Service Learning and Social Innovation Initiatives for Higher Education in Singapore and Hong Kong

Introduction

Education has long been believed to be the foundation for the economic development of any society or nation. At the same time, beyond the economic and market opportunities for our communities and societies, education plays a pivotal role in building an “educated workforce ready to take on the challenges our communities face now and into the future” (Fitzpatrick, 2021). With the ongoing race for excellence, recognition, and rankings, reports and measures of universities seem to focus on economic outputs, impact, and benchmarks attained by these higher education institutions (hereinafter HEIs). However, education is a public and social good, as described under Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to engender inclusive and equitable quality education and foster lifelong learning opportunities for everyone (Locatelli, 2018). Hence, the part HEIs play in delivering this public or social good, which in turn, creates opportunities and improves lives for the masses, cannot be undermined.

The university’s delivery of social good falls under the ‘third sector’ or ‘third mission’ of HEIs. Focussing on contributing to communities and societies, this mission is an addition to the first two missions of HEIs, namely, teaching and conducting research (Compagnuccia & Spigarelli, 2020). This third mission contributes to society through initiatives that are values-driven and socially embedded (Punte et al., 2021). The third mission of HEIs, which includes interactions between HEIs and society as well as the industry (Monteiro et al., 2021), has brought about projects and activities by HEIs that focused on civic engagement, community-based research, service learning, and social innovation (Resch et al., 2021). The involvement with society and with communities allows HEI students and staff to apply what they have learned in their lecture theatres, laboratories, or classrooms within a real-world context; it also allows HEI students and staff to develop transferable or life skills such as empathy, compassion, social and emotional learning (SEL), teamwork, leadership, and effective communication, among others. The development of such transferable or life skills are effectively facilitated beyond the classroom walls, as well into communities and society at large (Elias et al., 2008). These transferable or life skills, also known as pro-social behaviour, can foster a sense of social connectedness and belonging, psychological well-being, improved social adjustment, and reduced risk behaviours among adolescents and young adults (Su & Wang, 2022). While active citizenry, civic engagement, community-based research, service learning, and social innovation are relatively new ventures in the higher education sector, HEIs are making headway in such initiatives and have registered significant progress and impact, generating win-win situations for their students and staff, and for the communities they engage and work with. Hence, it is interesting to learn how HEIs plan and implement their third mission initiatives – what we will broadly term as social innovation in this chapter.