The SRC EX-Officio Student Culture Officer, Thando Mthimkulu, ran an initiative titled “The Mindful Moment”. The initiative was born out of a need for a virtual space for students to connect and talk about their mental health struggles – it is through this initiative that students were able to be connected to the Student Counselling Unit (SCU).
PDBY interviewed Mthimkulu to get more insight on the initiative. “On campus it was always nice to sit with friends and share what is happening in your life, and realise that you are not struggling by yourself”, Mthimkulu said. Due to COVID-19 and not being on campus students were unable to have that experience. Thus, the SRC, through the Ex-Officio Student Culture Office, created a virtual space where students could still share their experiences and realise that they are not alone.
For the second semester, the initiative was moved from a virtual space to a physical setting. It was celebrated under the theme, “celebrating resilience”, and this took place at Javett-UP. The initiative was inspired by the SCU’s resilience competition. Conversations where moments of resilience were shared by individuals and how others were inspired by these moments occured, and the perfect vehicle for it was through the performing arts. Thus, student artists like Roman Figga, Ernest and Darxkin were invited to perform. Other UP participants like the Director of Student Affairs, Dr Madiba, and the SCU were also a part of the initiative.
“I am thankful that this was able to happen and that we were able to create a space where students can still inspire each other and speak to each other and find strength in knowing that they are not alone”, Mthimkulu said. Mthimkulu added that he would like to thank the SCU for providing students with the necessary resources to assist students when things get a little bit dark.
Political Science II
Transformation officer
House Humanities (Faculty House)
Executive Committee 2020/2021
PDBY University of Pretoria News Journalist
Sisterhood Society Chairperson
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