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03 March 2020 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo Supplied
Digital Storytelling
Universities, non-profit organisations, and community members collaborated in the recent symposium, Scholarship of Engagement through Digital Storytelling for the Common Good, hosted by the UFS. From the left, are Julie Adair (Glasgow Caledonian University), Prof Puleng LenkaBula (UFS), Prof Lesley Wood (NWU), and Prof Boiphelo Marilyn Setlalentoa (NWU).
A symposium that bridges the divide between academics and the community? This may sound like a contradiction in terms. However, this is exactly what the Directorate: Community Engagement and the Centre for Development Support at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently achieved. For the symposium, Scholarship of Engagement through Digital Storytelling for the Common Good, these two units at the UFS partnered to host a truly collaborative forum between international and local academics, NPOs, government officials, and Bloemfontein community members. For two days, from 26 to 27 February 2020, ideas and knowledge were exchanged on how to initiate and sustain social innovation and change.

Speaking on the topic of engaged scholarship, Prof Puleng LenkaBula, Vice-Rector: Institutional Change, Student Affairs, and Community Engagement at the UFS, remarked that “universities are not ivory towers that are disengaged in the lives and the well-being of their societies”. It is for this reason, therefore, that this symposium offered the opportunity to investigate the area of overlap between community involvement, social innovation, and digital storytelling in order to enhance engaged scholarship. 

Communities sharing knowledge

Karen Venter, Assistant Director: Community Engagement at the UFS, explained that ‘community’ not only refers to a group of people in a certain geographic location, but that communities are also formed on the basis of shared knowledge, values, experiences, or traditions. Engagement requires academics and students to build lasting relationships with people in the various communities in order to accomplish shared goals. These shared goals commonly include learning and research but should also span boundaries to cultivate multi-directional knowledge-sharing and even creating new courses with the input of the community. Ultimately, these interactions should enhance and benefit all participants equally in a relationship of shared power – a learning together through true reciprocity.

The second pillar of the symposium – the concept of social innovation – was introduced by Adelaide Sheik from the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Economy. Social innovation refers to those products, services, models, markets, and processes that offer effective and sustainable solutions for social and environmental problems. “The concept of social innovation,” Sheik said, “focuses attention on the ideas and solutions that create social value.” It is through partnering with institutions such as universities that these social solutions and values can find a bedrock in which to flourish through the sharing of skills and expertise.

Enhancing digital skills, informing scholarship, and sharing ideas 

Perhaps the golden thread that tied all the elements of the symposium together was digital storytelling. Julie Adair, Director of Digital Collaboration at Glasgow Caledonian University, and leader of the Common Good First project, underscored the great potential of digital storytelling – especially in higher education. Essentially, digital storytelling is a first-person narrative created by means of recorded voice, images, music, and sounds. Participants come together in a small facilitated story circle and share their experiences in an emotionally safe environment. Within these circles, participants then co-collaborate to shape and develop each other’s stories into personal scripts. Each participant is guided in the process to record and edit their script into a digital story, which is then shared among the group, or subsequently with even bigger audiences. In support of this initiative, the UFS Centre for Development Support recently opened a digital storytelling lab. As a methodology, digital storytelling is greatly adaptable to different contexts, giving voice to lived experiences. It is for this reason that digital storytelling is an excellent tool for identifying community needs, enhancing digital skills, informing scholarship, and sharing ideas. 

The success of the symposium can surely be measured against the response of the participants. In a mutually supportive environment, new networks were fostered between academics, community members, and NPOs, with renewed hope of finding solutions together.

News Archive

UV vestig hom afgelope eeu as leier op verskeie terreine
2004-05-11

Michelle O'Connor - Volksblad - 11 Mei 2004

Ondank terugslae nou 'n 'gesonde volwassene'

HOEWEL die Universiteit van die Vrystaat (UV) vanjaar sy eeufees vier en met 23 000 studente die grootste universiteit in die sentrale deel van die land is, was dié instelling se geboorte glad nie maklik nie. MICHELÉ O'CONNOR het met prof. Frederick Fourie, rektor, oor die nederige begin van dié instelling gesels.

DIE behoefte aan 'n eie universiteit in die Vrystaat het reeds in 1855, kort ná die stigting van Grey-kollege, kop uitgesteek.

Grey se manne het hulleself teen 1890 begin voorberei om die intermediêre B.A.-eksamens af te lê. Dié eksamen het hulle toegang gegee tot die tweede jaar van 'n B.A.-graad aan die destydse University of the Cape Good Hope, nou die Universiteit van Kaapstad.

"Presidente F.W. Reitz en M.T. Steyn het destyds albei die stigting van 'n universiteit hier bepleit. Die grootste rede was sodat die seuns van die Vrystaat nie weggestuur word nie.

"Dié twee se droom is op 28 Januarie 1904 bewaarheid toe ses studente hulle onder dr. Johannes Bril, as hoof/rektor van Grey-kollege, vir die graad B.A. ingeskryf het. Dié graad is aanvanklik deur die Kaapse universiteit toegeken.

"Net die klassieke tale soos Latyns en Grieks, die moderne tale, Nederlands, Duits en Engels, filosofie, geskiedenis, wiskunde, fisika, chemie, plant- en dierkunde is aanvanklik aangebied.

"Die UV se geboue het gegroei van 'n klein tweevertrek-geboutjie wat nou naby Huis Abraham Fischer staan, en verblyf in die Grey-kollege se seunskoshuis," sê Fourie.

Volgens hom is die universiteit se eerste raad en senaat tussen 1904 en 1920 saamgestel. Die eerste dosente is aangestel en die eerste geboue opgerig. "Dié tyd was egter baie moeilik.

"Die instelling het teen 1920 net 100 studente gehad en was geldelik in die knyp. Daar was geen vaste rektor nie en geen vooruitgang nie. Vrystaatse kinders is steeds na ander universiteite gestuur.

"Ds. J.D. Kestell, rektor van 1920 tot 1927, het egter dié instelling finaal gevestig.

"Hy het self studente van oor die hele Vrystaat gewerf en geld by onder meer kerke en banke ingesamel. Kestell het selfs Engelse ouers oortuig om hul kinders na die Greyuniversiteitskollege (GUK) te stuur en teen 1927 het dié instelling met 400 studente gespog.

"In die tydperk tussen 1927 en 1950 het die GUK weer verskeie terugslae beleef.

"In dié tyd was dit onder meer die Groot Depressie en die Tweede Wêreldoorlog. Die armblanke-vraagstuk het regstreeks op studente en dosente ingewerk en die politieke onderstrominge van dié tyd het die instelling ontwrig.

"Die GUK het egter oorleef en die Universiteitskollege van die Oranje-Vrystaat (UKOVS) is in 1935 gebore," sê Fourie.

Hy sê in dié tyd is verskeie fakulteite gevestig en teen 1950 het die UKOVS met 1 000 studente gespog.

Teen 1950 het dit 'n onafhanklike universiteit geword en die naam is verander na die Universiteit van die OranjeVrystaat (UOVS).

Dié tydperk is gekenmerk deur Afrikaner- en blanke selfvertroue en heerskappy. Studentegetalle het tot 7 000 in 1975 gegroei en heelwat vooruitgang het in dié tyd plaasgevind.

"Tussen 1976 en 1989 sukkel dieuniversiteit weer met onder meer ekonomiese krisisse, die land se politieke onstabiliteit en word die UOVS geï soleer.

"Een ligpunt in dié tyd is die toelating van die eerste swart studente, die nuwe Sasol-biblioteek en die fakulteit teologie wat die lig sien.

"Tussen 1990 en vanjaar het die UOVS verskeie op- en afdraandes beleef. Die universiteit doen nie net die eerste stappe van transformasie nie, maar begin ook aan 'n beleid van multikulturaliteit werk.

"Die UOVS se naam verander in 1996 na die Universiteit van die Vrystaat/University of the Free State en in 2001 word die Sotho-vertaling bygevoeg.

"Geldelike druk en probleme neem drasties toe en personeel word gerasionaliseer.

"Teen 2000 begin die UV met 'n draaistrategie en studentegetalle neem tot meer as 23 000 toe," sê Fourie.

Hy sê die UV het die afgelope eeu nie net verskeie terugslae oorleef nie, maar homself ook op verskeie gebiede as 'n leier gevestig.

Die universiteit behaal sy eie geldelike mikpunte, neem 'n nuwe taalbeleid van veeltaligheid aan en herbelê in personeel.

Die instelling inkorporeer die kampusse van die Vista- en Qwaqwa-universiteit en groei internasionaal.

Die UV vestig ook fondamente van 'n institusionele kultuur van verdraagsaamheid, geregtigheid en diversiteit.

"Die baba het in die afgelope eeu 'n gesonde volwassene geword."

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