| | https://www.sun.ac.za/si | Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics: KIDSmove (Childhood Apraxia of Speech) | Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics: KIDSmove is dedicated to improving the fundamental gross motor skills of children diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), a speech sound disorder characterized by difficulties in planning and executing speech movements. This programme, led by Kinderkineticists, places a strong emphasis on motor planning as a core component of gross motor development. Gross motor skills play an important role in language acquisition, supporting speech development from infancy through early childhood. By providing structured opportunities for motor skill development, this initiative facilitates language development through movement-based interventions. This initiative is conducted in collaboration with Tygerberg Hospital School, ensuring that participating children receive targeted support that integrates motor and language development to enhance their overall growth and communication skills. | 1674 | | |
| | https://www.sun.ac.za/si | Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics: KIDSmove (Down Syndrome) | Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics: KIDSmove aims to improve gross motor skills of selected Down Syndrome children from the Mitchell's Plain area. The programme focuses on holistic development of the children by using movement as the primary method of teaching and learning. Gross motor development and sensory-motor stimulation are the core components of the programme. Sensory-motor skills involve the process of receiving sensory messages (sensory input) and producing a response (motor output). This initiative is in collaboration with Beacon School for LSEN Learners. The school's aim is to improve the qaulity of life for children with Down Syndrome, as well as providing therapies suitable to their individualised needs. It also provides learning and training opportunities for the Kinderkinetics (Department of Exercise, Sport and Lifestyle Medicine) honours students as they gain experience in researching, creating and facilitating specialised programmes for children diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Beacon School for LSEN Learners attends the sessions once a week. This experience is valuable to these learners as they get to experience a programme in a different environment by facilitating this in our Sport Science Building, Stellenbosch University. This is a valauble initiative as research has indicated that children diagnosed with Down Syndrome have noticeable motor delays compared to neurotypical children of the same age, thus our programme aims to minimise the effect of these delays by encouraging participation in movement based activities. | 1672 | | |
| | https://www.sun.ac.za/si | Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics: KIDSmove (Autism Spectrum Disorder) | Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics: KIDSmove is a program aimed at improving the gross motor skills of selected children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Somerset West and Mitchell's Plain areas. The program focuses on developing children holistically through movement, with gross motor development and sensory-motor stimulation as core components. This initiative is a collaboration with Beacon School for LSEN Learners from Mitchell's Plain, which enhances the quality of life for children with ASD by providing specialized therapies and educational support. Beacon also offers learning and training opportunities for Kinderkinetics Honours students from the Department of Sport Science, allowing them to gain hands-on experience in planning and conducting specialized movement programs for children with ASD. Children from Beacon School attend sessions at our indoor pool at the Department of Sport Science, Stellenbosch University. These sessions incorporate water confidence alongside gross motor development and sensory-motor stimulation.Additionally, the program extends to Dreamtree School in Somerset West, where Kinderkinetics students travel to the school to provide on-site movement sessions tailored to the needs of children with ASD.Sensory-motor skills involve the process of receiving sensory messages (sensory input) and producing a response (motor output). This initiative is valuable, as research indicates that children with ASD often experience noticeable motor delays compared to neurotypical peers of the same age. KIDSmove aims to enhance motor proficiency and improve the overall quality of life for these children. | 1675 | | |
| | https://www.sun.ac.za/si | Framing Mobility: Frame running for people with disabilities | Framing Mobility is a social initiative dedicated to bringing frame running to people with disabilities in our country. Frame running is a safe activity for people with more severe disabilities whereby the individual runs in an assistive three-wheeled racer - it is common for people to leave manual and automated wheelchairs to feel the joy of running in a frame. Research has shown that there are numerous health and well-being benefits, as well as positive social engagement, associated with participation in frame running. The activity and sport is popular in developed countries, however it remains inaccessible in many developing countries due to cost barriers. Our goal is to make this activity accessible to people with disabilities in South Africa by providing essential equipment and establishing inclusive programs.The program will run as activity groups that will meet on a weekly basis. These groups will all have a leader, voluteers, the person participating and their caregiver. We will have groups meeting in different parts of Cape Town, Helderberg and Stellenbosch areas, and work within existing SU programs. These groups meeting details will be released as they are formed. People can sign up to come to a "come-and-try" day where anyone can try frame running and then sign up to a group if desired.Framing Mobility will be a registered social impact project and research platform within Stellenbosch University. It will be implemented by staff and student volunteers at Stellenbosch University and affiliated partners. The program will contribute to engaged teaching and learning with internal and external collaboration. This student-involved program will equip sport science, disability specialisation and sports medicine students with critical skills in working in adapted physical activity. The program will co-create research platform with the participants and researchers working together to ask questions whose answers will benefit the community it serves. | 1700 | | |
| | https://www.sun.ac.za/si | Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics: The key to improving developmental skills for movement (KIDSmove) | Stellenbosch Kinderkinetics: KIDSmove is dedicated to enhancing the fundamental gross motor skills of children in the Kylesmore Community, supporting their physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being. This programme adopts a holistic approach to child development through structured wellness-based movement interventions. The core components of the programme include gross motor development designed to promote comprehensive motor proficiency and overall well-being. KIDSmove is currently implemented in collaboration with AITSA Aftercare Centre ensuring that participating children benefit from structured interventions that support their academic, social, and physical development. This initiative aims to enhance motor competence and create confidence in movement, equipping children with the necessary skills to engage effectively in both structured activities and daily physical tasks. | 1673 | | |
| | https://www.sun.ac.za/si | Visions of Boyhood and Future Fathers | Visions BFF is intended to closely link to male childhood development, with specific attention on nurturing learning-oriented, democratic, rich and meaningful boyhood. In relation to the objective of nurturing nurturant boyhood, it is worth noting that the president of South Africa recently admitted that the country made a mistake in not paying attention to early childhood development (ECD). The government has committed 10 billion rand to support and build the early childhood development sector and provide universal access to ECD for South African children (https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/ramaphosa-r10-billion-investment-to-transform-early-childhood-development-in-sa-6939ed56-dc92-4387-b76c-655a47c29479). The project aligns with FASS's focus on “understanding the challenges of being human [fathers] in an interconnected and complex world". FASS is interested in human ideas, behaviour and creativity and how we “live together in families in societies" while considering “what the future might look like, and what it ought to look like". This project is related to the following SU Social Impact Themes: (3) good health and well-being; (5) gender equality; and (10) reduced inequalities.The driving purpose of the project is to facilitate reflective interventions with young adults and adults (both age groups being from Stellenbosch University (SU) and Khayamandi) about boyhood and fatherhood (social and biological)/paternal roles in order to create positive masculinity narratives that adequately reflect the lived experience of participants. Employing reflective dialogues, the project focuses on the subjective lived experience of the boyhood participants as well as the visions of the future of boyhood and fatherhood, connecting the personal and the social.However, given that girls and non-binary individuals too are fathered, and moreover play an important role in how men become fathers, we will also ask young women/non-binary youths how they think about, remember, appreciate, resist and refuse the fatherhood they have experienced in their lives. We thus add complexity and scope to the project by including this thread while our overarching theme and interest remains fatherhood.The initiative's motivation is drawn from the experience gained in producing the highly successful 2024 report on The state of South Africa's fathers which received considerable attention from the South African public which has shown the national interest in the subject of fathers and fatherhood as well as asking questions about how boys are raised and the hegemonic models of adult masculinities available to them. A pertinent question animating the project is how social, political and sexual identities are shaped by fathering of various kinds, not only for people who are boys and men but everybody?The initiative has the following objectives: 1. To develop reflexive, subjective, place-based, critical and creative thinking among young people (university students and youth not at university) and adults (working in different roles at university and outside of the university) about boyhood – looking at the past, present and future; 2. To develop reflexive, subjective, place-based critical and creative thinking among teenage males/young men and older men on and beyond the university campus about social and biological fatherhood – past, present and future (as some participants may already be biological or social fathers; 3. To develop reflexive, subjective, place-based, critical and creative thinking around how young and adult women, and nonbinary persons think about, remember, appreciate, resist and refuse the fatherhood they have experienced in their lives; 4. To contribute toward building capacious, positive narratives about boys, men, masculinities, and attuned (future and present) fatherhood among students, faculty and individuals in Khayamandi; and5. To producei. a series of podcasts on boys, boyhood, fathers and fatherhood in Stellenbosch and surrounds;ii. six (6) high production-value and well directed short films informed by reflexive, place-based thinking on fathers and engaged fatherhood as a central theme. One film on visions of fatherhood at Stellenbosch University campus and one on visions of fatherhood in Khayamandi; one film on boyhood from stories of participants at Stellenbosch University campus and one on boyhood from stories of participants in Khayamandi; two films from females and gender non-conforming participants' perspectives. The films are expected to be not longer than 10 minutes.iii. a report on 'The state of the nation's boys';iv. a press release on 'The state of the nation's boys' report to be sent to media outlets that is to be used as the basis for newspaper and magazine articles as well as television and radio reportsv. vox pop interviews and Canva-like templates to disseminate the project's work via social media;vi. an article for the newspapers reflecting on the project;vii. a radio spot reflecting on the project. The project will be linked to Tataokhona Project, a cross-institutional, multi-disciplinary, and multi-year project housed within the department of psychology at SU, whose principals are Professor Tawanda Makusha of African Health Research Institute, Dr Mandisa Malinga of the University of Cape Town, Dr Wessel van den Berg of Equimundo: Centre for Masculinities and Social Justice, and Professor Kopano Ratele, SU. Tataokhona aims to support and produce research and interventions related to fathers, fatherhood and associated topics. Envisaged to be central player in the community of practice around issues of fathers and fatherhood, Tataokhona is intended to be a home for South African, regional, continental, and international resources on fathers and fatherhood that help South African men to become more involved in parenting. In connecting the current Visions BFF initiative to Tataokhona, we intend to expand our social, political, community and psychological work (which intersects with our theory-making and empirical research work) on masculinities to include boyhood. The Visions BFF initiate create spaces for collaborators to engage with each other and community partners in dialogues on the idea of fatherhood (or adult masculinities) as well as boyhood (or young masculinities) and their futures.The external individual collaborators in the Visions BFF include individuals from Khayamandi. A key contact is Yeki Mosomothane, Division Student Affairs, who, in addition to his interests in the question of community, will put us in touch with key participants in Khayamandi. Other collaborators will bring their technical expertise to the project. Potentially the two film-makers are Dylan Valley (from UCT) and Damian Sean Samuels (currently completing a PhD at SU) as well as the radio journalist Koketso Sachane who has a radio show feature on fatherhood and parenting. Some of the Tataokhona project affiliates are based outside the university. The following are the envisaged outputs: Series of podcasts on boyhood and fatherhood at Stellenbosch University and KhayamandiShort films on fatherhood made by students and staff and collaborators in Khayamandi, with a place and people in place as central figuresA report on 'the state of the South African/nation's boys' modelled after 'The state of South Africa's fathers 2024' Newspaper articles Radio and television spots.The spaces for dialogues will be important in cultivating deep reflection on boys and fatherhood, with the dialogues aimed at putting lived experience alongside and rubbing against decontextualised boyhood and fatherhood research/theory; juxtaposing thinking about boyhood and fatherhood among those at university and those in lower-income communities; boyhood and fatherhood as it is today and visions of boyhood and fatherhood in the future. The podcast, image-making and films are intended to disseminate the lessons from the dialogues and the stories of boyhood and fatherhood in place and time (present and future). Social media engagement, the newspaper article and radio as well as tv interviews will disseminate what we have learned to the general (popular) audience. | 1697 | | |
