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01 July 2021
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Story Dikgapane Makhetha
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Photo Supplied
This year, the young people of South Africa celebrated 45 years of the annual commemoration of
Youth Day. The University of the Free State (UFS)
Community Engagement (CE) office on the
Qwaqwa Campus has engaged a number of stakeholders in the call to use football as a means of bringing people together, transforming lives, and enthusing communities. Through partnerships, community organisations have great potential to create opportunities for breaking down barriers and inspiring social cohesion, initiating enablement through the development of social projects, and promoting education and health awareness.
On 16 June this year, local community organisations collaborated in the hosting of a soccer event for the youth of Qwaqwa at the FIFA Football for Hope Stadium in Tsheseng.
The Agape Foundation for Community Development,
Love Life,
Right to Care,
Youth in Action, Qwaqwa FIFA Project, and the Tsheseng Athletics Club were all stakeholders who diligently joined forces to ensure the successful launch of the tournament. Community development practitioners, who are trainees in the UFS Qwaqwa Department of Community Development, were garbed in departmental branded gear and have cautiously facilitated adherence to COVID-19 protocols. About 250 people, including football fans and participants, attended and enjoyed the entertaining games. Through the partnered recreational project, the Qwaqwa Campus CE office responded to the 2021 Youth Day theme: ‘Growing Youth Employment for an inclusive and transformed society’, by enhancing opportunities for networking among stakeholders. Football is popularly known for promoting transformational social projects in diverse communities across the globe.
Crossing borders, merging boundaries
2014-02-25
Photo: Johan Roux
Senior and first-year international students recently experienced the warm embrace of the university. The Office for International Affairs and the SRC International Affairs hosted a welcoming gala dinner for their students.
SRC member: International Student Council, Brian Hlongwane, emphasised why this group is so important to the university – helping to ensure the international students feel that they are an integral part of our three campuses.
Rudi Buys, Dean of Student Affairs, encouraged these students to immerse themselves in campus life in order to help build bridges between cultures. “Own your space, engage in and facilitate conversations around issues at this university. Do not hold back and become a spectator, know that you have the same responsibilities as any registered student at the UFS,” Buys said.
Dineo Gaofhiwe-Ingram, Head of the Office for International Affairs, spoke about the complexities of the country that international students now face. She urged students to find their role in the student community across the three campuses. In addition, they need to know their rights as well as their responsibilities. “You all deserve to be treated, and taken well care of, like any other registered student on this campus. Nothing should set you apart from the rest,” Gaofhiwe-Ingram stressed.