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08 October 2021 | Story Burneline Kaars | Photo Supplied
Some of the current staff well-being ambassadors.

A key responsibility of the Division of Organisational Development and Employee Well-being is to actively promote and enhance the health and well-being of University of the Free State (UFS) staff members. The philosophy of the programme views human beings as a complex interplay between various internal and external influences. Thus, optimal levels of health and well-being can only be achieved by following a holistic approach, both physically and emotionally. The way we function in one dimension can enhance or impede the way we function in another dimension. In response, the division develops and offers programmes for employees to enhance their overall well-being.

Staff Well-being Ambassadors Team

The implementation of the preventative programmes has been shown to have a beneficial impact on the health and well-being of attendees. Adequate attendance is also a critical factor in the success of preventative programmes, and as a result, continuous efforts are being implemented to reach as many employees as possible.

The Staff Well-being Ambassadors Programme (SWAP) at the UFS has been created and introduced to expand the reach and impact of the OD and Employee Well-being initiatives.  The Staff Well-being Ambassadors Team (SWAT) is truly the backbone of our OD and well-being programme. Employees who form part of SWAT will act as accredited representatives of the OD and Employee Well-being division within their respective departments and workplaces.

Promoting health and wellness

Staff well-being ambassadors are employees from across our three campuses, advocating for employees' holistic well-being and promoting a healthy workplace. The SWAT goal is to contribute to a supportive workplace environment and to encourage positive health and wellness behaviours. Ambassadors will support OD and Well-being initiatives by promoting health and wellness messages and behaviours, as well as inspiring their colleagues to get involved to improve their holistic well-being.

Please contact wellness@ufs.ac.za if you are interested in promoting health and well-being within your department or unit.

Burneline Kaars is Head of the Division of Organisational Development and Employee Well-being in the Department of Human Resources at the UFS.

News Archive

Prof Van den Oever gives students a different perspective
2016-05-06

Description: Prof Van den Oever gives students a different perspective Tags: Prof Van den Oever gives students a different perspective

Prof Annie van den Oever from the Netherlands presented a series of guest lectures on media technologies to students of the Film and Visual Media Programme at the University of the Free State (UFS). Here from left is Chris Vorster, lecturer in Drama and Theatre Arts, Prof Van den Oever, and Dr Pieter Venter, Senior lecturer at Drama and Theatre Arts.
Photo: Jóhann Thormählen

She played a part in conceptualising the Film and Visual Media Programme at the University of the Free State (UFS), and sees film from a perspective different from most young South Africans.

According to Chris Vorster, lecturer of the UFS BA Honours degree in Film and Visual Media, this is one of the reasons why Prof Annie van den Oever’s visit is of such great value. The actor, who is a lecturer in Drama and Theatre Arts, believes it is important to expose his students to influences outside their normal experience.

Prof Van den Oever, an extraordinary professor at the UFS since 2011, presented a series of guest lectures on media technologies from 11-14 April 2016 at the Audio Visual Studio on the Bloemfontein Campus. She is a senior researcher for Film at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and an Associated Researcher for Film at Paris 1, Panthéon Sorbonne, in France.

Another milieu

“It is invaluable for students, in any field of study, to receive as many influences from the outside. Therefore, it is important to have someone here from another milieu and context. And academically, she is outstanding,” says Vorster.

Vorster’s students are also exposed to practical expertise from the industry in the country, not only academics.

Relationship with UFS

Prof Van den Oever says she usually visits the UFS twice a year. Her recent lecture series on media technologies was about the power of visual and film culture today, and how you can understand its powers. “Why strange effects work strongly and why the strange is inserted, because people respond strongly to them,” she says.

Prof van den Oever enjoys meeting new people, and often works with colleagues from the UFS on various projects. She also is full of praise for the management of the university. “It is great to work across cultures, and be part of a university in transition.”

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