage, learn, reflect
Service learning is a personal enrichment:
- You play an active role in shaping your living environment and civil society – and take on responsibility.
- You examine, amongst other things, your role as an influencer in a democratic society.
- You reflect on your own and others’ values regarding various topics, analyse patterns of behaviour, develop new problem-solving strategies and are able to put these into practice.
- You strengthen your personal and social skills and further develop your critical thinking.
- You learn, for example, to apply approaches to (intercultural) communication or project management in your voluntary work.
- You network with other volunteers and civil society actors in the region.
- You gain an insight into potential career fields.
Step 1: Registration for the kick-off event, which takes place on 24 April 2026:
- Registration for the kick-off event starts on 07.04.26 (9 a.m.) on HISinOne 3169 [in German] , immediate admission with waiting list.
- You can register up to two days before the start on HISinOne (or afterwards by email: sl@zfs.uni-freiburg.de).
You receive important information on the structure of the module and the connection to fields of voluntary service – including an overview of the community partners that introduce themselves.
Afterwards, you decide whether you wish to participate in the module. If you decide not to participate further, please send us an email so that we can deregister you.
When you register for the kick-off event, you are automatically admitted to the ILIAS course: As soon as you log into ILIAS, the course ‘Service Learning’ appears in your overview.
Step 2: Registration for the further compulsory elements of the module in the period 24 – 26 april 2026:
- Registration for one workshop (3169ws; LAS students have to register for two workshops):
Practical Communication
Educational Work that is Critical of Discrimination
Engagement and Power – What does my Field of Engagement have to do with Social Inequality - Registration for one supervision meeting (3169sv)
You are admitted directly when you submit your registration requests (provided that there are free places). Please note that you can be admitted to a maximum of one supervision session. You may register for several workshops.
You can deregister or change your registration independently. After the registration phase, please send any requests for changes to sl@zfs.uni-freiburg.de.
You have the opportunity to get involved in four areas of activity:
- Interculturalism & migration
- Sustainability, environment & life sciences
- Democracy education
- Digitalization
- In all areas of activity, you can search for areas of involvement yourself in addition to the options advertised by our community partners.
In our workshops, you will learn about approaches and models in areas such as democracy education, communication, and project management. You will combine these approaches with your practical experience to develop new options for action—supported by the opportunity for supervision or counseling in small groups.
A special feature of the module is the interdisciplinary final event, which combines ethical reflection with civic engagement: You will experience and shape a theory-practice exchange from different perspectives – together with students from the seminar “Responsibility in Civil Society” (Master of Education). You will actively participate with the aim of addressing questions and approaches to engagement from an ethical perspective and discussing them together.
4 ECTS-Punkte:
- Auftakt- und Abschlussveranstaltung
- ein Workshop (Auswahl möglich)
- ein Kleingruppentreffen Supervision (Auswahl möglich)
- 30 Stunden ehrenamtliches Engagement während des Semesters (Nachweis der Stunden ab der Auftaktveranstaltung)
- Zwischentreffen
- Gruppen-Projekt: Poster-Erstellung und Präsentation bei der Abschlussveranstaltung
6 ECTS-Punkte:
- Auftakt- und Abschlussveranstaltung
- zwei Workshops (Auswahl möglich)
- ein Kleingruppentreffen Supervision (Auswahl möglich)
- 30 Stunden ehrenamtliches Engagement während des Semesters (Nachweis der Stunden ab der Auftaktveranstaltung)
- Zwischentreffen
- Gruppen-Projekt: Poster-Erstellung und Präsentation bei der Abschlussveranstaltung
- Schriftliche Arbeit (Benotung durch das UCF)
- Auftakt- und Abschlussveranstaltung
- ein Workshop (Auswahl möglich)
- ein Kleingruppentreffen Supervision (Auswahl möglich)
- 30 Stunden ehrenamtliches Engagement während des Semesters (Nachweis der Stunden ab der Auftaktveranstaltung)
- Zwischentreffen
- Gruppen-Projekt: Poster-Erstellung und Präsentation bei der Abschlussveranstaltung
- Einzel-Präsentation zum Poster vor dem SL-Team (Benotung)
Before starting the course, please check with your academic advisor or program coordinator to confirm whether the SL course (4 ECTS credits) can be recognized in your degree program: The relevant examination regulations for your degree program apply.
We award you credits after your successful participation in the course.
If the module cannot be recognized in your degree program and you need a transcript, please inform the SL team at the beginning of the course.
- Auftakt- und Abschlussveranstaltung
- ein Workshop (Auswahl möglich)
- ein Kleingruppentreffen Supervision (Auswahl möglich)
- 30 Stunden ehrenamtliches Engagement während des Semesters (Nachweis der Stunden ab der Auftaktveranstaltung)
- Zwischentreffen
- Gruppen-Projekt: Poster-Erstellung und Präsentation bei der Abschlussveranstaltung
The information provided under ‘Awarding and recognition of credits’ applies.
Service learning provides personal enrichment:
- You actively shape your lifeworld and civil society – and take on responsibility.
- You question your role as a disseminator of knowledge in a democratic society.
- Your reflect on your own values and those of others with regard to various topics, analyse behaviour patterns, develop new problem-solving strategies, and can implement them in practice.
- You strengthen your personal and social competences and develop your critical thinking skills.
- You learn to apply, e.g., approaches to (intercultural) communication or project management in the context of your involvement..
- All students of the University of Freiburg are eligible to participate. It makes no difference whether you are already volunteering for a social cause or are doing so for the first time.
- You can complete the module twice, for example by getting involved in two different initiatives one after the other. However, you can only have the coursework recognized in the form of ECTS credits for the first initiative.
- As a Law student, you can participate in the module and earn credit for an interdisciplinary key qualification if you volunteer at the Refugee Law Clinic or with selected cooperation partners in the field of digitalization, complete all compulsory elements (see above), and take an additional oral examination.
For further information on the conditions for participation, please click here.
Please note the following:
- As part of the 30 hours required for the Service Learning module, you are insured for personal legal liability through the Studierendenwerk Freiburg. Please note the conditions, in particular the insurance amounts and exclusions in accordance with the insurance concept: https://www.swfr.de/geld/versicherungen. If applicable, private liability insurance takes precedence.
- If you continue your involvement beyond thehttps://www.swfr.de/geld/versicherungen 30 hours scheduled for the module: It is primarily the responsibility of the institutions where you volunteer to provide adequate liability insurance coverage. Otherwise, you should check with the insurer with whom you or your parents have private liability insurance to determine whether and to what extent coverage exists.
- You are not expected to receive keys from the institutions. If an institution nevertheless gives you a key, the following applies: You are not insured against its loss. If the institution declines to take on the risk of your losing the key, it would be advisable to take out private liability insurance including key insurance.
- To be on the safe side, we therefore recommend that you do not take any keys or drive any (rental) cars during your voluntary service.
Accidents during the 30 hours of service required for the Service Learning module:
- With regard to accident insurance coverage, it is first necessary to contact the responsible employer’s liability insurance association, or otherwise the Unfallkasse Baden-Württemberg.
- Student accident insurance only covers accidents that do not count as accidents as defined by SGB VII.
Please inform yourself on the site of the Service Center Studium (SCS)
The information described on this page applies. Please also inform yourself there on possibilities for receiving recognition for coursework or competencies acquired outside of the university for the SL module.
Possibilities for having the SL module recognized:
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Polyvalent Dual Major Bachelor’s Degree Programme:
The coursework you successfully complete within the context of the module (see compulsory elements) is part of the BOK course area at the ZfS (B.A. = part of the supplementary area of study; dual major bachelor = part of the individual programme option; B.Sc. = external BOK course area), i.e., we automatically award the corresponding amount of ECTS credits as coursework in the BOK course area.
If you are a Liberal Arts and Sciences student and wish to complete the SL module for ‘Responsibility and Leadership II’, worth 6 ECTS credits (see compulsory elements), you must register it as graded assessment at the examination office of the University College Freiburg.
We transfer the coursework you successfully complete in the module to the UCF.
The coursework you successfully complete in the module (see compulsory elements) automatically counts as an SQ certificate.
We can issue you a certificate for the coursework you successfully complete in the module (see compulsory elements) upon request.
If you are a master’s student and wish to earn 4 ECTS credits, please ask your departmental academic advisor / degree programme coordinator before participating in the course whether it is possible to have the SL module recognized in your degree programme. The examination regulations for your degree programme form the basis for the decision.
‘I find it great how easy it is to volunteer. The presentation of the different organizations and the arrangement of the service worked very well.’
Participant
Options for voluntary service with community partners
We have discussed with selected organizations about options for voluntary service in the 2026 summer semester. Please get in touch with the initiatives after the kick-off event.
We are in contact with a number of other organizations with which you can also sign up for voluntary service, so please let us know if you do not find anything among the options listed below.
You can also suggest options for self-organized voluntary service or service you are already engaged in. We would be happy to check whether this is possible in your case. Please contact us about this before the module begins.
If you wish to look for a new option for voluntary service on your own, we recommend consulting the Engagement-Wegweiser Freiburg or the website Stadtwandler [both in German].
Interculturality & Migration
Bildung für alle e.V. (BFA) offers educational programmes for immigrants in Freiburg free of charge with the aim of supporting people whose integration is made more difficult by a lack of access to education.
Website and contact:
Educational director: johannes.schnurr@bfa-freiburg.de
Engagement-Optionen:
Options for service:
Teaching German as a second language to new Freiburg citizens:
You teach a German course for immigrants in Freiburg and the region in a team of six volunteers. The lessons are held three days a week from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Vocational School Centre in Stühlinger (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays).
You take on a fixed day of the week during the project term and give lessons in teams of two. In addition to preparing and conducting the lessons independently, your duties also include coordination with the course team and the educational director. Trained German as a second language teachers are available to help you prepare your lessons. Textbooks and additional material are provided. Beyond this, you are free to organize the lessons as you like. You are very welcome to try out creative ideas and new teaching methods!
Recommended prerequisites:
Prior teaching experience or studies in a teacher education programme are helpful but are not a requirement for participating in the project.
The Franz Hermann House is a counselling centre for people with a refugee or migration background that brings together various counselling services and programmes offered by the Freiburg branch of the Catholic welfare organization Caritas (migration counselling for adult immigrants, educational guidance within the context of the federal ‘Garantiefond Hochschule’ programme, point of contact and facilitation for refugees, the youth migration service, and the ‘Vielfalt in Bewegung’ project).
It provides immigrants quick and efficient counselling tailored to their specific needs and assistance getting their bearings in Germany regardless of age, residence status, or country of origin.
Website: www.caritas-freiburg.de/familien-und-bildung/migration-und-integration
Contact: vielfalt-in-bewegung@caritas-freiburg.de (Melanie Skiba, Vielfalt in Bewegung); jugendmigrationsdienst@caritas-freiburg.de (Ralph Himmer, learning support)
Service options:
A) Implementation of a counselling service in the area of migration:
In the ‘Vielfalt in Bewegung’ (diversity in movement) project, we organize a variety of sport and exercise sessions for young people with and without a migration background.
Currently, we offer an open kickboxing session (Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30–8 p.m.) and a kickboxing session for young women (Wednesday from 6–7 p.m.). Prior knowledge of kickboxing is not required. Demand for this sport is particularly great among young women.
In addition, we seek support in our open basketball session. The session is organized by young people and includes all levels of play. Prior knowledge of basketball is an advantage for the organizer, but the main goals are fun, prevention, and bringing people together.
In the warmer months of the year (starting in March or April, depending on the weather), we offer LiviBike – a cargo bike loaded with a wide variety of equipment for sports and games like spikeball, crossminton, frisbee, football, volleyball, and many more. The LiviBike may be found particularly often on Stühlinger Kirchplatz. Students can support us with the LiviBike or take it out on their own (at least two persons).
Recommended prerequisite:
Interest in physical activity in general and pleasure in making contact with young people while doing it (12–27 years); a diversity-sensitive attitude.
B) Individual, needs-based learning support for students and adults with refugee and migrant backgrounds:
The support required ranges from acquiring basic German language skills to subject-specific support, for example during vocational training. Support and assistance with everyday problems is also possible.
Recommended prerequisite:
Empathy, intercultural competence, and openness would be desirable.
A combination of both areas of engagement, “learning support” and “diversity in movement,” is also possible by arrangement.
The initiative SCHLÜSSELMENSCH e.V. has been arranging mentoring relationships between young people and children/teens from refugee shelters in Freiburg since 2011, with the aim of giving these children and teens the opportunity to participate in life outside the shelter. We want to use the mentoring model to counteract their social and geographical marginalization. In addition, we organize numerous other community activities in which children and adolescents from the shelter can participate, with or without a mentor.
Website and contact:
Website: www.initiative-schluesselmensch.org
E-Mail: vorstand@initiative-schluesselmensch.org
Instagram: initiative_schluesselmensch_ev
Service options:
Mentorship:
Every mentorship is unique and defined by the individual relationship. Together with your mentee, you decide on the frequency of your interactions and your activities, such as going out for ice cream, ice skating, or visiting the Mundenhof… All mentors meet regularly in their coordination groups to discuss individual mentor-mentee relationships, clarify questions, and talk about successes and challenges. The commitment is purely voluntary, but the financial costs of the sponsorship are covered by the association.
The sponsorship model pursues three central goals:
- The children should find a contact person and friend outside their family and the refugee shelter.
- The children should get to know and learn to take advantage of their surroundings and the recreational opportunities available to them.
- The sponsorship fosters enriching relationships between the sponsored child, their family, and you. This creates a foundation for understanding each other’s way of life and living conditions.
Organizing Team:
Our regular organizational meetings (currently held every two weeks) serve to plan community activities (e.g., cookie baking, water games, arts and crafts, bowling, movie afternoons, toothbrushing activities, your own project ideas).
Another responsibility of the team is handling the association’s public relations. This includes designing and updating our website and Instagram profile, as well as communicating with other contacts.
In addition, meeting and collaborating with the coordination groups and the residence hall’s social services department are among the team’s main responsibilities.
The goal of InZeitung is to sensitize Freiburg citizens to cultural diversity, which makes our society richer but also presents a challenge.
InZeitung is an independent newspaper that is made by migrants but is intended not just for migrants but for all Freiburg citizens. The newspaper arrives free of charge in every letter box three times a year as a supplement to Freiburg’s official gazette Amtsblatt. It is created by an intercultural editorial team, provides an overview of the range of (inter)cultural life in Freiburg, and joins in on discussions about right-wing populism and values.
Website and contact:
Service options:
Writing, editing, photography, digitization, establishing contacts with other institutions and people, conducting interviews with migrants, attending events, helping to organize transcultural events, participating in editorial meetings and journalism workshops — or maintaining the Instagram account. Of course, you don’t have to do all of these things, but rather whatever you feel like doing, depending on your interests and talents.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Recommended prerequisite:
Experience with migration or a migration background are desirable, as well as writing or photography experience. Your German does not need to be perfect.
Die Refugee Law Clinic Freiburg e. V. is a student-led association with around 125 members and 30 active legal advisors.
The goal of the initiative is to offer refugees support in dealing with legal and administrative issues and overcoming other challenges.
Website and contact:
Service options:
Legal advice for refugees:
At the moment, the association offers free legal advice twice a week. This is the centrepiece of the association’s activity and is intended particularly for the support of refugees in Germany. This encompasses information on the legal situation of refugees and the procedure for granting the right of asylum in Germany, determination of the rights and possibilities of refugees, support communicating with authorities, and referral to the relevant authorities, as well as other related issues. In this field of practice you will therefore have the opportunity to apply and use knowledge acquired during your training.
To provide legal advice, you must (1) be enrolled as a student of Law at the University of Freiburg, (2) be a member of the association, and (3) have successfully completed the theoretical part of your training.
Recommended prerequisite:
You must meet the conditions named in the field describing the voluntary service.
The step stiftung promotes children and adolescents from socially disadvantaged life circumstances and/or with traumatic experiences. A combination of sport and education serves to strengthen social competencies, integration, and social mobility.
Website and contact:
Nicolas Belmaati, belmaati@step-stiftung.de
Service options:
Collaboration in social sports projects (schools, soccer fields, refugee shelters):
A central component of the step stiftung is sports programs that are specifically carried out in locations (schools, soccer fields, refugee shelters) in neighborhoods with a high proportion of children and young people who have fled their home countries and are in socially disadvantaged situations. The aim of the sports programs is to create educational spaces in which children and young people can acquire basic sports-oriented playing skills, negotiate rules for interacting with each other, and experience recognition and belonging. Sport is thus used as an integrative, participatory, and promotional tool.
By participating in the sports programs and the accompanying qualification as a sports coach for integration and diversity, you will gain skills in (sports) education in groups with children and young people of different languages, religious affiliations, and migration experiences.
You will also gain insights into the areas of project and event management and learn about the processes of a non-profit organization.
Participation in the projects can be chosen flexibly in the afternoons and in different social spaces and usually lasts 90 to 180 minutes.
Recommended prerequisite:
Experience in working with children and young people, a strong affinity for sports and exercise, empathy, the ability to reflect, and sensitivity.
Democracy Education
We advocate for good studying conditions, fair working conditions, and a just society. We advise on issues of labour and social law and plan various campaigns and events. In addition, we engage in educational work at schools.
Website and contact:
Service options:
Educational justice at the university
- Many opportunities are open to volunteers with their own interests and commitment, including realizing your own ideas with our support.
- Organization and participation in events at the University of Freiburg
- Social media
- Participation in seminars in Baden-Württemberg and nationwide (if desired).
Civic engagement, volunteer work, and community service are the glue that holds our society together. All citizens of Freiburg benefit from this commitment; it is a cornerstone of social cohesion and ensures the quality of life and the welcoming atmosphere of our city.
Website and contact:
Frederike Pähler
Frederike.Paehler@freiburg.de
Telefon 0761 201-3052
https://www.freiburg.de/pb/229284.html
Service options:
“Engaged June” action month
- Co-organization and practical support for the “Engagement at a Table” action day on June 18. Clubs, initiatives, and volunteers are invited to sponsor one of the many tables, thereby engaging in low-barrier conversations with interested passersby about their volunteer work.
- Co-organization and practical support for the closing event of the campaign month: An exhibition on the theme of “Engagement” is planned to document the campaign month and provide space for additional exhibition contributions (e.g., films).
- Support with evaluation (feedback forms, documentation, surveys, other evaluation methods) for the “Engagierter Juni” action month and the nationwide “Ehrentag” on May 22
- In collaboration with the St. Georgen Citizens’ Association: Organization and implementation of an event as part of the “Schwätzbänkle” community project (e.g., reading, music, etc.)
Flexible coordination of tasks possible!
Annual celebration honoring volunteer engagement
Support with organizational planning in advance
Radio Dreyeckland is Freiburg’s independent, non-commercial radio station. For all who are interested, it offers the opportunity to produce radio programmes or podcasts. At present, around 150 contributors, most of whom are volunteers, help shape the station’s programming. No other radio station in the region offers such diversity: around 50 music programmes covering a wide range of styles and genres, numerous programmes in various languages, daily updates on politics and (sub)culture, and a strong focus on anti-racism, anti-repression, gender, literature and much more. There are also programmes from groups such as the Chaos Computer Club. An editorial charter serves as the basis for content policy, excluding, for example, programmes with racist or sexist content.
Homepage and contact:
presse@rdl.de and workshop@rdl.de
Service options:
The range of topics covered by Radio Dreyeckland and the tasks involved in running a community radio station are extremely varied, and so too are the opportunities to get involved. These range from producing journalistic pieces and interviews, to assisting with public relations at events and social media activities, supporting the technicians with audio and computer technology; and even supporting the refugee editorial team ‘our voice’, which not only produces a weekly programme but also maintains contact with refugees at the state reception centre and participates in numerous events as an important part of anti-racist civil society.
Recommended prerequisite:
An interest in current political and socio-cultural developments in Freiburg. A desire to contribute to a self-managed, left-wing project. A willingness to work independently.
Rosa Hilfe Freiburg advocates for the interests of LSBTQ people. We support and shape queer life in Freiburg and in the region with our wide range of services and activities, for example through counselling, various self-help groups, and the organization of cultural events and parties. We address people of all generations, origins, and backgrounds. Our work is informed by the notion of a community of solidary united in mutual support and joint commitment against discrimination.
Website and contact:
www.rosahilfefreiburg.de/kontakt/
Website and contact:
www.rosahilfefreiburg.de/kontakt/ [de]
Service options:
Rosa Hilfe Freiburg was founded in 1985 as an alliance between several groups. We have been thus celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2025. We need your support in several areas: support with PR / social media and fundraising.
Recommended prerequisite:
We have to conduct a personal interview before allocating places.
KulturKiosk is a project of the nonprofit association Schwere(s)Los! e.V., whose primary mission is to promote sociocultural participation in Freiburg. The association has been working for several years at Stühlinger Kirchplatz – a place known as a drug hub, yet also serving as a green oasis, market, and family gathering spot – and aims to foster respectful, tolerant coexistence there. Through a participatory cultural program, the KulturKiosk and the association aim to address key social issues such as democracy, tolerance, migration, identity(ies), integration, and communal living, and to provide impetus for strengthening society.
Website and contact:
Dr. Stephanie Boye
Tel.: 0155/63818317
kulturkiosk@schwere-s-los.de
www.schwere-s-los.de
Service options:
There are many ways to get involved – from helping with day-to-day operations at both the association and the KulturKiosk, to offering therapeutic and democracy-building programs, to public relations and cultural programming. You can assist with events, support artists, and/or help shape our programs.
Sustainability, Environment & Life Sciences
Greenmotions e.V. is a nonprofit organization based in Freiburg im Breisgau that has been promoting sustainability through film culture since 2014. At the heart of our work is the annual Greenmotions Film Festival (November) at the Kommunales Kino in the Alter Wiehrebahnhof – a venue for films, panel discussions, and social dialogue centered on the environment and social justice. The association is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers as well as the equivalent of three six-month part-time positions and has been funded by the City of Freiburg since 2018.
Website and contact:
www.greenmotions-filmfestival.de
coordination@greenmotions-filmfestival.de
Greenmotions e.V., Rehlingstraße 9, 79100 Freiburg im Breisgau
Service options:
Assisting with the curation of the film program:
Screening and preselecting documentaries and short films on sustainability topics
Organizing panel discussions:
Concept development, guest research, and coordination of panel discussions within the festival context
Support with public relations:
Copywriting, social media posts, and communication with partner organizations
Recommended qualifications:
- Good English and German language skills (the program and communication
are bilingual) - Initiative and willingness to take on tasks independently and
help shape the project
We are a major independent European research and consulting organization for a sustainable future. We have been developing principles and strategies for realizing sustainable development globally, nationally, and locally since 1977. We advise governments, businesses, and civic organizations with our research.
Our topics include chemicals and technologies; energy and climate protection; agriculture and biodiversity; sustainability in consumption, mobility, resource management, and businesses; nuclear technology and plant safety; and law, politics, and governance.
Website and contact:
Service options:
A great many household products contain chemicals: e.g., preservatives in skin creme or plasticizers in rubber boots. Oftentimes their production still involves the use of harmful chemicals that damages health or pollutes the environment – although less problematic alternatives are available.
The participants support our work on ‘sustainable chemicals’ by conducting targeted investigations into three different topics: hormonally active chemicals in cosmetics, the current prevalence of cases of poisoning, and the occurrence of problem substances in products.
You will use various methods, e.g., using the ‘ToxFox’ app in a field research project in Freiburg businesses and evaluating reports by poison control centres and the alert system RAPEX, and point out advisable alternatives. Depending on the results, a publication of the projects can be prepared.
Recommended prerequisite:
No specific prior knowledge is required. Pleasure in conducting independent research is important. Knowledge of chemistry is not required.
The Student Sustainability Office is the central point of contact for all students and other interested persons who want to help shape a sustainable future at the University of Freiburg.
Our duties include preparing already initiated or planned sustainable transformation processes at the University, collecting ideas for future sustainability measures, supporting and bringing together committed groups and individuals, and conducting various projects and events. We invite you to volunteer and at the same time earn ECTS credits.
Website and contact:
www.uni-freiburg.de/nachhaltigkeitsbuero
nachhaltigkeitsbuero@zv.uni-freiburg.de
Service options:
Want to actively shape sustainability at our university—and earn credits in the process? Then join the “Studentische Nachhaltigkeitsbüro”! Implement your own project idea that will make our university more sustainable, or help plan the “Erstsemesterakademie BW zukunftsfähig” to create an inspiring first week for new students. With us, you’ll find room for creativity, collaboration, and impact.
You can also get a taste of exciting areas such as networking, consulting, or committee work and take a look behind the scenes of sustainable university design.
Bring your ideas, motivation, and curiosity—we look forward to seeing you!rvice.
Recommended prerequisite:
No discipline-specific knowledge is necessary.
Developing sustainable ideas together
BWIdee is a new educational and competition format for students across Baden-Württemberg that was launched in the 2025/26 winter semester (www.bwidee.org). The aim is not only to discuss ecological, economic, and social sustainability but to help shape it through creative ideas and interdisciplinary collaboration. Researchers and teachers are supporting the student teams as mentors.
The programme begins with a digital lecture series with twelve keynote lectures by experts on topics like bioeconomy, life sciences, digitalization, and resource efficiency, as well as cross-cutting topics like design thinking, sustainable start-ups, and environmental psychology. The lectures will be held each Wednesday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. from 15 April 2026 on (until July 1 2026).
You have the opportunity to form teams and develop your own ideas for sustainable innovations with the support of mentors. The teams will present their results on demo day (date tba), at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart.
You profit from valuable practical knowledge and work on projects that truly benefit society – and you may even win a prize! No prior knowledge is required. All you need to be a part of BWIdee is curiosity and motivation.
You must sign yourself up on the competition website (www.bwidee.org/anmeldung). This is possible as an individual or as a self-composed group (including interdisciplinary groups and groups spanning several universities). Registration is open (www.bwidee.org/anmeldung). Apart from the concluding demo day, all events are held online and can therefore be easily integrated into your schedule.
You can have your participation in the competition and your project recognized as practical hours in the interdisciplinary Service Learning module:
- You participate in at least four online sessions of the lecture series and profit from exciting input from a wide range of thematic areas.
- You develop a self-initiated project idea, receive support from mentors, and have the opportunity to present your idea to an audience – and the chance to win prizes.
- You attend the kick-off and closing event of the Service Learning module and a supervision meeting (selection possible) and receive support reflecting on your experiences in the project in an ILIAS course room.
Compulsory elements for earning 6 ECTS credits:
- SL kick-off (April 24 2026) and closing event (July 10 2026)
- at least 4 online sessions of the competition lecture series (selection possible)
- 1 small-group supervision meeting (selection possible)
- 90 hours of project work for participation in the competition
- creation of a poster in small groups, SL consultation hour, and presentation of the poster at the closing event
As a bachelor’s student, you receive 6 ECTS credits in the BOK course area for your successful participation. It is also possible for students of master’s and state examination degree programmes to have the credits recognized.
Registration on HISinOne is possible starting on April 7 2026. Additionally, you must sign up for the competition at www.bwidee.org (places are limited!).
More information and important dates for the Service Learning module can be found here.
Contact with the Service Learning course area at the ZfS: Anette Bender und Jessica Stihl: sl@zfs.uni-freiburg.de
Weltacker (global field) is an educational project on sustainable food systems and land-use justice for interested people of all ages.
Here’s what it’s about:
Around 1.5 billion hectares are available as farmland worldwide, which has to feed 8 billion people. That makes approximately 2,000 m² per person, on which everything a person consumes in a year needs to grow: grain for bread, potatoes, fruit, vegetables, coffee, cocoa, oil plants, sugar beets, etc., as well as feed for the animals whose meat, milk, and eggs we consume. This space also must accommodate cotton for clothes, tobacco, and energy crops (e.g., for biofuel).
On the ‘global field’ in Freiburg, we’re growing the 45 most important arable crops on 2,000 m² of farmland, true to scale, thus providing a model to illustrate the amount of land required by a single person. The global field can be used to illustrate many important current and future issues on the topics of agriculture, climate change, species extinction, soil fertility, and food sovereignty. The small area of 2,000 m² enables every visitor to access their ‘own’ space directly and reflect on their own possibilities for shaping the future.
Website and contact:
Weltacker is located at the Mundenhof petting zoo and nature reserve in Freiburg.
www.instagram.com/weltackerfreiburg
Jonathan Kuhlburger: info@weltacker-freiburg.de
Service options:
Students can choose freely between the following areas of activity:
- agricultural work (soil preparation, cultivation of plants, harvesting)
- co-organization of events (summer fest, participation days, guided tours)
- public relations work (newsletter, social networks)
- development of your own project
Digitalization
Kommunikation & Medien e.V. has offered programmes for the competent and confident use of media and the internet since 2005. The aim is to provide both young and old with IT and media competence: media education for children, media education work with youths, further training for educators, and promotion and support for socially and educationally disadvantaged groups as well as media-specific educational programmes.
We want to provide competencies for self-determined action in the digital world and instruction in the creative and aesthetic design of media productions.
Website and contact:
www.kommunikation-und-medien.de
info@kommunikation-und-medien.de
Service options:
Media education: Creative work with children and youths
In our free and open programme ‘Mit dem Medienvelo unterwegs’ (out and about with the media bike), we visit public spaces with our cargo bike, the media bike. There we invite children and youths to create short radio plays, videos, cartoons, or photos with us free of charge and with no prior registration required. The idea is to give young people in socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods in particular an opportunity to get creative with media.
We welcome volunteers who would like to carry out these programmes together with our trained employees and who enjoy working with children and youths in creative contexts.
The programmes run for around 3–4 hours and take place once a week. We cooperate frequently with institutions in the areas of open child and youth social work, neighbourhood work, or after-school childcare.
Everyone who enjoys being creative on social media can also support us in advertising or documenting the activities on Instagram.
We are a cross-media editorial team. uniCROSS has three media channels: uniTV, uniONLINE, and uniFM. We have a TV studio, a radio station for Freiburg with 24 hours of programming, and the entire range of possibilities for creating online content. Combining all of these aspects in creative ways to form a comprehensive multimedia experience – that’s what cross-media is all about.
In our cross-media projects, we give interested students the opportunity to elaborate a topic – as a radio segment, a TV segment, or an online post. Possible tasks include making targeted investigations, conducting surveys and interviews, and taking on duties during video shoots. In the process, participants are introduced to editorial work with digital media.
Website and contact:
Empfohlene Voraussetzung:
Service options:
Recommended prerequisite:
Media experience is preferred but not necessarily required. However, participants must show a high degree of independence and commitment.
Service options in student representation
Represent interests, position yourself, and earn ECTS credits
Are you already volunteering in committees or departments of the Student Government – or are you interested in representing the interests of your fellow students and completing voluntary service in this way?
In the context of the SL module, you can combine your service with accompanying reflection and earn 4 ECTS credits.
- Chair of the Student Government
- student council member
- units and autonomous units
- Commission on Elections, Arbitration, and Statutes (WSSK)
- departments/departmental student committees
- various university committees (see https://www.stura.uni-freiburg.de/mitmachen
- student initiatives
Please note that some of these offices, posts, and positions are elected offices you must apply for. Information on how to apply and the prerequisites can be found at: https://www.stura.uni-freiburg.de/mitmachen/ausschreibungen
If your field of activity or your initiative is not listed here, please get in touch with us.
Find more information at https://www.stura.uni-freiburg.de
- You must participate successfully in all elements of the module (see compulsory elements) and complete 30 hours of voluntary service during the semester (evidence of hours starting with the kick-off event).
- If you volunteer in an initiative for less than 30 hours, you can combine several activities.
- If you volunteer in a Student Government office or position, your service must be confirmed by a board member of the Student Council.
- If you volunteer as an elected representative in a department / departmental student committee or student initiative, your service must also be confirmed by a board member of the Student Council. If you serve as a non-elected volunteer in a departmental student committee or initiative, your service can be recognized by an elected representative.