An exciting highlight during the Core Semester of the Programme, with 12 different communities across Windhoek
The Department of Psychology and Social Work transformed its Psychology curriculum from a 4-year Honours degree to a 3-year bachelor’s degree, with a stand-alone honours’ degree. As part of the core semester, the 2nd year Bachelor of Arts in Psychology students do a Preparation for Community Engagement course.
The course allows students to identify psychosocial issues in various communities and develop targeted interventions to capacitate individuals in communities.
The interventions must add value in helping individuals in various communities deal with psychosocial issues.
During their 3rd year core semester course (A3750PC: Community Engagement), students must now implement in groups of 5 to 10, the targeted interventions with the various communities. The course is designed to allow students to develop self-leadership, team management skills and creative thinking skills as they develop the interventions.
This year was the first community engagement session, and a very successful highlight to both the students and the communities they went to.
During the core semester in 2025, 3rd year students (n=87), had the responsibility of going to schools and community centres to engage their selected community on different themes ranging from mental health in the boy child, mental health in the elderly, peer pressure in high schools, bullying in high schools, suicide in men, academic motivation and wellbeing of teen mothers, stress management and financial management in high school, career guidance and academic motivation, teenage pregnancy and mental health awareness.
Students had to creatively develop interventions, suited to their communities to ensure maximum impact, liaising with community centres and schools as well as their academic coordinator.
The School of Allied Health, in particular, the Department of Psychology and Social Work, is beaming with excitement at the level of maturity and professionalism, portrayed by our students in applying theory to practice.
One school principal said, “I am very impressed with the content the students developed to address the lack of academic motivation in the grade 10 learners, it shows they planned everything”.
The coordinator for community engagement in the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology programme, Dr Annelisa Murangi, had this to say: “The students have done well, gone beyond and above in thinking and planning their various interventions”.
More so, the communities where they went to, have had enriching life-changing opportunities to enhance their overall functioning and well-being.
Through these engagements, community support for the programme and discipline has grown immensely, and there is word in the streets of Windhoek, that students in the BA in Psychology are serving their communities, while actively learning at the same time.
The HoD of the Department, Dr Clifford Hlatywayo, appreciates the management of the various high schools and community centres, as well as our UNAM transport office for ensuring our students safely reached the various communities.
Original story by: Dr Annelisa Murangi
