UCT Flourish Summit to spotlight student voices

Dear students

On Friday, 1 August 2025, the University of Cape Town (UCT) will host its inaugural UCT Flourish Summit – a bold and moving celebration of student voice, wellbeing and renewal. Curated by the Centre for Wellbeing and Flourishing, situated within the Department of Student Affairs, the summit invites the UCT community to witness over 20 students share powerful, five-minute reflections on what it means to flourish in the face of pressure, self-doubt and possibility.

With themes ranging from mental health and imposter syndrome to academic failure, identity and self-redemption, the summit is a living reflection of UCT’s commitment to embedding wellbeing as a core institutional priority. It offers not a stage for perfection, but a space for presence – and a reminder that human growth is neither linear nor quiet.

Select highlights from the programme include:

• “Silent Battles and Open Books” – a courageous reimagining of academic success while living with major depressive disorder.
• “Rain After Drought” – how an unexpected letter from UCT rekindled a student’s will to live.
• “Failing Correctly” – transforming academic setbacks into strategic comebacks.
• “You are not Unique, and that is Okay” – a witty, profound invitation to move from isolation to shared humanity.
• “To Breathe is More than Oxygen” – confronting burnout and reclaiming joy, especially for high-performing black women.
• “The Quiet Work of Growing” – an ode to introversion, depth and the slow, sacred work of becoming.
• “A Hard of Hearing Student in a Seemingly Hearing World” – a powerful reframing of disability, agency and brilliance.

The Centre for Wellbeing and Flourishing was established through the Residence Academic Development Committee (RADC) – chaired by Professor Elelwani Ramugondo, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Transformation, Student Affairs and Social Responsiveness. The centre plays a catalytic role in advancing UCT’s Vision 2030 by embedding flourishing across student life, academic development and institutional culture.

This student summit stands distinct from the upcoming Wellbeing and Flourishing Conference – a staff-focused event taking place on 9 September 2025 at the Graduate School of Business. While that conference supports systemic reflection among staff, the Flourish Summit centres the lived voices of UCT students – unfiltered, undeniable and unforgettable.

In line with the centre’s mission to develop scalable, evidence-informed practices that promote flourishing across higher education, this summit offers not only reflection – but recalibration. It is a call to remember that students are not just surviving systems – they are reshaping them.

• Date: Friday, 1 August 2025
• Venue: New Lecture Theatre, Upper Campus
• Time: Arrival from 17:30, programme begins at 18:30
• RSVP to attend the summit.

Come for the stories.

Stay for the shift.

UCT Flourish Summit 2025 – where student growth takes the mic.

Centre for Wellbeing and Flourishing
Department of Student Affairs

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements