By Grace Ndlovu
Student volunteerism offers an opportunity to improve participatory democracy among university students. Using personal accounts of their experiences of student volunteering at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, Anna Kinsler and Tiisetso Nhlapo discussed the benefits for students of engagement with community-based organisations. Their presentation, ‘Shaping the Future Together: Enhancing Participatory Democracy through Personal Journeys in Student Volunteerism’ at the 2024 Community Engagement Conference further highlighted the contribution of community engagement to the development of graduate attributes.
Tiisetso Nhlapo, who is also an Honours student at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, explained South Africa's democratic landscape, highlighting the country’s dual identity as a liberal and constitutional democracy. She explained, "liberal democracy emphasizes the protection of individual rights and the separation of powers, while a constitutional democracy ensures that the rule of law limits the authority of the majority to protect individual rights."
Nhlapo acknowledged significant gaps in this system, particularly political corruption and social inequalities which undermine the effectiveness of a democracy. These issues, collectively termed the ‘democratic deficit,’ highlight inconsistencies within the democratic process. Nhlapo stressed the need for more collaborative democratic models to address the deficits. She advocates for participatory democracy as a model emphasizing the direct involvement of citizens in decision-making processes.
Kinsler connected Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网's vision and mission to the broader goals of participatory democracy. She suggests that integrating community engagement in teaching, learning, and research, can nurture informed and active citizens. Drawing from her eight years of experience with engaged citizenry programmes, Kinsler emphasized two core aspects: civic education and leadership cultivation. She stressed the necessity of praxis - integrating theory with practice - to deepen students' understanding of their civic rights and responsibilities.
Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 is where leaders learn and one way that this is achieved is through structured volunteerism, a form of community engagement that is highly organized and strategically implemented. Kinsler described the structure of the volunteerism programme at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 which is called Engaged Citizenry. This encompasses initiatives that provide comprehensive training, multi-stakeholder engagement, rigorous monitoring and evaluation, and reflective learning. This structured approach benefits the communities served and enriches the students' educational experiences, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
By integrating civic education and structured volunteerism into the academic framework, Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 is shaping future leaders who are well-equipped to contribute to a more equitable and democratic society.
Student volunteers at Rhodes, Monica Mabuza and Takuzwa Makuwa, contributed to the development of the presentation.