PalmaThe Department of Education will regulate the presence of volunteers within educational centers through the entities that make up the Platform of Volunteering of the Balearic Islands. The initiative, which was recently presented to educational counselors, aims to establish a common framework so that the participation of volunteers in centers is developed with clearly defined pedagogical, organizational, and legal criteria.
According to the Ministry's documentation, any collaboration with schools and institutes must be channeled obligatorily through entities registered in the regional volunteer census. Furthermore, all activities must be strictly altruistic and unpaid. This way, the supervision of initiatives can be guaranteed and irregular situations or uncoordinated actions within educational centers can be avoided.
The document also establishes that each project must precisely define the educational and social objectives it pursues, as well as the specific activities to be carried out, the limits of volunteers' actions, and the coordination and monitoring mechanisms. The Ministry particularly insists that the participation of volunteers cannot, under any circumstances, substitute the specific functions of educational center professionals, nor interfere with teaching or specialized care tasks.
Transversal competences
The proposal is framed within the Service-Learning (ApS) methodology, a pedagogical model that combines curricular and competence-based learning with real service actions in the community. The objective is for students to learn from practical experience and commitment to the social environment, while developing academic, social, and civic competencies. According to the presentation shown to the counselors, this methodology seeks for students not only to assimilate theoretical content but also to actively participate in solving real social needs. This implies working on skills such as cooperation, empathy, communication, teamwork, and collective responsibility.
Among the examples of projects that could be promoted are initiatives to support vulnerable people and groups. The Ministry cites, for example, activities to accompany the elderly and visits to residences, which would allow "working on language, historical memory, and social skills, while combating unwanted loneliness." These types of projects, according to the educational department, allow for the establishment of intergenerational links and reinforce students' social awareness.
Other initiatives would be related to the environment and sustainability. The document includes examples such as campaigns against food waste, projects for cleaning and recovering natural or urban spaces, and ecological awareness activities. It also proposes campaigns to promote blood donations, first aid workshops, and awareness actions against racism, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination.
Real impacts
The Ministry considers that these activities allow school learning to be connected with real problems and needs of the territory. Thus, students can apply knowledge acquired in the classroom in practical contexts and, at the same time, become aware of their role within the community.
Different actors will have to participate in all these projects: students, teaching teams, educational centers, social and volunteer organizations, and the community, which will be the final recipient of the service. Coordination between all these agents is considered key for the initiatives to have an effective educational and social impact. The general objectives of the model are to “develop academic and social skills, foster active citizenship and democratic values, and respond to real needs of the territory”.
The document also specifies which activities cannot be considered Service-Learning (ApS). Thus, it emphasizes that this methodology cannot be reduced to isolated volunteer actions disconnected from the educational curriculum, nor to disguised professional practices. Likewise, it underlines that it is not solely about organizing solidarity activities, but about integrating them into a structured pedagogical process with defined learning objectives. “It is learning and serving with educational meaning”, says the presentation prepared by the Ministry.