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12 August 2021 | Story Rulanzen Martin and ANDRÉ DAMONS | Photo Flickr Creative Commons
The Hon. Minister Lindiwe Zulu will be the keynote speaker.
The Department of Social Work in the Faculty of the Humanities at the University of the Free State, together with the Zola Skweyiya African Social Policy Innovation (ZSASPI) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), will bring together experts for a virtual colloquium on the role of social science in South Africa’s protest culture. The keynote speaker is the Honourable Lindiwe Zulu, Minister of Social Development. 

Various social science academics and experts from the UFS, University of Cape Town, the University of Venda (Univen), the University of South Africa (Unisa), and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) will present on various related themes. 

The speakers will look to find social sciences-driven solutions on active citizenry (incorporating communities and harnessing their energies towards the national development agenda), the establishment of a nexus between rights and responsibilities (dealing with problems in the absence of violence), the acculturation of younger generations into the values of nation building and economic inclusion. 

In addition to Minister Zulu, other speakers include Dr Ncube, Prof Chitja Twala (Vice-Dean, Faculty of the Humanities, UFS), Prof Noyoo, Dr Motlalepula Nathane-Taulela (University of the Witwatersrand – WITS), Dr Grey Magaiza (UFS), and Dr Thabisa Matsea (University of Venda – UNIVEN). They will give presentations on the notion of rights with responsibilities, active citizenry, political intolerance and inequality, unemployment and poverty.

View full programme


Details of colloquium:
Theme: South Africa’s protest culture and wanton violence: Any role for social sciences?
Date: 18 August
Time: 09:30-15:00
Platform: Zoom

Registration is required

Click here to register

 

 

News Archive

We show our colours in support of autism awareness
2012-04-11

The Main Building on our Bloemfontein Campus will be illuminated in blue till the end of April to show support for autism awareness.
Photo: René-Jean van der Berg
12 April 2012

The Main Building on our Bloemfontein Campus will be illuminated in blue till the end of April to show our support for autism awareness, together with the rest of the world.

April is Autism Awareness Month and various iconic landmarks worldwide will be lit up in blue to honour those with autism.

Autism is one of only three conditions that are commemorated by the World Health Organisation.

Autism is a neurological condition that can be diagnosed in children as young as three years old. Worldwide one out of every 100 children is diagnosed within the autistic spectrum. This means that in South Africa a child is born with autism every hour and in the Free State some 400 children per year are born with the condition.

“Despite the high prevalence of autism in South Africa, South Africans know very little about it,” says Dr. David Griessel, an autism expert of the UFS’s Department of Paediatrics and Child Health. “Stories and films that attempt to portray autistic characters often create the wrong impression among the public concerning this complex illness. This distorts the reality since every child with autism is unique,” says Dr. Griessel.

He says it is important that all children with signs of autism are referred for evaluation as early intervention can prevent autism from further disrupting normal development.

Therapists and teachers who specialise in autism-specific treatment play an important role in this regard.

“However, there are no well-established services for toddlers in the Free State. Fortunately, there are classes developing in schools such as Lettie Fouché, Willem Postma and Pholoho, as well as in Kroonstad and Welkom. The Free State Autism Association has established a private school that offers a service to seven learners.”

For more information on autism in children or for information on special projects in the Free State, contact Dr. Griessel at +27(0)51 405 53177 or +27(0)51 405 3181.

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