Pedagogy 2025
Abstract
This keynote brings together two voices who have lived the experience of service-learning: a former student and a current societal partner of the Faculty of Architecture, KU Leuven. Through their personal journeys, Giorgia Ceccacci and Lise Stuer reflect on how service-learning can transform both academic and civic practices. Drawing from two long-term collaborations – the Solidary Mobile Housing project in Brussels and the Doelland initiative in Flanders – they will share how partnerships between academia and society can address real-world challenges, from homelessness to spatial justice. Their accounts trace how engagement with the university emerged, what outcomes it generated, and how these collaborations reshaped their views on architecture, education, and collective responsibility. By turning the usual question around – from what students can do for communities to what communities and service-learning can do with us – this session invites a critical reflection on the “third mission” of universities and its potential for mutual transformation.
Originally from Perugia, Italy, Giorgia Ceccacci completed her Bachelor’s in Architecture at Politecnic University of Turin. After two years of working experience, she moved to Belgium, where she completed her Master degree in Architecture at KU Leuven in June 2025. During her studies, she has been involved in service-learning curricular courses in Gent and Brussels.
Liese Stuer came to Doel eight years ago. Since then, she has been involved in various consultative bodies on behalf of the residents’ and action committee Doel2020, discussing the future of the village and the surrounding area. She is a driving force behind the food forest project and is involved in the redevelopment of Atelier De Nijs, a space for creation and presentation in the center of the village.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Thursday 20th November, 2025