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Peer mentor programme a space for student learning and development

20 March 2023 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Lunga Luthuli

Peer mentor support programme — Pictured are students who recently attended the peer mentor training programme for the 2023 Peer Mentor cohort on the Qwaqwa Campus.

Helping first-year students with the transition to a university environment, the University of the Free State (UFS) has been running the Peer Mentor Programme. Over more than a decade, it has grown by leaps and bounds, providing a socio-emotional space conducive to student learning, development, and success.

Previously known as the P3 Mentor Programme, which was only available to students on the Bloemfontein Campus, it has grown into an institutional programme that provides support to first-year students on all three UFS campuses.

Dr WP Wahl, Director: Student Life: Division of Student Affairs, said: “The biggest need observed was that first-year students find it hard to adjust to the university environment, and since its inception, this programme has provided significant support.” The first-year student cohort for 2023 had their first interaction with their peer mentors on Friday 10 March 2023.

To become a peer mentor, senior undergraduate students go through a rigorous selection and training process before serving in a mentor role, and must have an average of 60% in their studies.

Recently, the UFS trained more than 500 student peer mentors on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa campuses to act as trusted confidants to first-year students on all three campuses, connecting them to resources and opportunities and acting as healthy role models.

“Peer mentors are also trained to co-create solutions with first-year students in response to their specific developmental needs. First-year students who join a peer mentor group also become part of a friendship circle,” added Dr Wahl.

Part of the Division of Student Affairs that students can look out for is Kovsie Support Services, where they can sign up for the Future Lead Challenge offered by the Student Leadership Development Office.

For student support, the Career Services Division also has a Career Development Programme, which helps students to think about and plan for their future careers.

News Archive

UFS deserves right to decisions

2010-08-15

Following visits of various youth formations to the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Rector and Vice-Chancellor, as well as the Dean of Student Affairs the past week, the university sees the need to remind all stakeholders and outside organisations that, although their views and inputs may be welcomed, the university reserves the right to make decisions regarding student matters and protect our students against suspected influences.

This reminder follows a series of meetings with organisations such as amongst others the Afriforum Youth and the ANC Youth League and subsequent media releases by some of these organisations, which often do not reflect correctly the nature and content of the discussions.

“While we welcome engagement with any organisation serving a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic agenda and regularly invite civil society organisations to dialogue with and assist us in student matters, we reserve the right to decide how to best serve interest of our students,” said Mr Rudi Buys, Dean of Student Affairs at the UFS.

“In our attempt to construct a value-driven, ethically sound and mature student governance environment, we also expect of stakeholders to ensure they engage us maturely and ethically at all times,” Mr Buys said.

“We will guard against organisations that may, under a guise of civil society engagement, wish to continue dysfunctional party-political cultures that fuel divisions and racial tensions among our students. In such cases where organisations by their conduct may prove themselves to do exactly that, we will have no other option but to refuse them entry to campus and set limits to their engagement of our students,” Mr Buys warned.

Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg.)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
14 August 2010

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