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The Development of an Integrated, Multi-level Process to Facilitate the Promotion of Holistic Wellbeing in School Communities

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Handbook of Quality of Life in African Societies

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life ((IHQL))

Abstract

This chapter reports on the development of an integrated, multi-level process to facilitate the promotion of holistic wellbeing, as a basis for enhancing the quality of life in six South African school communities situated in lower socio-economic contexts. Holistic wellbeing is understood as individual, relational and collective wellbeing. The rationale behind the research relating to the development of this process was to address the despondence with the contextual challenges in these school communities. A participatory action learning and action research design was applied to ensure that members of the school communities take ownership of the process. The research revealed several outcomes of the process: the promotion of individual wellbeing through the expansion of opportunities for personal development; the encouragement of value-based behaviour; attention to contextual challenges and support needs; relational wellbeing through the strengthening of connections and the facilitation of an ethos of kindness, empathy and care; collective wellbeing through the enhancement of shared responsibility across all the levels of interconnectedness; and the co-construction of a more conducive environment for all members. The research findings also foregrounded the pivotal role of wellbeing support teams in the sustainable implementation of the process as a basis for the enhancement of quality of life in school contexts.

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Acknowledgements

  • The research reported in this chapter was supported by the * National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. I herewith wish to thank the NRF and acknowledge that the opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in here are those of the author(s), and that the NRF accepts no liability whatsoever in this regard.

  • I also wish to acknowledge the support received from the Rupert Onderwysstigting (Educational Trust) and express my gratitude to Priscilla Booysen for her willingness to allow me the space to apply my ideas.

  • Sincere appreciation is expressed for the commitment and passion with which the coordinators as well as each of the team members from each of the schools engaged in this project. Thank you, Wilma Cyster, Ferentia September, Milly Cyster, Cynthia Hendricks, Ivan Papier, Elmari Hendricks, Robert Carstens and Vuyisa Qobongwana.

  • Thank you, Bianke van Rooyen, for acting as co-facilitator and project coordinator.

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  1. COMBER North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    Ansie Elizabeth Kitching

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Correspondence to Ansie Elizabeth Kitching .

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  1. Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Irma Eloff

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Kitching, A.E. (2019). The Development of an Integrated, Multi-level Process to Facilitate the Promotion of Holistic Wellbeing in School Communities. In: Eloff, I. (eds) Handbook of Quality of Life in African Societies. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15367-0_3

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