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The Inaugural Dream Walk Puts First-Years in High Spirits

25 February 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu | Photo Victor Ramphore Mahlohla (baddapictures)

The inaugural dream walk at the University of the Free State took place on the Bloemfontein Campus on 19 February 2022. The dream walk, also referred to as ‘Leeto la ditoro’, will become an annual event where first-year students come together to express and celebrate their dreams and aspirations.

The event was well attended by Bloemfontein Campus first-year students, who believe that the event is a great way to set the tone for the rest of the year. The students first gathered at a station on campus, where they were issued with a faculty T-shirt, key chain, a dream card, and a mask. The official walk then began from the Visitor Centre Gate on the northwest side of the Bloemfontein Campus to the Main Building, where members of the senior leadership are based.

During the walk, first-year students had to write down their dreams and aspirations on the dream card, which they ultimately placed in a box at the Main Building. “I found it amazing to be able to put my dreams on paper; it makes them more realistic,” highlighted Marise Prinsloo, a first-year student from the Outeniqua residence. Although some of the aspirations were too personal for some first-year students to speak about, others’ aspirations varied from academic success, spiritual wellness, and mental and physical health. In fact, Malcolm Willemse, who is also a first-year student from Outeniqua, hopes to secure a number of leadership positions. “I have dreams of being in the first-year committee and of being in the sub-committees, and I managed to write these down,” he shared.

In addition, the atmosphere at the event was vibrant, as the students were excited to engage with one another. “It was amazing to walk with other residences such as Villa Bravado, Abraham Fischer, and Conlaurês, as they have great spirit,’’ expressed Willemse. The walk included songs from the various residences, and the first-year students were dancing and singing along. However, the fun did not end there. Once the students arrived at the Main Building, they were treated to a DJ who had them dancing and singing even more.

As the dream walk event will also take place on the Qwaqwa and South Campuses, the students on these campuses can expect to take part in a lot of singing, dancing, and other cultural activities. Precious Modiba, who is also a first-year student, argues that besides having a good time, one of the best things about the dream walk is the friends that one gets to make.

News Archive

UFS sets trend for higher education institutions

2005-09-21

The University of the Free State (UFS) offers more service-learning courses than any other higher education institution in the country and has the highest number of students enrolled for these service-learning courses.

This was the research findings on higher education institutions conducted between 2001 and 2004 by the Joint Education Trust (JET) into service-learning courses. These are courses which seek to integrate service to the community into the academic core of higher education institutions.

The results of this research indicated that the UFS is one of the few higher education institutions in South Africa that have made progress in integrating community engagement into the mainstream academy.

According to the findings 2 233 students at the UFS participated in service-learning courses supported by JET, while 858 students at the University of Transkei (UNITRA), 636 students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and only 600 students at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) participated in service-learning courses.

In total there were 6 930 students participating in service learning courses supported by the JET at 10 institutions throughout the country.

The research also found that out of a total of 182 service-learning courses supported by JET countrywide, the UFS had the highest number of such courses at 42, followed by WITS with 28, the University of Kwazulu Natal with 26, UWC 24 and UNITRA with 22.

Nationally, most of the service-learning courses at higher education institutions are offered in the human sciences (62), followed by health sciences (37), education (26), agriculture (14), and economic sciences (11).

According to leading academics, service-learning is a credit-bearing, educational exercise in which students participate in an organised service activity that meets identified community needs and helps the student to gain a deeper understanding of course content and a sense of civic responsibility.

Reacting to the research findings, the Rector and Vice-chancellor of the UFS, Prof Frederick Fourie, said the university feels strongly that there should be integration of service-learning into the academic core of the institution.

“Through service-learning modules the UFS can give expression to its role of service to the community as an institution of higher learning, producing quality graduates who understand the communities in which they will have to function for the rest of their lives,” Prof Fourie said.

According to Mr Jo Lazarus, the project manager of the Community-Higher Education – Service Partnership (CHESP), which falls under the JET, a number of institutions have identified community engagement as a strategic priority and have allocated significant resources from their central budget towards its implementation.

Mr Lazarus said most students have an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards service learning.

“A large percentage of students surveyed indicated that their service-learning course helped to improve their relationship skills, leadership skills and project planning abilities. As significant is the fact that these courses also benefited them in terms of their awareness of cultural differences and opened their eyes about their own cultural stereotypes,” said Mr Lazarus.

“The key challenge still hampering the integration of service-learning as a core function of academic activity is that some institutions still see service-learning as an add-on, and nice-to-have activity,” he said.

According to Mr Lazarus higher education must demonstrate social responsibility and commitment to the common good by making available expertise and infrastructure for service-learning as a form of community engagement.

Media release
Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel: (051) 401-2584
   Cell: 083 645 2454
   E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
   20 September 2005

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