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Four Walter Sisulu University students and two employees recently represented the university through participation as facilitators in the 2021 Robben Island Museum spring school.
The student team included two WSU employees, Nontuthuzelo Ngubane, a lecturer in the Faculty of Education and Nobuntu Rabaza, a Senior Student Development Practitioner.
The two were accompanied by four students, Sinelizwi Mantangayi, Esona Nqayi, Lona Mpikwa, Lihle Mbekela, and Sibabalwe Qhele.
The Robben Island Spring school, generally known as Isivivane Solwazi started as a pilot project in 1998, with the notion of promoting Robben Island Museum as a place of life-long learning and education, beyond the borders of the Island.
The theme for this year’s Spring school was ‘Young people acknowledging that he epidemic of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa is a national crisis.’
WSU staffer and facilitator, Nontuthuzelo Ngubane, said, “My role was to facilitate a debate around understanding GBV and how to survive situations around GBV, basically discussing the protective factors and enabling factors of GBV.”
The Spring school is one of Robben Island Museum’s flagship projects with participants from all the nine provinces of South Africa as well as learners from Namibia.
Ngubane added that their audience were grade 10 and 11 learners and that each province was represented by eight learners each.
The Spring school project is intended to nurture the development of a new generation of heritage activists, and to create an unforgettable learning experience that participants will treasure for life.
Senior Student Development Practitioner and facilitator, Nobuntu Rabaza, said, “the project aligns with the new university transformation agenda by contributing towards the achievement of the university strategy that promotes transformative community engagement, internalisation and partnerships, that requires departments to engage in these outreach programs and community services.”
The students assisted by co-facilitating small group discussions with the pupils and presenting their views of gender-based violence and femicide.
Gender-based violence ambassador in the office of WSU’s Vice-Chancellor & Principal, Sinelizwi Mantangayi, said, “The 2021 Spring school was focusing on educating and to demystify the myth around GBV, we looked at factors that lead to it and impact it has on people especially young women.”
“We were able to share ideas and we have agreed to have on going awareness campaigns for GBV and WSU must continue to lead the fight against GBV,” added Mantangayi.
Mantangayi further suggested that the university must look at conducting GBV awareness campaigns in rural areas through it community outreach programs.
By Anita Roji
