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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.”

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News Archive

UFS study finds initiation does not build character

2015-06-24

Photo: Canva.com

Initiation at schools and school hostels does not build character or loyalty. On the contrary, it is a violation of human dignity and the rights of children.

This is the opinion of researchers from the University of the Free State’s Faculty of Education after an exploratory study of initiation practices in schools.

Although the use of initiation in schools and school hostels is forbidden by the Regulations to Prohibit Initiation Practices in Schools, the study found that this practice is still widely evident in schools. The study also found that, in some cases, teachers and/or principals take part.

In the study, led by Dr Kevin Teise from the Faculty of Education, it was found that physical deeds and even violence and emotional degradation were inflicted under the guise of ‘initiation’.

The study was discussed recently during a panel discussion between the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Law, and the Institute for Reconciliation and Social Justice.

The ‘initiation activities’ that take place during school hours ranged from carrying senior learners’ bags or doing other favours for them, handing over their food or food money, doing senior learners’ homework, and looking down when they speak to senior learners.

In school hostels, it was found that learners were expected to do humiliating things, and were also subjected to physical demands and even violence. Learners pointed out that they were smeared and beaten, their heads pushed into toilets, they had to bath or shower in cold water, they had to eat strange things, and they were prevented from sleeping.

Dr Teise says initiation practices are a general phenomenon in the schools and school hostels that took part in the investigation. Newcomers were subjected to silly and innocent practices, but also to physically and emotionally degrading, and even dangerous ones, before and after school, and during breaks and sports- and cultural gatherings.

“The study’s findings give every indication that the constitutional principles on which the policy document, Regulations to Prohibit Initiation Practices in Schools, is modelled, are not being put into practice and respected at these schools. Policy documents and school rules are pointless if learners, old pupils, parents, teachers, and the broad community consider initiation an acceptable behaviour that is, ostensibly, an inseparable part of school or hostel tradition and of the maturation and/or team-building processes.”

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