education journalism Webinar
Three fourth-year journalisms students collaborated to conduct a workshop on education journalism in Makhanda outlining the importance of volunteerism and community engagement but also for the development of students as journalism.
Jessica Feldtman spoke on her close relationship with the Lebone centre whilst Tristan Cooke and Dylan Coetzee spoke on the inner workings of the Vulindlela program and Makhanda Sd Card Drive.
Community engagement symposium
Rhodes University Community Engagement and Durban University of Technology's annual symposium took place on 19-21 October 2021, adapting an exciting blended (online and in-person) format. The 2021 Symposium, "The role of Community Engagement in the reimagination of higher education during and post the Covid 19 Pandemic," addresses very relevant and pressing concerns relating to Community Engagement and similar institutions across the globe.
JMS3 Mentorship
As part of the service-learning curricula, Dylan Coetzee and Tristan Cooke were required to assist third-year students to produce articles. This role of mentor included advising students on their own pitches, providing pitches to struggling students, editing and refining work before submission and building understanding and confidence around writing for publication.
Education Journalism Seminar
The purpose of this seminar conducted during semester one was to situate students within the education journalism context in the Eastern Cape.
Drawing on theoretical foundation developed by Vanessa Malila and the practical experience gained through the Vulindlela program the team developer a complete seminar on Zoom
MENTOR GROUPS
The breaking into groups was for semester two where students could choose between four different focusses lead by different mentors
DYLAN
Focussed on the impact of the SD card as well as the development of resources
TRISTAN
Focused on citizen volunteerism and soup kitchens in the Makhanda community.
ERIC
Focussed on career guidance and infographic development
THANDIE
Program co-ordination and parent communication
FOOD HEROES
Available journalism third-year students accompanied Thandie and mentors, Dylan and Tristan, to interview people who have started soup kitchens. The initiative has grown since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic but kitchens are struggling to get support as donations are drying up. After interviews were completed, the third-year students wrote articles that were published in Grocott’s Mail.
Interactive Profiles
Written Profiles
Reportage
A collection of articles written by third-year students under the guidance of mentors as 'editors'
Reflection
PUBLICATIONS
Diary of a Digital Delivery Man
At the start of 2021, the RU Community Engagement office’s Vulindlela project delivered SD cards to 520 Grade 12 students in local no-fee paying schools – all made possible by donations by Makhandans. Each tiny card was chockablock with 32 gigabytes of personalized learner support materials, aligned with each learner’s curriculum requirements.
By slotting the card into any smartphone, learners could instantly access study guides, videos, past exam questions, and even some ‘reading for pleasure’ materials.In this series of diary entries, one of the Vulindlela volunteers, Dylan Coetzee, takes the reader on a journey through the delivery process.
GOOD THINGS CAN COME IN (VERY) SMALL PACKAGES
Earlier this year, hundreds of generous Makhandans donated 520 memory cards packed with rich learning resources to matrics in local no-fee paying schools. In this opinion piece, Tristan Cooke asks why the state is leaving it up to citizens to unlock the huge potential of the digital revolution for public education.
2020
2020
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