Fabricating Service-Learning: The Convergence of Global Frameworks and Local Realities in Latin America

In this chapter, the authors analyze how global frameworks contribute to sustainable service-learning experiences in Latin America, involving architecture and design students, nonprofit organizations, government institutions, academics, and suburban communities. Through a systematic literature review, the authors trace the evolution of service-learning ideals and their challenges in architectural education across both the Northern Hemisphere and Latin America. Their analysis reveals how global service-learning differs from traditional approaches due to South-North and North-South migrations, digital education environments, digital fabrication technologies, and volunteer tourism. The authors categorized the implementations into five stages with 17 patterns across cross-country (US and Peru) and local (Chile) experiences. They emphasize the advantages of ecosystem interactions that transform global concepts into local solutions, simultaneously enhancing learning outcomes and addressing community challenges.