Initially, the regulation was limited to fire and rescue only. But since 2020, students at Kepler University have also been able to have their voluntary work in other areas credited. Since then, there have also been four ECTS points for work in social organizations and in the fight against Covid. As a result, the number of credits has increased almost tenfold.
“The university is not just a space for imparting knowledge,” says Stefan Koch, Vice Rector for Teaching and Students at the JKU. “Personal development is just as important.”
The field of study Artificial Intelligence is the leader in voluntary social commitment. But committed students also come from law, medicine or business subjects. And of course from the social economy, like 34-year-old Renate Fuka. She worked for Kinderfreunde until fall 2019, when she decided to study at the JKU. She has now been able to get credit for this work as part of the LEV course, short for “Learning, Commitment and Responsibility”. Through the event she also got to know the “Welser Tafel”. Now she works here as a volunteer, taking care of the needy and giving out food.
“In volunteer work, we can think outside the box,” she says. “We’re gaining a lot of self-confidence and new experiences. It’s primarily about social skills, and you won’t learn that in any book in the world, like all the other content at the university.”
Simon Dorrer studies electronics and information technology. He works for Lebenshilfe in Lower Austria. “For me, the social work in the summer is simply the ideal balance to everyday technical life,” says the 22-year-old. “I’m developing myself socially and mentally and I’m just happy when I can bring joy to the residents of the Lebenshilfe residential building and support them in their everyday life as much as possible.”
Source: Nachrichten
