Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
04 October 2024
|
Story Dr Cindé Greyling
|
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
Prof Heidi Hudson appointed to international Committee on the Status of Women
2015-11-24
 Prof Heidi Hudson is looking forward to advancing women scholars globally
Photo: Supplied
|
Prof Heidi Hudson, director of the Centre for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State, was recently appointed by the President of the International Studies Association (ISA) to serve on the Committee on the Status of Women from March 2016 to April 2018.
Representing over 100 countries, ISA has more than 6 500 members in North America and internationally, and is the most respected and widely-known scholarly association in the field of International Studies.
She anticipates that her role on the committee will complement her research interests in feminist security theory and practice in Africa. “I am looking forward to playing a part in the advancement of southern scholars, and the promotion of their voice in global academe.”
Prior to Professor Hudson’s appointment, she served as a member of the executive of the Feminist Theory and Gender Studies (FTGS) Section of ISA.
Representing women of the world in academia
The Committee on the Status of Women has the task of reviewing the status of women in the profession, and making recommendations to the president and the Governing Council of ISA on ways of tracking and increasing the status and visibility of women in the profession.
“Some of the goals of the committee for the 2014 to 2016 period include reaching out to women scholars in the global south; creating an ISA networking website for women scholars; and surveying perceptions of the international relations climate and its needs,” said Prof Hudson. It is also responsible for “tracking gender balance within ISA and its journals, and supporting ISA regions in fulfilling the mission of the Committee on the Status of Women,” she added.
Connecting scholars globally since 1959
The ISA has been the premier organisation for connecting scholars and practitioners in fields of international studies, and promoting research and education. ISA cooperates with 57 international studies organisations in more than 30 countries, is a member of the International Social Science Council, and enjoys non-governmental consultative status at the United Nations.
Prof Hudson’s research interests concentrate on discursive and material gender deficits of liberal peacebuilding in the post colony, amongst other subjects. She is also co-editor of International Feminist Journal of Politics.