By THOBANI MESANI
More than 800 well trained Rhodes University students volunteered weekly in 76 community partner organisations, during 2018, making a meaningful contribution in the areas of academic support (mentoring and tutoring), sports coaching, wellness interventions, food security, IT support and leadership programmes.
It was to celebrate this that earlier this month the Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) Division held an awards and gala dinner to celebrate and acknowledge students and partner organisations who have made remarkable contributions within the Makhanda (Grahamstown) community.
A further 820 students have been involved through their disciplines in the various
academic departments. This means that over 20% of the Rhodes University student population are engaged citizens, something the university is very proud of. As a result, Rhodes University has become a leading engaged university with a number of internationally renowned engaged research programs and meaningful community engaged learning partnerships.
The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division (RUCE) plays a key role transforming teaching, learning and research practices within the university, working closely with academic departments and community based organisations to build mutually beneficial and respectful relationships with one another. Director of Community Engagement at Rhodes, Di Hornby, congratulated each of the student
volunteers for living up to their ideals, expressing the kind of leadership the world so dearly needs.
She also thanked RUCE’s Community Partner Organisations.
“The journey of shaping authentic, mutually beneficial partnerships has been exciting and complex”, she said.
Hornby stated that over the past year there has been a deeper commitment to common objectives across the city and that Rhodes University together with community stakeholders have gone a long way to consider issues of justice, equality and mutual respect, shared responsibility, reciprocal obligation, balance of power and long term sustainable outcomes. She further thanked community partners for creating opportunities for students to learn and broadening their experiences and supporting and guiding them on the job.
Theresa Vivian Moila, Senior Manager of Education for the Transnet Foundation, was the guest speaker for the night. She reiterated Di Hornby’s sentiments on building mutually beneficial relationships with community partners. “Gone are the days where beneficiaries of community
engagement work were merely recipients of a cheque. They now demand to be a part of the
change’, she said. ‘Mama Viv’, as she is affectionately known, also shared her rich history in
community development.
Benita Bobo, RUCE’s Engaged Citizen Programme and Service-Learning Coordinator, also shared the division’s highlights for the year before announcing the awards recipients.
The Rhodes University Community Engagement winners for 2018:
- Student Volunteer of the Year: Sesonasipho Yedwa
- Student Researcher of the Year: Thandiswa Nqowana
- Community Partner of the Year: GADRA Education
- Society/ Sports Club of the Year: Rhodes University Mountain Club
- Hall of the Year: Desmond Tutu Hall and Jan Smuts Hall (joint winner)
- Thobani Mesani is Coordinator: RU Parent Engagement Programme
Community Engagement Division, Rhodes University.
