In an effort to support student organisations (societies, residences and sports clubs) to better understand community development processes and the role of volunteers in supporting community based organisations, RUCE has introduced a programme called Siyakhana@Makana. Embarking on an exciting, creative, and challenging learning experience, participants in Siyakhana@Makana will work closely together for 19weeks. Siyakhana@Makana is a project planning process, which seeks to support students who seek to build meaningful relationships with community organisations while working towards a shared co-created project.
What skills and resources were you able to draw from the community for this project?
Was able to learn project management skills, resiliance and use the Asset Based Approach in tackling issues that arise from the community. I have worked with school teachers, municipal officials and student organization leaders.
The challenges
Address the social inequalities and injustice within Education specifically in the Early Development Centres. The intention was to expose students to the idea that problem solving doesnt exist in isolation, that if everyone should works together to solve a societal crisis, which is in Education.
Addressing the challenges
This project has ensured that the community is well educated and informed when it comes to clean shared spaces, not everyone in the community is getting it but we are hoping that people will continue to teach one another about the dangers of littering in the streets and single-use Trained school teachers on how to do water testing before consumption as we in Grahamstown have poor water quality.
The achievements
Relationship building: allowing students and community based organisations to build meaningful relationships and a commitment to a process of learning and unlearning together• Working effectively with others: enabling students and community based organisations to co-create a project , working as members of the same team• Organising and self management: developing organisational skills, promoting ethical behaviour and taking responsibility and ownership of the learning process • Identifying and solving problems: showing critical thinking and creative engagement, demonstrating an understanding of the world as a set of interrelated systems and recognising that problem solving does not exist in isolation • Critical reflection: thinking seriously about community development and sharing insights of praxis through ongoing reflection.
Johannesburg, South Africa