This transdisciplinary program aims to promote civic engagement throughout academia by applying the Service-Learning methodology as a key pillar of the CIVIS goals. Based on scientific literature, students and lecturers will discuss the different types of civic engagement from a comparative perspective, within and outside the university level and across different European countries. In this program, the added value of civic engagement for society will be elaborated and for the individual, particularly the acquisition of transversal competencies (e.g., critical thinking, problem-solving, assumption of societal responsibility, etc). Students and lecturers, in cooperation with community partners, will address real social needs related to the region of Maramureș. The students will learn more about the cultural heritage and the transformation of the natural landscape. They will get in direct exchange with community partners, learn more about their work, and support them in developing ideas and activities to meet different real needs. During the physical mobility (Maramureș County), students will be able to do field research, interact and provide a service in close collaboration with NGOs and NPOs, and learn more about the role of civic engagement in modern economies, concrete in the implication of the local communities in the valorization of the natural and cultural heritage in Romania. In this context, they can generate social added value (empowerment) through the service they will provide. Furthermore, this program, while encouraging critical reflection of students’ experiences, contributes to their personal, social, and academic development.

The physical mobility section of the BIP will take place between 18 - 22 May 2026 in Maramureș County, Romania. The program is structured as follows:

18.05.2026

9:30 CEST Departure from Casa de Cultură a Studenților ”Dumitru Fărcaș” 

Cluj Napoca – Târgu Lăpuș – Ungureni (Podină Resort - https://podinaresort.com/ro) 

• Meeting with the Mayor of Târgu Lapuș: migration of labour force, population and economic statistics

Radu-Daniel Pintilii & Marian Marin

• discussion, debate, dialogue and critical reflection on locally culturally and environmental relevant issues.

Administrative issues:

• accommodation
• establishing the teams and group activities

Viorel Mihăilă & Philia Issari

Presentation on the topics of:

(1) Identity and image of a place;

(2) Branding and place branding;

(3) Community identity in place promotion campaigns. The link with civic tourism.

Presentation and discussion on the topic of – Tools for research – gathering information steps in marketing research; interview guidelines for the teams; interpreting and making use of the information

Nuts and bolts for the communication plan

Practical exercise – (1) based on the initial framework discussed, the task is to elaborate an initial need for information for your tentative campaign (social, cultural, economic…); (2) building on the previous step findings, draft an interview guide for the community of Rogoz.

• Experiential learning activities such as community action and problem-solving.
• Mentoring (to facilitate understanding and engagement with education for sustainable development issues).
• Interdisciplinary exploration and problem-solving.
• Action–research - a cyclical process of planning, action, observation, and reflection based on research to innovate and improve practice

19.05.2026

9:30 CEST Departure Ungureni – Rogoz - Ungureni

The students will conduct various communications sessions with members of community (adults, teenagers, children) from the designated village, to learn how to generate local contents in the social media related to preserving local heritage (material and immaterial). The students – as teams, were required to develop a communications plan which required them to make direct contact with the community, analyzing its social needs and offering a communications action that would achieve the proposed objectives, to underline the economic importance of the heritage.

Viorel Mihailă & Philia Issari

Conduct the interviews in the community. Use the general interview guide to gather information from the local authorities (as clarification questions following their presentations), essential stakeholders, local tourism workers, and NGO representatives on-site. Draft the initial report of the research conducted throughout the day.

• Pre-active phase: the theoretical foundations will be analyzed; the social context of the selected area will be defined; the research questions and objectives will be proposed; the contextual influences were defined, as were the resources that would be needed and the timing; and the research process was proposed.
• Interactive phase: the intervention and field work were carried out. Qualitative information will be collected through the different tools that have already been described.
• Analysing the identitarian relevance of an UNESCO Site – Church „Biserica Sfinții Arhangheli Mihail și Gavril”
• Discussions and presentations from locals and authorities in addition of identity characteristics
• Local handicrafts, gastronomy, religious and non-religious celebrations as tools for tourism promotion (on site live experience)
• Post-action phase: the final report on the study will be written, detailing the critical reflections on the case studied.

20.05.2026

9:30 CEST Departure Ungureni - Rogoz – Băiuț – Ungureni

Călina & Florin Mârzac, Ioan Hojda

• Service-learning introduces the active participation of students and their exposure to real world challenges, and this real involvement in ex-mining community activities, in addition to building relationships and knowledge
• Meeting with local administration representatives involved in promoting the cultural identity and members of local community
• Students will provide some solutions based on their on-line activity, related to the economical transformations.

21.05.2026

9:30 CEST Departure Ungureni – Rogoz – Poiana Botizii – UNESCO Secular Forest

Florin Mârzac & WWF

• Meeting with ROMSILVA and WWF representatives related to explain the campaign for establishing an Environmental & Cultural Protected Area, during the visit of the UNESCO site.
• the day project incorporated into the knowledge of the environment subject, will comprise an ecological approach of Poiana Botizii area – an old mining facility, a relict area nowadays.
• Meeting with Lapușul Românesc Mayoress – Q&A – development programmes with national and European financing, actual community issues etc.
• Service-learning introduces the active participation of students and their exposure to real world challenges, and this real involvement in community activities, in addition to building relationships and knowledge.

22.05.2026

9:30 – 12:00 CEST

• Presenting the results of the teamwork

12:00 CEST

• Returning to Cluj-Napoca
• Departure of the participants

The virtual section of the BIP will take place between 20th April - 11th May 2026. The virtual component consists of four online sessions: 

• 20.04.2026, 14:00 – 18:00 CEST 

1st Virtual Session | Comparative perspective on Civic Engagement | University of Tübingen, Germany & Aix Marseille University, France. 

• 27.04.2026, 14:00 – 18:00 CEST 

2nd Virtual Session | Civic Engagement, Competences and Motivation | University of Tübingen, Germany. 

• 04.05.2026, 14:00 – 18:00 CEST 

3rd Virtual Session | Civic Engagement in Higher Education – Service-Learning and Social Justice | Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain. 

• 11.05.2026, 14:00 – 16:00 CEST 

4th Virtual Session | Update and Coordination Meeting for Physical Mobility | University of Bucharest, Romania.