The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is a research-led university responsive to the needs of a changing world through excellence in learning, teaching and research and the generation and application of new knowledge. On this note, UWC has made a conscious effort to go beyond its grounds and stretch out its arms in initiating and implementing it's PEEP programme in Botswana.   

The University of the Western Cape has a mission statement from the IOP (2021-2025), which is firmly anchored in its local and sub-regional context and inspired by its distinctive academic role in building a more equitable and dynamic society. 

The University continues to empower its students, staff and partners to advance its mission of serving the greater public good and searching for humane and sustainable solutions to the challenges of our time. This is pursued through high academic standards, intellectual rigour, productive partnerships, and networks beyond disciplinary and geographic boundaries.

There are values underpinning UWC: 

• Academic excellence; 
• Engagement and responsiveness; 
• Integrity and accountability; 
• Collegiality and collaboration; and,
• Inclusivity and diversity.  

Thus, we note that these values have been actioned through programmes such as PEEP (Purpose, Equipping, Environment and People).

READ MORE ABOUT THE PEEP LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

Participants were nominated by their faculties and this is what some had to say: 
Dr Keneilwe Mmopi: “The Facilitators were all very friendly and approachable. The introduction to the workshop was excellent. The topics were eye opening and interesting. Based on the discussions, I had to do a lot of introspection which I have not done in a very long time. It's very important to have such eye-opening exercises about our values and who we are as individuals. In that way, collectively as individuals who understand their values and potential, we could transform our institution into a high-performance organisation.”  

 

Dr Kebaetse Masego: “I am grateful for the opportunity to have attended this workshop. I found the facilitators to be very knowledgeable, open and willing to share their knowledge. They all allowed us to express our thoughts. The use of different activities has also been one of the biggest blessings because some of them can be used in our own teaching. There is not one session where I could say I did not learn much. The coaching session filled some gaps for me. I signed up for the Maxwell Coaching workshop just because COVID broke and I never attended, though I partly paid. Now I am motivated to start the training. A big part of professional development is about helping people shift.”
“The exercises were eye opening. I plan to go back and refine my elevator speech. It was amazing that when we were identifying problems, all four of us had similar challenges. There is more that unites us than what divides us. I wish the four of us could write an autoethnography and really explore our journeys and learn from them to fuel the last leg of our careers.”
 
Dr Mpho Mogodi: “Facilitators were very interactive and engaging. They brought a ray of hope to my academic situation. The topics were very empowering and liberating. All topics had a practical spin to them...that was awesome. The exercises & discussions enabled me to systematically develop my purpose statement. Additionally, the feedback received on exercises was very encouraging. I no longer feel guilty of relentlessly sticking with my purpose at the expense of academic progression.
 
Dr Ludo Badlangana: “The facilitators were extremely engaging. Their presentations were informative and I learnt a lot! The topics challenged me out of my comfort zone. This was good for me, because I wanted that push to enable me to grow. The exercises and discussions were thought provoking. It felt so good to have had that safe space to discuss the issues raised amongst my peers. It was time very well spent, for sure!”