Student Organisations

Introduction

Student Community Engagement (SCE) at Rhodes University can be divided into two, namely those community interventions done by student organisations such as residences, societies, clubs etc and those by individual students under Student Volunteer Programme. One of the aims of RUCE is to promote leadership development of students in order to foster and enhance civic and social responsibilities.

Capacity Building Training Workshops

At the beginning of the year, two types of workshops were held with CE representatives from student organisations. The core of the first workshop focuses on the following:

· Establish a common understanding of Community Engagement

· Be guided through the CE activity/project proposal format and processes to be followed in initiating a CE activity/project (includes initial stages of planning, implementation and termination

· Understanding the role of RUCE in coordination, monitoring and evaluation of CE activities at RU

· Understanding the principles of participation , sustainability and partnership relationships in CE

The second workshop was about preparing CE representatives for their placements and the focus was on the following:

Volunteerism
Summary guidelines to CE excellence at RU
Brief Historical Background of GHT
Learning action reflection framework: Self Awareness and Reflection
Diversity issues: Active listening and facilitation skills, team building and working in a team
Community Development: Processes, Values and Principles
Information from community partners

Student Organsation Project Proposal Form:

Student Project Proposal 2012

Presentations and Group Discussions during Capacity Building Training Workshops

Student Organisations

There are vast numbers of student organisations ranging from SRC, Sport Clubs, Residence and Societies. There are more than 70 societies and are broken down into the following categories:

Academic and Development
Entertainment and Skills
General
International and Cultural
Political
Religious

Galela Amanzi Society

Galela Amanzi’s primary activity is the installation of rainwater tanks in water scarce areas in the Grahamstown community – particularly those that suffer from poor and erratic municipal services and are vulnerable to cut-offs and shortages. The project is community based and is working with community partners like Umthathi (promoting vegetable and medicinal gardens) and other community partners to select site like schools, community centres and clinics. The project then works with the beneficiary site, and its community partner, to set-up rainwater tank(s).

Donation of the Watertank at Samuel Ntsiko Primary School

Donation of the Watertank at Tantyi Primary with the sponsor Shoprite

Masincedane Society

The society was set up in an attempt to provide school-going children with a regular afternoon meal. The society partnered with Ms. Cynthia Belwana, a philanthropic Grahamstown / eRhini resident, who had been running a small soup kitchen on a very informal basis. Today it continues to run out of her home in Xolani, an impoverished area in Rhini. At the beginning 2007 the soup kitchen was feeding approximately 30 people per day. Today, over 100 people attend the soup kitchen on the three weekdays that it runs.

Young school children are the most beneficiaries of the soup kitchen

Tutoring Programme

Currently two tutoring programmes are facilitated by RUCE, the Matric Exam Revision Programme (MERP) and (National Youth Services (NYS)/RU partnership. The MERP focuses on English, Maths and Maths lit for 44 grade 12 learners. Each high school in the township is allowed to choose the best six (6) learners to participate in the programme. The focus of NYS/RU partnership is on grade 10s, 11s and 12s on the following learning areas: English, Maths, Maths Lit, Accounting, Economics and Physical Science. Both programme are conducted on Saturdays, MERP within the university and NYS tutors are bussed from the university to the selected venues in the township. English in both programmes has been identified as critical subject because in all learning areas English is the medium of instruction.