UJ Nelson Mandela Day 2017, the future of South Africa and Africa reimagined
“It is time for the next generations to continue our struggle against social injustice and for the rights of humanity. It is in your hands.” – Nelson Mandela
Invitation to the UJ Community:
UJ staff, students, alumni and community partners are invited to take #ActionAgainstPoverty as the key challenge identified by the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Take action. Inspire change. Make every day a Mandela day.
Contact information:
Staff and students are invited to participate in UJ Mandela Day on Tuesday, 18 July 2017. Please sign up by sending an email to any of the following people in UJ Community Engagements and participate with your campus and colleagues:
Doornfontein Campus (DFC)
CE Specialist: Mr A Balaram abalaram@uj.ac.za
Soweto Campus (SWC)
CE Head – Manager: MS EJ Meyer-Adams emeyer-adams@uj.ac.za and Ms D Swanepoel deedrys@uj.ac.za
Auckland Park Bunting Campus (APB)
CE Specialist: Ms L Mawelela lebogangm@uj.ac.za
Auckland Park Kingsway Campus (APK)
CE Coordinator: Ms Diana Robertson community@uj.ac.za and Ms Diana Haag (International Volunteer)
All Community Engagement enquiries, including volunteering enquiries, must be addressed to the Head of UJ Community Engagement: Ms Ernestine Meyer-Adams at emeyer-adams@uj.ac.za.
NMF Pillar #1: Education and Literacy
South Africa’s democratic vision is about making it possible to give our youth a fighting chance. To give every person an opportunity. Leadership through Literacy – The Mandela Day Libraries and Literacy for Leadership Initiatives speaks to the above and covers the provision of traditional and technological literacy programmes with skills development.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED: UJ Challenge – UJ gives: UJ staff and students are challenged to give two to three children’s reading books. A staff coordinator will receive the books and deliver them to Community Engagement Offices per campus. Contacts for each campus coordinator are listed below. UJ aims to put up at least one Mandela Day Library in the vicinity of each of the four campuses for 2017.
“The very right to be human is denied every day to hundreds of millions of people as a result of poverty, the unavailability of basic necessities such as food, jobs, water and shelter, education, health care and a healthy environment.” – Nelson Mandela
NMF Pillar #2: Food Security
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, in collaboration with various partners, has identified the distribution of food parcels as one of its core initiatives. Food insecurity is not just a global concern, but is affecting South Africa too. Through this initiative, the Foundation challenges corporate South Africa and the donor community at large to distribute 670 000 food parcels between 2014 and 2016.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED: UJ Challenge – UJ gives: UJ staff and students are challenged to give two to three non-perishable foods. Again, a staff coordinator will receive the items and deliver them to Community Engagement Offices per campus. UJ aims to pack and handover at least 12 000 food parcels with your contributions. Food gardens are also in the process of being rolled out.
NMF Pillar #3 Shelter
The shelter security initiative brings people together to build homes, communities and a future. A home is instrumental in breaking the cycle of indignity from one generation to the next. The project is achieved through volunteers and the donor community facilitated by various partners including Habitat for Humanity.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED: UJ Challenge – UJ gives: UJ staff and students are challenged to get involved in community building projects.
All staff, students and alumni, please commit yourselves to building community homes. Please sign up between the 3rd and 14th of July 2017.
“The very right to be human is denied every day to hundreds of millions of people as a result of poverty, the unavailability of basic necessities such as food, jobs, water and shelter, education, health care and a healthy environment.” – Nelson Mandela.
NMF Pillar #4 Trading Live
“You have a limited time to stay on earth, you must try and use that period for the purpose of transforming your country into what you desire it to be.” – Nelson Mandela.
This is a special connecting people through service. This concept, pioneered by Rhodes University encourages people to offer their skills to assist NGO’s/NPO’s and various Communities.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED: UJ Challenge – UJ gives: UJ staff and students are challenged to offer any speciality/skill free of charge to communities/NGO, Send an email to the Community Engagement representative at your campus, to place you at a nearby NGO/Community.
NMF Pillar #5 Participation and Volunteerism
“There can be no greater gift than that of giving one’s time and energy to help others without expecting anything in return.” – Nelson Mandela.
The global call to action for public service is covered by a number of existing and potential initiatives. People are each encouraged to give 67 minutes of their time to service communities.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED: UJ Challenge – UJ gives: UJ staff and students are challenged to join Operation Clean-up.
‘’University of Johannesburg cleaning up the City of Johannesburg’’
