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Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 has gone all out this year in celebration of its 120th anniversary. RU120 is a celebration of the great strides made in positioning the 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网, not only as a leading educational institution in the country, but also as an institution deeply integrated with its community. At the Community Engagement Conference held this month, Dr Margaret Irvine, a stalwart in the movement to achieve this vision, gave a talk on how the university has leveraged the spirit of Ubuntu to forge meaningful partnerships with its community.
Community engagement is essential for addressing supercomplex challenges such as inequality, poverty, unemployment, and corruption prevalent in South Africa and other parts of Africa. Dr Irvine emphasised the need for a collaborative approach to tackle these challenges and foster a sense of community, and a reinvigoration of the sense of being and belonging.
Dr Irvine introduced the idea of ‘supercomplexity,’ a term coined by Ronald Barnett, describing the turbulent, risky, and chaotic nature of modern challenges. In such environments, she notes that traditional ways of making sense of the world are disrupted, leading to a loss of identity and responsibility.
“We tend to dispute the ways we make meaning of the world - our sense of self is disordered, we lose a clear sense of identity, we lose a sense of our responsibilities towards each other and towards our institutions,” she says. “When this happens we need to double check ourselves. We need to go back.”
Central to Dr Irvine’s talk was the process of recovering the self and renewing the human spirit. This approach helps individuals and communities to reconnect with their identity and responsibilities. “Reflecting on questions such as ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Where do I belong?’ is crucial for both personal and community development” she says.
“Unless you do 'Who am I?', it's difficult to know 'Who are we?'.
And unless you do 'Who are we?', it's difficult to know 'Who am I?'."
Dr Irvine describes steps that need to be taken towards meaningful community engagement: Critical Thinking and Deep Thinking; a model of Ubuntu; an Asset-Based approach to Community Development
The Legacy of RUCE
The relationship between Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 and Makhanda has evolved over time, but it hasn't always been smooth sailing. Irvine shared a poignant anecdote from her past studies about a young person from Makhanda expressing that they felt alienated by the university's elitist atmosphere. "I couldn't go to Rhodes; it was alien to me, too elitist, I didn't feel at home," they recounted. This sentiment highlights the historical divide that has existed between the university and the local community. Through meaningful engagement, this narrative is changing. In 2012, only 11 students from Makhanda townships registered at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网. In 2023, 170 students from Makhanda township schools registered at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网.
The Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 Community Engagement (RUCE) division has played a significant role in fostering community engagement in Makhanda. Established in 2009, RUCE has facilitated various initiatives, including community-based service learning, volunteerism, social innovation, and engaged citizenry. These efforts have led to significant milestones, such as an increase in the number of township students registering at Rhodes 老虎机游戏_pt老虎机-平台*官网 and the launch of the African Journal of Higher Education Community Engagement.
To nurture the spirit of community engagement, it is crucial to adopt a humanising pedagogy that emphasises education for life and continuous reflection. This approach involves creating communities of practice where individuals learn from and with each other, addressing challenges collectively.