Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

Celebrating Success: Project Empower optimises UFS student-athletes through the GROW programme

27 November 2023 | Story Cindé Greyling | Photo SUPPLIED

In the latter part of 2023, KovsieSport (KS) Soccer, in collaboration with Student Counselling and Development (SCD) at the University of the Free State (UFS), introduced a transformative self-development initiative for student-athletes. The GROW programme, an acronym for growth, resilience, optimism, and wellness, is a meticulously structured, resilience-based project firmly rooted in Positive Psychology (PP). PP methodologies aim to foster human strengths, psychological capabilities, and overall flourishing.

Cultivating an optimised mind for an optimised body

Dr Munita Dunn-Coetzee, Director of SCD, emphasises the critical link between physical and mental well-being for student-athletes. Pushing their bodies to excel significantly influences their mental health,” she notes. “Creating awareness and a supportive culture within sports teams is important.” The GROW programme, initially piloted by students four years ago on the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa campuses, demonstrated statistically significant improvements in students’ subjective well-being, resilience, hope, and noteworthy reductions in experiences of depression and stress. Encouraged by these positive outcomes, the programme was subsequently integrated into KovsieSport.

Balancing the equation: The other side of sport

Tobias van den Bergh, Senior Psychologist: SCD, underscores the multifaceted nature of well-being. While physical exercise is a potent natural medicine supporting mental health, he highlights the importance of addressing emotional, spiritual, cognitive, social, and physical aspects of well-being. Van den Bergh cautions against the potential harm associated with exercise when linked to high-pressure performance goals or unhealthy objectives, advocating instead for a holistic approach to well-being.

Bridging the gap: Impact of the GROW programme

The GROW programme successfully bridges the gap between sports and mental health, fostering increased trust among student-athletes. Godfrey Tenoff, Senior Official at KS Football, observes enhanced cohesion among participants, affirming that the programme positively influenced their preparedness for life’s challenges. Makhaola Mohale, one of the attendees, encapsulates the sentiment, stating, “The biggest takeaway was to always have a heart and mind of gratitude.”

Celebrating victories: Stop at the top

On 27 October 2023, the GROW Certificate and Celebration Ceremony acknowledged student-athletes who completed the project, the event served as a reminder that, beyond the pursuit of victories in sports, investing in mental health is a significant triumph. In the words of the author, “Congratulations to all our student-athletes who completed the GROW-programme.”

UFS Student Careline:

0800 00 6363
Text: 43302

News Archive

Victory lies beyond the moment

2017-12-25

Mokoena learns a new skill at the Learning Festival arranged
by the Centre for Community Engagement.
Photo: Igno van Niekerk

For Mokoena it was just a regular day. Another day. Another rush. As a taxi driver you get used to the adrenaline, taking gaps, foot on the accelerator. Alert. Honking hooters. Angry drivers.

Then it came out of nowhere. A stroke. The one side of his body was going numb. What was happening? What about his job? His income? His life?

Fast-forward a few years.

I meet Mokoena at the Learning Festival arranged by the Centre for Community Engagement, in association with Bloemshelter on the University of the Free State’s Bloemfontein Campus. A reserved young man, Mokoena is busy at one of the stands where a range of people from rural communities come to learn new skills. At no cost. They then go back to teach the skills they learnt in their communities. Job creation, that’s the philosophy: as you develop, you need to develop others.

When I talk to Karen Venter, Head of Service Learning at the Centre for Community Engagement, the stories are overwhelming. “There was the lady who attended 19 workshops in two days. She went back to her community, shared her knowledge and became an entrepreneur helping others take care of themselves.”

New skills
Mokoena is also here to acquire new skills. After his stroke he was told by occupational therapy students about a project that teaches you to build your own house with raw materials. He takes out his cellphone with a sense of pride. Scrolls through some pictures: “This is my house. I built it from all kinds of things, cow manure, bottles, clay, other people’s rubbish.” The pictures show a house in a neat environment. Solid. Proud. A lot of healing came with building the house. Karen explains: “The physical work he was doing, pushing a wheelbarrow and working, but more than that – the knowledge that he could take charge, make a difference, work on a dream – the healing power of a sense of purpose. He became stronger and more confident.”

Victory
Mokoena walks back to the sewing workshop he was attending before sharing his story. The buzz continues inside the Equitas Building where artisans, entrepreneurs and UFS staff are sharing their skills. Sewing machines hum away and infrequent beeps sound from a table where an excited group of non-scientists have just completed the building of circuits. Faces light up with every beep. Hands raised. Fists clenched. Victory!

But the victory lies beyond the moment. It’s in the confidence, the learning, and the sharing that will be taking place when these people go back to their communities. Some will participate in research projects; others will benefit from curricular requirements leading students into distant communities, and others will be hosting workshops at the next Learning Festival.

And there will be more great stories. Like Mokoena’s.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept