#SU Leads 2016 conference marked by robust debate
This year's #SU Leads conference, which ran from Sunday 4 September to Monday 5 September, explored various themes in a series of discussions aimed at decolonizing "knowledge, spaces and institutional culture".
The rector addresses student leaders at the opening of this year's conference. Photographer: Henk Oets.
The #SU Leads student leadership conferences are held annually to "inspire students to be conscious role-players within their student communities", according to the Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert (FVZS) Institute, which hosts the event.
The talks this year sparked robust debate, said Dr Leslie van Rooi, director of the FVZS Institute, reflecting on #SU Leads 2016.
"We are currently having conversations with student leaders and colleagues about students' experiences and it's clear that different students sometimes experience the exact same session as either extremely positive or extremely negative. And that's not strange, because of the nature of the conversations taking place," said Dr van Rooi.
"But what is especially of value is the fact that these conversations don't stop and that's we're intercepting it on different levels and taking it further – together with colleagues and student leaders," he added. "And that's in line with the nature and goal of the leadership conference – to support students and supply them with critical and crucial skills. But the conversations can't begin or end with the conference, and therefore we're currently hastening to take the conversations further."
"The conference was overall positively experienced, but there were sessions that were more comfortable for some and caused discomfort for others. We expected that and are taking several conversations further. They will continue until the end of the 4th term. The general feedback is that the majority of participants are more aware of the themes covered during the conference, that they understand certain concepts, feelings, contexts, realities and experiences better and that they feel more equipped as leader to read further and to give back to others."