Mental Health challenges are on the rise - including among university students. 

Eighteen universities from South Africa gathered for a two-day UWC mental health colloquium to advance the mental health and well-being of their students. 

At its core, the conference wants to see the responsible use of AI in mental health by using apps that take into account inclusivity, innovation and collaboration.

Speakers at the Conference

Dr Faeza Khan - Student Affairs Practitioner and Fellow Conference Chair

Building Resilient Campuses: UWC Leads National Dialogue on Student Well-Being, Equity, and Mental Health
Speaker: Dr Faeza Khan - Student Affairs Practitioner and Fellow Conference Chair 

“The challenges our students are facing are numerous - particularly here at UWC, but also across higher education institutions.

Poverty, financial strain, and mental health issues are deeply interconnected. Stressors like these only serve to intensify students’ mental health challenges.

That’s why platforms like this are so important - they allow practitioners to come together, share what works, what doesn’t, and learn from one another.

We need to ensure that policy isn’t just created in boardrooms, but that it translates into intentional interventions that change lives and contribute to student success.

We wanted to create a platform where higher education institutions across South Africa could come together to talk about building resilient campuses.

Our focus is on reimagining student well-being and addressing issues of inclusivity, innovation and collaboration.

Building resilience is not just an individual trait - it must be cultivated within a community of care.

A community that works together to raise important issues and create not just interventions, but purposeful and intentional policies.

We aim to build campuses that cater to the holistic needs of students.”

Prof Matete Madiba, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Development and Support

UWC Continued Success with AI Mental Health App Offers Students Judgment-Free Support and Cultural Relevance
Speaker: Prof Matete Madiba, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Development and Support

“The UWC Mental Health Colloquium is about mental health and well-being. We launched this series in 2024 and are proud to continue it this year.

We have over 15 universities represented. The big question is: Why mental health? Because it’s always high on the radar — not just in South Africa, but globally.

Our students have made their voices loud and clear. Mental health is an area that demands attention.

Together with our peers, we’re discussing cultures of care, ethical use of data, and the adoption of technology to support mental health.

The need is well-established - research confirms it, and our students continue to affirm it.

At UWC, we introduced the app called Wysa. Our tagline was: UWC is getting wiser with Wysa.

We pursued this app after extensive research and discussions on how best to leverage technological advances to support our students.

Wysa is not just another AI-powered app. The content our students engage with is curated by qualified counsellors and psychologists who understand the mental health landscape deeply.

This app is part of a broader mental health policy at UWC, one that places integration at its centre. It’s one of many tools and services we offer to support our students.

Students using the app have given us affirmations like: ‘I don’t feel judged, so I’m not hesitant to share what I’m experiencing.’

Unlike traditional face-to-face interactions, technology can sometimes make it easier to open up, to lay bare one’s soul without fear.

We recognise that cultural and linguistic relevance is key. The impact of mental health tools is far greater when they resonate with one’s lived experience, language and culture.

Our next big step is translating this data into South African languages — because relevance drives connection, and connection drives healing.”

Prof Anita Padmanabhanunni - Dean of the Faculty of Community Health Sciences

Resilience, Connection, and Coping: A Mental Health Paradigm Shift
Speaker: Prof Anita Padmanabhanunni - Dean of the Faculty of Community Health Sciences

“We are confronted with a mental health paradox: despite widespread psychological distress, only a small fraction of students actually access mental health services.

The majority of people in this country are not falling apart - they are adapting, organising, caring, and building meaning in the midst of adversity and constraint.

Coping should not be romanticised. It often masks deep inequalities in access to care and resources.

Too often, when we celebrate resilience, we are really praising people for their ability to endure and overcome unjust conditions.

The answer possibly lies in the theory of salutogenesis — the study of the origins of health rather than the causes of disease.”

Reality becomes self-referential. It is filtered through our beliefs, expectations and meanings.

This internal architecture of belief - this sense of coherence - is what often separates despair from determination.

Mental health care must evolve from a deficit-focused model to one that is proactive, affirming and resource-oriented.

I believe that the foundation of wellbeing is a genuine, meaningful connection with other people.

Well-being is not delivered - it is co-created, in genuine, meaningful relationships with others.”