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Learning to hope Doretha jacobs
Doretha Jacobs from UFS Consumer Studies teaches Matshidiso Motlhabane from Thaba Nchu Machine Sewing for Beginners.

The 6th annual Learning Festival is a combined effort by the UFS, NGOs and government departments, and is all about equipping people with skills that can help them to earn an income and so improve their quality of life.

Where it all began

The festival started six years ago as a conference focusing on job creation that the university hosted with Bloem Shelter, an NPO caring for homeless people. What started as a talkshop, has matured into a fully-fledged workshop in the truest sense. This year about 500 different skills-training opportunities are on offer, ranging from hairdressing, carpentry, and sewing, to workshops on mindfulness, 3D printing and first aid training. “The imparting of knowledge is not just a one-way flow,” explains UFS Director of Community Engagement, Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele. “Workshop presenters also learn a lot from participants. People empower one another with knowledge, and in so doing, we build better communities.”  

Creating heroes

This year’s theme, From Zero to Hero, is more than a slogan; it’s a reality. Some workshop attendees that started with absolutely no skills three years ago are now running successful businesses. 

Road to hope

“This is so much more than just teaching people a way to earn money,” says Izak Botes from Bloem Shelter. “When people don’t work, they also lose their sense of belonging and they start doubting their own worth. This festival is about teaching them to believe in themselves again.” 

News Archive

UFS closes pedestrian entrances to improve safety on campus
2010-08-05

The University of the Free State (UFS) will remove pedestrian gates on its Main Campus in an extra effort to improve safety on this campus.

It was decided to implement this plan because the campus covers a huge area and people who are not part of the campus community hang around on the campus, sometimes causing damages. This idea is also strongly supported by students, in particular with regard to the removal of the pedestrian thoroughfares close to the hostels.

The following pedestrian gates will not be removed:

- The pedestrian thoroughfares on both sides of the DF Malherbe Gate (next to the Faculty of Health Sciences). Both the main gate and the pedestrian thoroughfares at the DF Malherbe Gate remain open 24 hours a day.
- The pedestrian thoroughfares at the Badenhorst Street Gate (close to Roosmaryn Residence). The Badenhorst Gate is not open 24 hours a day, but the pedestrian thoroughfare will remain open 24 hours a day.

The following pedestrian thoroughfares will be removed with effect from 1 September 2010:

- The pedestrian thoroughfare to the east of Pellies Park
- The pedestrian thoroughfare to the west of Pellies Park (directly behind JMB Hertzog Residence)
- The turnstile between the Kovsie Church and the Wynand Mouton Gate
- The pedestrian thoroughfare behind the tennis courts
- The pedestrian thoroughfares behind the rugby fields

A request was also directed at the Kovsie Church to close down the pedestrian thoroughfare between the Kovsie Church and the UFS. This gate will then be opened during church activities.

From 1 September 2010, the personnel of Security Services will regularly patrol the fences. Trespassers that flatten the fencing to enter the campus will be prosecuted.

Students, personnel and visitors are encouraged to make use of the main entrance gates of the UFS. These include the Main Gate (in Nelson Mandela Drive), the Wynand Mouton Gate (in DF Malherbe Drive), the DF Malherbe Gate (in Wynand Mouton Drive), the Badenhorst Street Gate (close to Roosmaryn Residence) and the Furstenburg Gate (in Furstenburg Road).

Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt@ufs.ac.za
5 August 2010

 

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