Page 39 - Transformation Report

and support of entrepreneurial activities linked to the waste through astute management of catering services
production of fresh produce and aquaculture on the George and better utilise the University fleet to deliver food to on-
and Missionvale campuses, which are initial pilot sites for and off-campus students and staff. The emerging George
this project which is based on sound research and scientific Campus Sustainability and Food Security Strategy seeks
principles. The success of catering services hinges on an to promote food security and develop scalable, sustainable
integrated ICT platform that merges the catering and fleet food production to eliminate student hunger.
ICT management systems. This integration will eliminate

8. Student Psychosocial Wellness

Emthonjeni Student Wellness (ESW) is a high quality, no-cost experience that fosters psycho-social and educational wellness
for registered students by working collaboratively across the University and beyond. From 2020, the services were rendered
through a mix of mask-to-mask onsite delivery and online platforms. The type of delivery was mostly determined by the
trajectory of the virus and the locality of our student clients. The number of students reached is tabulated in Table 14 below.

Table 14 Psychosocial Interventions Provided to Individuals and Group sessions in 2018 to 2020

Intervention 2018 2019 2020

Individual counselling 2390 2635 1647

Group sessions 2118 4057 2338

TOTAL 4508 6692 3985

Group interventions are offered through the University radio (Madibaz Radio), webinars, and pre-pandemic, through face-to-
face sessions. These group interventions take place during student lunch breaks, in the evenings, and weekends at different
residences. They cover topics related to career, learning, and personal development.

There is a growing concern, both globally and nationally, that students are presenting at counselling services with severe levels
of disturbance, mentally and emotionally. Given that there is a known correlation between psychosocial wellness levels and
academic success, the University continued to explore ways to strengthen and expand student counselling and health services.

8.1 GBV-related Initiatives and Interventions
Individual counselling support for GBV-related matters is provided on an ongoing basis by ESW. Traditional anti-GBV initiatives
are aimed at survivor support and women empowerment. First-Year Success Buddies (part of the institutional First-Year Success
programme) were trained in GBV and institutional policy awareness. This initiative worked well, and the majority of the Buddies
were able to facilitate similar awareness sessions with their first-year student groups. The GBV Survivors’ Support Group,
launched in August 2019, initially conducted face-to-face sessions. However, owing to poor attendance, the appointed GBV
counsellor decided to shift sessions online. This drastically increased participation across all campuses, including the George
campus. Therefore, the GBV Survivors’ Support Group has continued using online platforms. The support group initiative was
undertaken and jointly facilitated by Emthonjeni Student Wellness and the Transformation Office. The Singamadoda, Positive
Masculinities Programme, was implemented by a group of trained facilitators (male staff and senior students) using online
platforms. The programme aims to foster positive masculinity through small group open discussions which allow participants
to explore and cultivate a culture of positive (rather than toxic) maleness.

8.2 Peer Helping
Based on the significant role students play in supporting and developing their university peers, Emthonjeni Student Wellness
has been hard at work realigning our Peer Help Program to have a greater impact on our student community. One of the
realignment initiatives was to ensure that Peer Helpers selected for the programme shared a similar context or experience as
the students seeking help. Students residing at off-campus accommodation sites, unlike their on-campus counterparts, are

39 TRANSFORMATION REPORT