BOOKS I Building Opportunities for Our Kids and Seniors
BOOKS (Building Opportunities for Our Seniors and Kids) is a new service-learning project that addresses issues of educational and social justice. It focuses in particular on children, young people and seniors in Germany who are affected by educational and social inequalities.
In the Winter semester 2026/2027 course students will leave academic walls to connect what they learn to community practice. Using storytelling and bookmaking, they will engage with seniors and children to bring personal stories and experiences to life. For more information click here to the course catalogue.
BOOKS (Building Opportunities for Our Kids and Seniors) connects university students with underserved children and seniors to bridge generational gaps through community service, storytelling and bookmaking. It is structured as a semester-long course, combining high impact pedagogical approaches like service-learning, domestic study-away, and storytelling. The aim is to strengthen students' understanding of issues pertaining to socioeconomic and educational justice impacting children and seniors in Germany while addressing community needs.
BOOKS is structured as a semester-long service-learning course with ECTS credits. It is offered through the Transdisciplinary Course Program and is open to students from all disciplines. The course brings together students, lecturers and community partners to identify and discuss social and educational inequalities faced by children, young people and seniors in Germany. Students will then combine these discussions with practical engagement with non-profit organizations in and beyond Tübingen. The course will be offered starting with the winter semester of 2026/2027, under the name “My Stories, Our Voices: Exploring Social and Educational Justice in Germany” and is credible for the certificate Civic Engagement as unit 2.
BOOKS aims to cultivate a civic engagement experience that is capable of meaningful transformation. To do this, we take a participatory approach involving students, lecturers and community partners in the project design, delivery and assessment. This collaborative partnership ensures that everyone’s perspective are considered. Our community partners are non-profit organizations including schools that are located in and beyond Tübingen, that work actively to address issues in social and education justice in underserved communities.
