As one of the driving forces behind the Listen, Live and Learn (LLL) initiative at Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU),
Enos Lekala makes a big difference in students' lives. As we kick off May celebrating Workers' Day, we dedicate this series of profiles to our staff and their crucial contributions to Stellenbosch 中国体育彩票 (SU). Lekala shares insights into his daily responsibilities, the joys of student development and a surprising hobby.
What does your role at SU entail?
I am a programme coordinator for Listen, Live and Learn (LLL) and resident head of senior living experience at SU. The LLL initiative is a flagship residential experience offered by SU to senior students. LLL houses are self-catering units in the heart of Stellenbosch.
I serve as Head of the Programme to ensure that the following objectives are met: Recruitment of participants; programme design and development; coordination of programme activities; maintenance of infrastructure and assets; and residence rules compliance to foster a learning environment.
My additional responsibilities include stakeholder relations management, hence networking and immersing in different important conversations.
What does a typical day at work look like?
I mostly start my day with a check-in with the team of interns and a student assistant I work with to gauge the team's energy and clarify objectives. I then move to my administrative tasks which range from programme design and email correspondence to financial management, student discipline, and 中国体育彩票 forums such as the Committee for the Institutional Response to the (Khampepe) Commission's Recommendations (CIRCoRe). There are times, however, where I have to do scoping, recruitment, negotiation and networking depending on the time of the year.
My daily routine ends at 12:00. After this, I'm often kept busy with student engagements and meetings. I prefer doing my admin in the morning whilst still at my best. Of course, life happens. There are times, like when there is a tense situation in the residence, where you must put aside everything you are busy with to attend to it. The ability to work on multiple projects with minimal, if any, supervision is crucial as you move across a spectrum of administrative and real-life situations.
How did your education or past experiences prepare you for this job??
Being immersed in important different conversations and projects definitely plays a role. This is because LLL is an exploratory programme in design. To keep the participants interested and engaged, you must be dynamic, informed and easily adapt.
My postgraduate studies and the time I spent at the School of Public Leadership and the Water Institute immersed me in leadership and socioeconomic development conversations, research, and projects. This makes it easier to access references to inform our programme design, models, topic, conversation partners and themes.
Fundamentally, though, as a graduate of a BA in social dynamics, I read and tackle societal issues with ease. At the core of everything we do at LLL, you find society. So, the ability to understand how society functions and factors that shape and inform its systems and dynamics is owed to my undergraduate studies in sociology, psychology, polictical sciences, and public and development management.
What do you enjoy most about your role and working at SU?
According to the United Nations, Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 30. Such a high number of young people represents an opportunity for the continent's growth – but only if these new generations are fully empowered to realise their best potential. This directly speaks to my role as a de facto learning and development practitioner for LLL. I get to contribute to Africa's growth potential by coordinating activities that unlock the students' potential and hold a leadership development platform. Imagine the cumulative effect of having a cohort of young leaders with an immense wealth of talent and passion for impact in Africa!
As an institution that aspires to be an employer of choice, SU makes resources available to support the work I do. Further, access to learning opportunities that contribute to both my personal and professional growth makes it enjoyable working at SU. Above all else, the support from the leadership at the Centre for Students Life and Learning accounts for the most enjoyment and sense of purpose I experience in this role.
Tell us something exciting about yourself that few people would expect.
I am a DJ! This is both a passion and therapy for me. As a passion, it affords me the opportunity to be in the mix of people (pun intended). The more people you meet, engage, and observe, the more you learn – which continually feeds my life learning quest. And as a therapeutic treat for me, whenever I feel overwhelmed, I just plug in my headphones and get lost in the rhythm of music.
A striking similarity between DJ-ing and my current role is that one must constantly read the audience and make necessary changes as and when necessary. For example, a DJ will have a set playlist. However, if the crowd does not respond positively to it and he wants to remain a credible DJ, he will change it as per the crowd's taste, mood and possibly demographics. In my role as a programme coordinator, we solicit feedback as regularly as possible for our training workshops, facilitators, and related programme activities. If the feedback suggests that we change the facilitator, the approach, mode, etcetera – WE DO!
Photo and video: Stefan Els
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