Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Be loyal to your calling

04 March 2019 | Story Valentino Ndaba

Next Chapter calls upon you to stay true to yourself by taking care of your mental well-being.

As the academic year kicks off, the University of the Free State gives a warm welcome to first-year and returning students. In the spirit of healthy new beginnings, Next Chapter has penned a letter to fellow students that speaks to mental health. Hear what they have to say:

Be loyal to your calling and the universe will locate you; once located, dominate! Fellow Kovsies, it is really happening. Not so long ago, this was just a dream – and somewhat far-fetched.

This is your moment; be at ease and feel at home, because you’re about to become a long-term tenant in a prestigious community of diversity, love, care, family, greatness, and prosperity. With that said, I welcome the class of 2019 to a community of brilliant minds. Bear in mind that all of us want to be part of such a community, but only a few get to make it – so, be very proud of yourselves.

Tap into endless possibilities

Now that you are here, know that everything is at your fingertips; you have the upper hand, and everything is now made possible. This is a moment for growth, to reinvent yourself, and expect the greatest confusion of your life as your mind and feelings will be tested and conflicted. Here is where you learn and unlearn certain things about your community and the world around you. So, please take this opportunity to explore, engage, participate, and where you can, mark your territory and dominate.

University can be tough as you face adversities and struggle to cope with juggling your grades and a social life. Find comfort in the knowledge that these are temporary circumstance you need to contend with. You are destined to emerge at the top.

Never succumb to the urge of givingup

There will be days when your subconscious fails you, there will be days when discontinuing your academics and heading back home is tempting. Do not to give in. Do not give up. You are here for a reason. Think about the twelve years of your life spent preparing for this moment. Some of you are going to struggle with academics, social life, finances, and conflicted minds which will hinder you in focusing on your academics. Seek help when you struggle.

Surround yourself with positive people who always bring out the best in you. There are avenues available to you, such as the psychologist sessions offered by Kovsie Health, and social workers who are there to help with various issues.

Support is at your disposal

Mentorship programmes such as Gateway are also at your disposal as a first-year student adjusting to a new environment. Student Life is always there for you in times of need. Next Chapter is a student organisation that advocates for mental health and can assist as well should you need support.

From us as Next Chapter to you as fellow students, we would like to officially welcome and encourage you to make the best of this experience. Be loyal to your calling, which has led you to the University of the Free State – and never forget that you matter. This is the beginning of something great and the continuing of your story.

News Archive

Victory lies beyond the moment

2017-12-25

Mokoena learns a new skill at the Learning Festival arranged
by the Centre for Community Engagement.
Photo: Igno van Niekerk

For Mokoena it was just a regular day. Another day. Another rush. As a taxi driver you get used to the adrenaline, taking gaps, foot on the accelerator. Alert. Honking hooters. Angry drivers.

Then it came out of nowhere. A stroke. The one side of his body was going numb. What was happening? What about his job? His income? His life?

Fast-forward a few years.

I meet Mokoena at the Learning Festival arranged by the Centre for Community Engagement, in association with Bloemshelter on the University of the Free State’s Bloemfontein Campus. A reserved young man, Mokoena is busy at one of the stands where a range of people from rural communities come to learn new skills. At no cost. They then go back to teach the skills they learnt in their communities. Job creation, that’s the philosophy: as you develop, you need to develop others.

When I talk to Karen Venter, Head of Service Learning at the Centre for Community Engagement, the stories are overwhelming. “There was the lady who attended 19 workshops in two days. She went back to her community, shared her knowledge and became an entrepreneur helping others take care of themselves.”

New skills
Mokoena is also here to acquire new skills. After his stroke he was told by occupational therapy students about a project that teaches you to build your own house with raw materials. He takes out his cellphone with a sense of pride. Scrolls through some pictures: “This is my house. I built it from all kinds of things, cow manure, bottles, clay, other people’s rubbish.” The pictures show a house in a neat environment. Solid. Proud. A lot of healing came with building the house. Karen explains: “The physical work he was doing, pushing a wheelbarrow and working, but more than that – the knowledge that he could take charge, make a difference, work on a dream – the healing power of a sense of purpose. He became stronger and more confident.”

Victory
Mokoena walks back to the sewing workshop he was attending before sharing his story. The buzz continues inside the Equitas Building where artisans, entrepreneurs and UFS staff are sharing their skills. Sewing machines hum away and infrequent beeps sound from a table where an excited group of non-scientists have just completed the building of circuits. Faces light up with every beep. Hands raised. Fists clenched. Victory!

But the victory lies beyond the moment. It’s in the confidence, the learning, and the sharing that will be taking place when these people go back to their communities. Some will participate in research projects; others will benefit from curricular requirements leading students into distant communities, and others will be hosting workshops at the next Learning Festival.

And there will be more great stories. Like Mokoena’s.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept