Social Responsibility Programmes

Roedean’s innovative cross-curricular approach aims to build socially conscious responsible women. Proactive social responsibility projects, underpinned by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, are fundamental to the school’s ethos.  

Sustainable social development and social justice are at the core of all projects that are conceptualised with Roedean’s community partners. The Sustainable Development Goals are made explicit to the students, providing them with the opportunity to look outwards and to realise that integration and innovation are key to achieving the goals. It is important to note that, at Roedean, social responsibility is not seen as charity but rather as the development of sustainable projects that involve reciprocal learning. As an educational institution, our focus is often centred around education.

The distinguishing projects that are unique to Roedean are:

• The weekly Literacy and Numeracy Enrichment Projects with community partners in the inner-city.
• The Learn-to Swim Programme in which Roedean has been recognized and affirmed by the Gauteng Department of Education in their partnership with Johannesburg Girls Preparatory School; with the potential of developing a model to be replicated with other independent and government schools.
• The Phedisang Residential Project affords Roedean students the opportunity to reside in a semi -rural village in Limpopo, working with students of similar age on a women’s health project. The partnership between Phedisang and Roedean has evolved and developed over the past 14 years into a meaningful reciprocal learning engagement.
• The Roedean Academy Online Tutoring Programme allows for integration between the Roedean Academy and Roedean students. This programme further develops the Roedean students’ emotional and cognitive intelligence.
• Saturday mornings spent at the Siyakhana Community Food Gardens allow pupils the opportunity to learn while assisting with the cultivation of organic vegetables which are then purchased by our community – often for the use of some of our other partner organisations.
• Social responsibility initiatives encourage Roedean students to assist those facing injustices and inequities and to speak out against those injustices and inequities when appropriate. The programme aims to build socially conscious leaders and to develop their understanding of the complexities that exist in a community that is in the process of transformation.