The Durban University of Technology (DUT) International Centre of Non-Violence (ICON), within the Faculty of Management Sciences, recently launched an anti-violence school engagement to understand the landscape of violence and gender in school settings at the Mellowood Community Hall in Shakaskraal, within the iLembe District Municipality.
The two-day workshop was a collaboration between DUT ICON, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) in the iLembe District Circuit, and Uthingo Network, a human rights organisation advocating for the rights of LGBTQIA+ persons, with a specific focus on rural communities. The programme brought together more than 20 schools for meaningful discussions and exercises aimed at promoting peace, awareness, gender relations, and non-violence among young people.
The opening day began with a mirror exercise and a dialogue on the current state of bullying and school-based violence, followed by an interactive workshop on violence and student relations. The session culminated with an informal networking and peer interaction activities on masculinity and femininity, and a day’s reflection.
Day two commenced with a recap and proceeded with a practical skills building workshop, a diversity and cohesion discussion, and concluded with another informal networking and peer interaction session focused on youth as agents of change, building and sustainability.
DUT ICON academic, Dr Dudu Shabane, relayed that the initiative was established with an understanding that violence (in schools) is inevitable, but how we respond to issues of conflicts and violence is important.
“We were engaging with learners and looking at the overview of what is happening in South Africa in terms of violence that takes place in schools, and how this violence emanates from multifaceted societal norms that the learners experience in their homes and communities, and how we can help them make their schools a peaceful environment,” said Dr Shabane.
The Department of Basic Education’s Circuit Manager in Umhlali in iLembe District, Ms Nokusa Mhlongo, said that their participation in the programme was necessitated by the need for schools to be a safe place to learn.
“DUT has taken a very progressive initiative to come to our circuit and speak to our learners about peacebuilding. I believe that the workshop carries a very important message as we want to see learners taking charge of their own safety in schools,” Mhlongo said.
Rounding off the proceedings, DUT ICON Director Professor Ndumiso Daluxolo Ngidi said: “These last two days we have been working with young people, learners here in Shakaskraal with the intention and long term aim of (helping them) establish peace clubs consistent with the work we do here at ICON that has to do with non-violence, peace, conflict management and community solidarity.”
He noted that schools have become a hub of various forms of violence, including bullying, homophobia, and other harmful behaviours. As a result, the two-day engagement sought to provide learners with a platform to share their experiences, identify their needs, and explore practical ways of establishing peace clubs that can contribute to creating safer, more inclusive, and supportive school environments.
Pictured: Learners during the anti-violence school engagement.
Thulasizwe Nkomo
