Current and always different - SoMa in action from the perspective of lecturers in the degree programme

Sustainability in the social economy means balancing social, ecological and economic decisions - often without ideal solutions. Although these dilemmas cannot be completely resolved, they can be reflected upon and shaped. Institutions and organisations are faced with the challenge of making their services sustainable in the long term, using resources responsibly and putting people at the centre. Against this backdrop, the main theme of the project days „SoMa in Action“ offered numerous points of reference for students on the Bachelor's degree programme in Social Management.

Learning across semester boundaries

A special feature of the project days is their cross-semester orientation. Students from different study phases worked together in mixed groups. This meant that basic theoretical knowledge, e.g. in the form of specialist lectures, initial practical experience and advanced management perspectives came together directly. This diversity once again proved to be a great asset: younger students contributed curious questions and new perspectives, while students from higher semesters shared their experiences from internships, projects and seminars.

The joint work not only promoted professional exchange, but also social skills such as teamwork, communication and project organisation. Skills that are of central importance for future activities in the social economy.

Diverse project ideas and practical questions = room for discussion and different perspectives

In addition to the content-related project work, the invited guest speakers, Prof. Dr Stoll from Fulda University of Applied Sciences and Ms Tiepelmann-Halm from Schrankenlos e.V., took a look at the topic of sustainability in the social economy in various formats.

It became clear that sustainable behaviour in the social economy is not only a structural, but also a Ethical and professional attitude that need to be reflected upon. SoMa in Action concluded with a simulation game that made topics such as consensus building and compromise particularly tangible - an insight that many students emphasised as particularly valuable afterwards.

An established format with a future

With the third realisation, the cross-semester project days have finally established themselves as a Proven teaching and learning format established in the Social Management degree programme. They combine theory and practice, promote personal responsibility and strengthen cohesion and cooperation within the degree programme. This year's focus topic of sustainability impressively demonstrated how relevant and forward-looking such formats are for the training of future specialists and managers in the social economy.

The project days in December 2025 made it clear once again that sustainability cannot be viewed solely in isolation in courses - it is created through dialogue, cooperation and the joint commitment of many.

Just like in our SoMa in action format: up-to-date and always different.