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As part of their efforts to combat social ills, WSU Brand Ambassadors have launched a “MySafeSpace” web application to give students a voice to express their concerns within the WSU community.
The web app comes from a joint effort between WSU Brand Ambassadors and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department, to establish a secure and protected environment for students to address an array of social challenges that include Gender-based violence, bullying, harassment, and mental health concerns amongst others.
“The introduction of this web app for students is a clear definition of an impactful university that responds to crucial societal needs. Our aim as brand ambassadors is to support the vision and mission of the university by creating such spaces to make sure that our students receive the help they need,” said Brand Ambassador, Sinelizwi Mantangayi.
Accessible through any device, this user-friendly platform guarantees user confidentiality and anonymity to allow students to comfortably engage stakeholders on challenges they face, while actively contributing to the general well-being and unity of the WSU community.
Director of Special Projects, Ndiyakholwa Ngqulu said, “We are very proud of the collaboration between the ambassadors and ICT who have worked hard to create a safe and comfortable space for students. We hope that this platform will inspire confidence in people who are victims of these social ills to report them so that they may get the assistance they need.”
He added that all departments should unite in making the vision of this platform a success.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director for Student Affairs, Dr Irene Mohaosa recognised the impact this platform will have in addressing some of the challenges faced by the department in fostering student engagement.
“We are excited as Student Affairs to have an initiative such as this to add to our efforts of reaching out to our students. I believe that through this app we will be able to tackle the challenge of student drop-outs due to issues that we have never imagined and challenges they cannot deal with in their spaces,” said Executive Director of Student Affairs, Dr Irene Mohasoa.
The platform is accessible at: https://mysafespace.wsu.ac.za/mysafespace/
By Ongezwa Sigodi
