future leaders @ work

Author: Johan Maritz

Publishing date: 21.05.2007 00:00

The Future Leaders @ Work programme was established in 1999. Over 5000 students have engaged with the programme. Its successes have generated regional and international interest. The programme operates from the premise that students must become active agents of change, through academic knowledge of the epidemic, stimulating debate surrounding the issues and acquiring the skills to deal productively and effectively with HIV and AIDS in their future careers and as responsible members of society. Future Leaders @ Work supports students in their training and in their wider experiences in the context of HIV and AIDS.

As a participant in the University’s VCT, HIV wellness and ART programme for students, the CSA is committed to expanding the counselling component of this programme. It recruits, selects, trains, evaluates and supervises peer HIV and AIDS counsellors who are called Befrienders. These are student volunteers of the Future Leaders @ Work programme who have shown an interest in counselling. The Befrienders, who do pre and post test, wellness and adherence counselling, also assist at the Mamelodi Campus and a poly clinic run by senior medical students in Pretoria West.

The Future Leaders programme has forged partnerships with the following regional universities: Botswana, Namibia, and Swaziland to duplicate aspects of the Future Leaders programme at these institutions to add value to existing student programmes. Negotiations are underway to include institutions in Malawi and Mozambique in the partnership as well during 2007.

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