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04 October 2024
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Story Dr Cindé Greyling
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Photo Supplied
Scan the QR Code to unlock 30 days of exciting challenges to enhance your mental well-being.
During October this year, the University of the Free State (UFS) Department of Student Counselling and Development (SCD) invites all staff and students to play an active part in their own mental health. Every day. You can do one small thing each day to improve your mental health. That is why the campaign is called DoDay – do something today and make it a do
day.
For 30 days, doable mental health activities will be shared on the UFS and SCD Instagram and Facebook pages. You will be invited to participate in the activity and to share your experience online. We encourage you to take up the challenge and share the skills for better mental health.
Be successful
As we approach the mid-year exam when staff and students are experiencing added pressure and anxiety, it is the perfect time to dedicate 10 to 15 minutes daily to your mental health. Each week we will focus on five different mental health building blocks: social wellness, emotional wellness, intellectual wellness, physical wellness, and spiritual wellness. By participating in the different activities each day, you will cover all the different wellness areas.
Be informed
During the campaign, we will also release insightful podcast interviews with experts who share their personal and professional experiences with each wellness area. It is no secret that communities are stronger together. Let us all work towards collectively improving our mental well-being and supporting one another on this journey.
Be happy
Improved mental health supports your professional and academic performance. It also helps you to make better decisions and enjoy life more. Improving your mental well-being has never been easier than following the DoDay calendar. You will receive clear guidelines on what to do each day, and you can mark off your progress and share your activities as you go.
Be a DoDay-er
Remember that maintaining mental well-being is like brushing your teeth, so we recommend it daily! Join the UFS Mental Health DoDay drive and take one small daily action for 30 days towards better mental health. Download your 30-day DoDay calendar – and remember to share and inspire others. Make every day a Mental Health DoDay
Recognition from the United Nations and MACE
2013-11-22
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The University of the Free State received Excellence and Merit awards for its communication and marketing projects.
From the left is Leatitia Pienaar, editor of Bult magazine, Lacea Loader, Director Strategic Communication, Leonie Bolleurs, editor of Dumela and Ilze Bakkes, UFS Marketer: Publications and Broadcast.
Photo: Sonia Small |
The University of the Free State (UFS) was this week recognised by the United Nations (UN), as well as the national association for Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE), for its communication and marketing publications and campaigns.
The UFS was named by representatives of the UN to receive a special United Nations Award for a leadership communication campaign called ‘Talk to me’. The award, which forms part of the Golden Awards of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), is made annually to the campaign that best supports human development in line with the UN objectives.
The UFS also received seven awards from MACE during the Higher and Further Education Excellence Awards. The ‘Talk to me’ campaign was awarded an Excellence Award in the category integrated campaigns and projects; a television campaign on DSTV received an Excellence Award in the broadcasting category. The campaign also received an award as the overall winner in this category. The magazine Bult received a special Excellence Award in the category external publications (as the publication with the highest marks in the history of this award ceremony); the staff newsletter Dumela and a set of student recruitment publications each received a Merit Award in the categories internal newsletters and special publications respectively; and the Open Day campaign received a Merit Award in the category integrated campaigns and projects.
The Excellence Awards form part of the 2013 national MACE congress, which was hosted by the UFS on the Bloemfontein Campus from 18-20 November 2013 and attended by 139 delegates from 25 higher and further education institutions.
“I am extremely proud of the achievements of what is emerging as a truly world-class communications department at the UFS recognised increasingly for achievements nationally and abroad,” says Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.
‘Talk to me’, which was implemented in 2010, is a leadership communication campaign that creates a way for staff and students to engage with Prof Jansen. With the campaign, he regularly spends time physically sitting on the university’s three campuses in a predetermined area giving staff and students the opportunity to talk and interact with him. The success of the campaign stems from the fact that it gives him the opportunity to pick up on issues or concerns of the campus community.
“The ‘Talk to me’ campaign is one of the key campaigns of the university’s Human Project, as it projects the scholarship of service and transformation leadership. It is an exceptional honour to be recognised by the UN and to receive this award,” says Lacea Loader, Director: Strategic Communication at the UFS.
“The MACE Higher and Further Education Excellence Awards provide an excellent platform to showcase the many projects and campaigns of the sector, and to receive this kind of recognition from our peers is a tremendous honour for the UFS,” says Loader.