Tuks students not defenseless thanks to AfriForum Youth

This week, AfriForum Youth’s Tuks branch, in collaboration with AfriForum’s Community Safety Division, presented a Safety 101 workshop for students at the University of Pretoria’s (UP) LC de Villiers sports grounds. The aim of this training is to equip students with knowledge and practical safety skills to protect themselves against crime on and around campus.

One of AfriForum Youth’s main focus areas is student safety, which is why this youth organisation has committed itself to empowering students to know how to protect themselves when they find themselves in unwanted or dangerous situations.

This safety workshop, which was attended by both male and female students, contained theoretical and practical elements. The theoretical part dealt with environmental awareness, how to identify possible threats and what basic principles to apply to enhance safety. The practical component contained self-defense techniques and included scenarios that help students prepare for possible situations where they need to protect themselves or quickly call for help.

“Students are an easy target for crime because they often move around late at night and are sometimes unaware of their surroundings. These types of safety workshops help to make students more aware and confident when it comes to their own safety. We want students to not only be informed but also have practical skills to act in difficult situations,” says Leam Nieuwoudt, Vice-Chairman and Safety Officer of the AfriForum Youth Tuks branch.

“Students must be equipped with basic knowledge and skills to protect themselves. Safety initiatives like this help to build a culture of preparedness and responsibility among students. AfriForum Youth wants to empower students to proactively think about their safety and support each other,” says Yvonne Gerber, Youth Development Officer at AfriForum Youth.

AfriForum Youth intends to offer similar Safety 101 workshops at university campuses across the country in the future, to further equip even more students and raise awareness about student safety.