Solidarity in practice: Service-learning as a lever for integral education – A case study in Doel, Belgium.

This article examines preliminary findings from a study by the Faculty of Architecture and the Service-learning Office at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) on how service-learning can serve as a lever for integral education, which aims to develop the whole person across cognitive, systemic, ego, and relational dimensions. Using the Doelland service-learning initiative in Doel, Belgium—a collaborative project involving students, teachers, and community members to revitalize a threatened village—the study identifies five key mechanisms fostering integral education: authenticity; immersive engagement; openness, flexibility and reciprocity; empathy, care and respect; and courage, activism and agency. These mechanisms are interconnected through the overarching principle of solidarity, which supports empowerment across active citizenship, social inclusion, social integration, and shared responsibility. The findings suggest that integrating these principles into educational curricula and policies can bridge theory and practice in holistic education, with implications for architecture and beyond.