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12 June 2024
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Story Zinzi Zumana
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Photo supplied
UFS Lekgotla Men’s Well-being Programme: addiction dialogue encourages empowerment and exchange of ideas.
The University of the Free State (UFS)
Division of Student Affairs hosted a ‘Dialogue on Addiction’ at the Equitas Senate Hall on 20 April 2024 as part of the UFS Lekgotla Men’s Well-being Programme. Led by the esteemed
Ace Moloi, male students’ well-being was addressed by focusing on topics relating to substance abuse, the ‘hookah pipe’, pornography, and digital addiction.
Ogaisitse Diseko, an expert on substance abuse, highlighted the misconceptions and societal impact of substances such as ‘bath salts’. Male students shared personal experiences, emphasising the need for early interventions and community backing to combat addiction.
Prof Noluxolo Gcaza, a Nelson Mandela University Professor specialising in digital wellness, presented on digital well-being, internet safety, and managing screen time. The dialogue concluded with Billy Mogadi sharing his journey from addiction to recovery, underscoring the human toll and the possibility of transformation.
Mogadi’s story resonated deeply, fostering hope and empowerment among attendees. The event highlighted the power of dialogue and support in addressing addiction issues. By promoting genuine interaction and providing the necessary tools, such initiatives contribute to community well-being and development. The UFS Lekgotla Men’s Well-being programme advances its goal of fostering healthier lives through open communication and mutual support.
Environmental sociologist from the USA visits the UFS
2009-12-03
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From the left are: Prof. Bell, Dr Nola Redelinghuys from the Department of Sociology at the UFS, and Prof. Wijnand Swart, Director of Strategic Academic Cluster 4.
Photo: Lacea Loader
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The Strategic Academic Cluster 4 (Technologies for Sustainable Crop Industries in semi-arid Regions) at the University of the Free State (UFS) this week hosted a seminar featuring Prof. Michael M. Bell, Chairperson of the Agroecology Graduate Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the USA. The title of his seminar was, “Thinking Like a Holon: A Post-Systems Approach to Agroecology”.
By using examples drawn from issues of agriculture, food, and the environment, Prof. Bell argued for moving beyond systems thinking’s emphasis on connections to the contextual awareness of “holon thinking.” He also argued that holon thinking encouraged an ontological humility that fostered openness to interdisciplinarity.
Prof. Bell is an environmental sociologist and a systems theorist with three central foci in all of his work: dialogics, the sociology of nature, and social justice. He is the author of seven books, three of which have won national awards in the USA. His visit to South Africa, and particularly the UFS, was to explore possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the UFS.
His seminar attracted numerous students and staff members from various departments in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of the Humanities. Follow-up discussions will hopefully encourage closer collaboration between researchers in Cluster 4 and Cluster 2 (New Frontiers in Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development). |