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UFS Community Engagement Indaba highlights sustainability solutions

24 July 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

2024 Community Engagement Indaba — Attendees engage with community partners at information stalls showcasing innovative sustainability practices.

The Directorate Community Engagement at the University of the Free State (UFS) held its second Community Engagement Indaba on the institution’s Bloemfontein Campus this year.

The indaba, which was attended by a group of 130 academics, students, learners, NGOs, community partners, and community members, was titled Building Self-reliance, Self-sufficiency, Self-sustainable Livelihoods for Entrepreneurship, exploring new ways of addressing poverty, unemployment, lack of resources, and encouraging entrepreneurship.

Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele, who is heading the Directorate Community Engagement, said that in challenging times where rising unemployment and poverty cast shadows over communities, he believes the theme of self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and self-sustainable living is applicable and timely; these are cornerstones of empowerment. According to him, the indaba is not just about theory, it is about action. “Together, we’ll explore practical steps, redefine our understanding of ‘JOB’ versus ‘WORK’, and unlock pathways towards entrepreneurship,” he commented.

Day one of the two-day event featured presentations on various topics. One of the speakers, Nontombi Velelo – a PhD candidate and Programme Director for the Bachelor of Social Science in the Faculty of The Humanities, addressed self-sufficiency and sustainable livelihoods. Dr Grey Magaiza, Lecturer and Head of the Community Development Programme on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus, discussed the significance of community development for societal impact. The theme of personal development and transformation was explored by Dr Rosaline Sebolao, Teaching and Learning Manager in the Faculty of The Humanities. Prof Jan Swanepoel – Associate Professor in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development – presented insights on subsistence farming with livestock.

Another notable addition was a presentation by Danie Jacobs, the founder and executive director of Young Entrepreneurs Virtual Academy, who introduced the Intentional Entrepreneurial and Skills Development Ecosystem Model. He focused on an ecosystem model designed to introduce entrepreneurship to children in schools, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset from a young age up to school leavers (kids, teens and young adults). These sessions provided invaluable learning opportunities, offering attendees practical insights and knowledge that can be applied to enhance personal growth.

Personal development and health

The Central University of Technology (CUT) contributed several engaging stalls to this year's indaba. Attendees explored the potential of 3D printing, delved into innovation – with insights from Rosita Rhode, Career Development Coordinator – and gained valuable tips on CV writing skills.

Another notable presenter was Ntsiuoa Kobo, a natural herbalist from Ditlakala Organics in Tweespruit, who shared her extensive indigenous knowledge about herbs. Her display was supported by research related to indigenous knowledge, highlighting various traditional practices and their contemporary applications. In line with this presentation was the information shared by Dr Ida Manduna, an ethnobotanist at CUT, who talked about indigenous herb farming that fosters nutrition and health. Also interesting was the presentation of Wilfred Dahli from Tala Growers, who informed the attendees about cannabis cultivation and products. The Agape Foundation from Qwaqwa introduced attendees to rose hip berry juice and also shared indigenous knowledge about herbs known for their medicinal properties, including anti-fungal and anti-bacterial benefits, as well as being a rich source of vitamin C.

The event featured several workshops, which attracted a lot of attention. Active Community Citizens through Engaged Scholarship for Sustainability (ACCESS) conducted a workshop on worm farming, led by students who shared their expertise. The eco-bricks workshop, led by Lenosa Mahapang, an artist and environmentalist, and Dr Anita Venter, a researcher and climate activist in the Centre for Development Support, captivated attendees. The session included a pre-motivational talk on the dangers of plastic pollution and highlighted the role of eco-bricks in environmental sustainability.

A particularly innovative workshop demonstrated how to create raised garden beds from recycled pallets – highlighting the opportunity to start a micro-enterprise. The workshop, presented by Katlego Mpoihi from Golukisa General Trading, is part of an initiative with the Carel du Toit School to teach learners and community partners how to build these beds. The community has a larger vision – developing maize-formed gardens, which would serve as a stimulating environment for children and contribute to food availability.

Thabo Olivier energetically also led a workshop on food security, sharing innovative ideas and practices. Notably, an attendee from last year’s event successfully applied Olivier's potato cultivation idea. In response, Olivier provided him with a bag of potatoes that has the potential to yield a harvest of 500 kg. This practical application highlighted the impactful and lasting benefits of the knowledge shared at these workshops.

Attendees were also captivated by a presentation on the production of biogas as a renewable energy source, delivered by Dr Christy Stephen, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Centre for Applied Food Sustainability and Biotechnology at CUT.

Gift of the Givers introduced the Mina Cup – a menstrual cup designed to last five years – offering a more economical and sustainable alternative to traditional sanitary products. In an effort to empower young women and end ‘period poverty’, Community Liaison Officer Kefiloe Chuene dispelled myths and spoke frankly about menstruation. According to Dr Karen Venter, Head of Service Learning in the Directorate Community Engagement, this project – part of the health and well-being initiative by ACCESS, which is driving a menstrual health campaign – would also be incorporated into the service-learning module of second-year Nursing students in the Bachelor of Nursing Programme in the School of Nursing.

"These information stalls brought unique insights and knowledge to the event," said Dr Venter.

Education and entrepreneurship

Other engaging stalls included a booth for making cast-iron fireplaces, and another offered CV writing skills. These stalls provided practical skills and knowledge applicable to various professional and personal development areas.

According to Dr Venter, the impact of the indaba stood out to her. “The workshops had a profound impact on attendees, reinforcing the UFS’ values of sustainability in various ways.”

The indaba also aligned with the UFS' Vision 130, which emphasises care for the community. By providing valuable opportunities for attendees to engage with community partners, learn about innovative practices, and explore the intersections of traditional knowledge and modern applications, the event fostered a sense of community and shared purpose. It demonstrated the university’s commitment to creating a sustainable and caring environment, both within the university and in the broader community.

News Archive

Teachers should deal with diversity in education - Prof. Francis

2010-10-08

At the occasion were, from the left: Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State (UFS); Prof. Francis; and Prof. Driekie Hay, Vice-Rector: Teaching and Learning at the UFS.
Photo: Jaco van der Merwe

Prof. Dennis Francis, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of the Free State (UFS), recently delivered his inaugural lecture on Troubling Diversity in South African Education on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

He urged teachers to be open to what “diversity” might mean in a particular context and how diversity relates to either inclusion or exclusion.

“An approach that promotes the inclusion of all must be based on an understanding of how exclusion operates in ways that may have typical patterns of oppression, but differ in the specific ways that exclusion is expressed and becomes normalised in that context,” he said.

“The good teacher thus seeks to understand how these forms of exclusion may develop in the school’s context and respond through taking thoughtful action to challenge them. It may require creating a climate that enables the silent to speak and recognising that not all groups communicate in exactly the same ways.”

He said teachers also had to affirm the experiential base of learners and students. He said there was an assumption that students would be more effective practitioners if their own experience were validated and explored.

“It is crucial that the students’ own history is treated as valuable and is a critical part of the data that are reflected,” he said. “Equally important is that such stories and similar activities are intentionally processed to enable students to make the connections between personal experience and relevant theory.”

He also urged them to challenge the ways in which knowledge had been framed through oppression.

“Schools are often characterised by messages that draw on one or another form of oppression. Thus, expectations are subtly or in some cases unsubtly communicated, e.g. that girls are not good at physics, or that, while white learners are strong in abstract thought, African learners have untapped creativity, and so on,” he continued.

“For someone to integrate into their role as educators a commitment against oppression means confronting obstacles that one may previously have shied away from, such as challenging authority, naming privilege, emphasising the power relations that exist between social groups, listening to people one has previously ignored, and risking being seen as deviant, troublesome or unpopular.”

Furthermore, Prof. Francis said dealing with diversity in education was always affectively loaded for both students and teachers. He said in South Africa one injunction from educators was to be “sensitive” and thus avoid risking engagement with the contentious issues around imbalances of power.

“If both students and teachers are to confront issues of oppression and power in any meaningful way, we need to design more purposely for the difficulties they will encounter, for example, creating a classroom environment that promotes safety and trust so that all students are able to confront and deal with prejudice and discrimination. Classroom environments will need to balance the affective and cognitive in addressing issues of diversity and social justice,” he added.

He also said that teachers should recognise the need to complement changing attitudes with attempts to change the structural aspects of oppressions.

“To prevent superficial commitments to change, it is important for students to explore barriers that prevent them from confronting oppressive attitudes and behaviours. In this way students are able to learn and see the structural aspects of oppression,” he said.

“Equally important, however, is to get students to examine the benefits associated with challenging oppression. A fair amount of time must therefore be spent on developing strategies with students which they will be able to use practically in challenging oppression.”

He also advised educators to affirm the capacity of staff and learners to act and learn in ways that do not replicate patterns of oppression.

“Many South African schools have survived both the harsh repression of apartheid and the continuing legacy of oppression of various kinds. Despite that, we are often as educators made aware of the ways in which young people in particular affirm themselves and each other in creative and confident ways,” he concluded.

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

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