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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.
Students come together to commemorate Mandela
2016-08-18
Where there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful results are bound to follow. Students from the School of Allied Health Professions at the Faculty of Health Sciences demonstrated this in their collaboration with students from the Department of Fine Arts to pay homage to Mandela, through a Nelson Mandela-inspired art piece.
Fingerprint donations go a long way
Creating a portrait of the icon on a canvas, they invited members of the university to take part in completing the portrait with their fingerprints, for a small fee. The initiative was aimed at celebrating the life of the world leader. And in true Madiba spirit, the contributions collected were donated to the university’s ‘No Student Hungry’ (NSH) programme. The programme provides less privileged students with the necessary nourishment to excel in their academic studies.
UFS community embodies selflessness
Vicky Simpson of the NSH programme said that initiatives such as these reveal the true spirit of compassion and sense of commitment found in members of the UFS community. “NHS is sincerely grateful to each and every person who made a contribution. It will surely go a long way”. The day was sealed with special performances by Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy students.
More opportunities for student participation and involvement in completing the artwork will be presented in future.