SU Youth Day 2011 – Celebrating diversity

On Tuesday 14 June 2011, Stellenbosch University (SU) will celebrate national Youth Day with the theme “Celebrating Diversity”.

The celebrations will be held from 13:00 to 14:00 in the Fismer Hall of the SU Conserve. The programme includes music, song, and dance items. There will also be a series of poetry readings, preceded with an introduction by local poet, performer and writer, Diane Ferris.

According to Rolene Liebenberg, SU Manager Schools Partnerships and coordinator of the event, the aim is to bring Stellenbosch youth together to show that whilst they are different in certain respects, they have much more in common as citizens of Stellenbosch first and foremost.

“In celebrating diversity, we would like our youth to reflect deeply on the meaning of diversity for them and to explore the deeper underlying values of diversity,” said Dr Llewellyn McMaster, Dean of Students.

Youth Day is one of the 5 national public holidays that are being celebrated at SU. The other days are Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, Women’s Day and Heritage Day.

The framework for celebrating national public holidays was developed in 2006 by Prof Julian Smith, Vice Rector: Community Interaction and Personnel, to make sure that these days are celebrated with occasions that promote nation-building and interaction between people of different backgrounds.

According to the framework a year programme of the holidays that are celebrated at SU must be handed in at the Rector’s Management Team for approval. The framework also makes provision for celebrations in co-operation with other institutions, community organisations and the municipality.

• For further details of SU’s Youth Day celebrations, contact Rolene Liebenberg at rolene@sun.ac.za.