January 26, 2026 – The Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), in partnership with the Uniservitate and Centro Latinoamericano de Aprendizaje y Servicio Solidario (CLAYSS), successfully held the Special Learning Session No. 21, titled “From Theory to Pedagogy: Webinar on Service-Learning 101 and Syllabus Integration,” last January 26, 2026. This serves as a gathering platform for more than 800 educators and academic leaders, and administrators from across the country. The learning session promotes a shared commitment to strengthening service-learning as a transformative pedagogy in Catholic education. The program featured key insights from international and local experts, including Prof. Andrew Furco, UNISERVITATE Academic Sounding Board Member and former Associate Vice President for Public Engagement at the University of Minnesota; Fr. Wilmer Joseph S. Tria, Vice-President of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines; Dr. Fides del Castillo of De La Salle University; Dr. Carol Ma of the Singapore University of Social Sciences; and Dr. Jopriz Bueno of the Service-Learning Asia Network. Special messages and perspectives were also shared by Mgtr. Maria Rosa Tapia, General Coordinator of UNISERVITATE, Fr. Karel S. San Juan, SJ, the President of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, Mr. Narcy F. Ador Dionision, the Executive Director of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, Br. Manuel V. De Leon, FMS, CEAP Trustee-at-large; and Ms. Fritzie Ian De Vera, Vice President for Lasallian Mission of De La Salle University, through highlighting service-learning as education for the mind, heart, and hands.
This learning session was graced by CEAP leaders who emphasized the strategic importance of service-learning within the association’s mission. CEAP President Fr. Karel S. San Juan, SJ, described the webinar as a crucial first step toward building a sustained community of service-learning practitioners and advocates within the CEAP network, with promised follow-through and deepening activities. CEAP Executive Director Mr. Narcy F. Ador Dionisio highlighted service-learning as a pedagogy that forms the whole person and places the human being at the center of educational processes, while CEAP Vice-President Fr. Wilmer Joseph S. Tria led a discussion on aligning service-learning with CEAP’s mission, vision, and core values. The webinar concluded with a powerful Call to Action from CEAP Trustee-at-Large Br. Manuel V. De Leon, FMS, reminded participants that service-learning is a synergy of teaching, research, community engagement, and values formation directed toward nation-building and social transformation. Moving forward, CEAP strongly hopes that its member-schools will intentionally mainstream service-learning across curricula—not as an add-on, but as an expression of Catholic educational identity. CEAP reaffirmed its stance that service-learning is central to integral formation, faith that does justice, and the development of compassionate, socially responsible graduates. In partnership with UNISERVITATE, CEAP envisions sustained collaboration, faculty formation, and institutional commitment that will deepen reflection, strengthen community partnerships, and inspire hope through action. As echoed throughout the session, service-learning is one of the “constellations of hope” in Catholic education—shining brightest when schools, communities, and global partners journey together in solidarity.