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12 January 2024 | Story Nonsindiswe Qwabe | Photo Sonia Small
Dr Grey Magaiza read more
Since joining the UFS in 2008, Dr Grey Magaiza has worked extensively on approaches that can foster the socio-economic transformation of societies.

“The future should be one where communities can decide on their development agenda and futures. That’s the most important for me.” Dr Grey Magaiza, Deputy Director of the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS) and Head of the Community Development programme on the Qwaqwa Campus, is passionate about capacitating communities to be agents of change and advancement. His vision for the future emphasises the empowerment of communities to take charge of their development by actively participating in decision making and the implementation of development projects that can improve their lives.

Since joining the UFS in 2008, Dr Magaiza has worked extensively on approaches that can foster the socio-economic transformation of societies. Over the years, he has crafted his research speciality into one that he is most proud of – being an interdisciplinary scientist immersed in the development of communities.

Social entrepreneurship

“I’m in a fortunate position of researching what I like. I say ‘fortunate’, because I’ve taken the time to understand what I’m passionate about, which is the overall field of rural livelihoods and livelihood futures – in short, community development. My research starts from an engaged university, understanding the elements that a university must use to enhance transformation and relevance to its immediate community in terms of development.”

One of the ways he has done this is by looking at social entrepreneurship as a development approach for young people in a rural setting. Through workshops with non-profit and civic organisations in Qwaqwa, Dr Magaiza has been helping these organisations to map out their needs and actively meet them through the involvement and support of external role players.

Community organising

“We understand that communities are part of the national development agenda, but even that national agenda respects community knowledge and intentions and allows communities to shape their identity. A critical enabler of this is community organising. You bring back the capacity in communities to have dialogues on issues affecting them as spaces for engagement, knowledge exchange, and for people to just talk about their way forward.”

By enabling communities to define their development agenda, they can address their specific needs, challenges, and aspirations, he said. “When I look at livelihood futures, it’s quite an exciting aspect of my work – it’s like looking into a fortune tellers’ globe, because you’re not deciding for communities what they should do, but the communities themselves take those decisions.”

News Archive

Unique book on counselling for the youth
2009-03-12

 
A unique book on the counselling of youth was recently launched by Heinemann Publishers. The book entitled Handbook of Youth Counselling, has been compiled by a team of experts mostly from the UFS. “This book is extremely relevant in the current period because observers from both within South(ern) Africa and abroad have been increasingly concerned about the South(ern) African youth,” said Prof Johnnie Hay, Departmental Chairperson of Psycho-Education at the UFS and co-editor of the book. The text is aimed at professional people in the field of mental health and focuses on children, adolescents and young adults. “The handbook gives an in-depth analysis of the most recent research done in the field of counselling and theoretical perspectives that are based on intervention. The book supports the positive psychological paradigm and takes a holistic and systemic approach as its point of departure,” added Prof Eugene van Niekerk, editor. He is also a consultant psychologist.

Here are, from the left, back: Dr Richard Nichol, Department of Psychiatry at the UFS, Prof. André Venter, head of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the UFS, Ms Annette Weyers, consultant social worker; front: Prof. Hay, Prof. Van Niekerk, Dr Lyzette Hoffman, Department of Psychology at the UFS, and Dr Luzelle Naudé, Department of Psychology at the UFS. Dr Annette Prins, Divisional Head of Wellness at the Centre for Higher Education Studies and Development at the UFS and Dr Henriëtte van den Berg, Department of Psychology at the UFS, were absent when the photo was taken.
Photo: Lacea Loader

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