By Kevin Harper and Fabio Frederico

　

Kevin Harper is a SYLFF fellow and doctoral candidate at Howard University who applied for and was selected as a SYLFF Forum Award recipient in 2001.Fabio Frederico also is a SYLFF fellow and is a master's degree candidate at the university of Sao Paulo. Together they write about their experience in planning and implementing a series of workshops at five SYLFF institutions: Howard university (U.S.A), Massey University (New Zealand), University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), University of the Western cape (South Africa), and York university (Canada). The workshops culminated in an international forum that was held in Washington, D.C. on the campus of Howard University, October 31 -November 2, 2001.

　

　When the proposal we submitted was selected for an SYLFF Forum Award, we had no idea of how rewarding and growth producing it would be to collaborate with scholars from around the world. We wish to begin this article by explaining how the proposal evolved.

　

　During a SYLFF Program meeting at Howard University at the beginning of the fall 2000 semester, all of the fellows and members of the steering committee were excited about the upcoming academic year and the international research ahead of us. At some point during the meeting it was mentioned that Sasakawa fellows from the previous year had applied for funding under the SYLFF Forum Program but had not been selected. My interest was immediately sparked, because I had served on many proposal-writing teams and had been moderately successful in those efforts. I asked if a copy of the proposal that had not been funded could be made available. Then, with the encouragement of Dean Orlando Taylor and Senior Fellow Dr. Wayne Patterson, we began work on a proposal. The submission process began with each fellow sharing details regarding his or her research interests. As we searched for a common theme to address and to propose for funding, research interests concerning gender and society remained prevalent. As a social scientist specializing in issues of social inequality, I proposed a title, my colleagues agreed to it, and just like that we became both a committee and a proposal-writing team. In time, the proposal was completed, signed by us and submitted. On February 15, 2001, while conducting research in Jamaica. I received an electronic message informing me that our proposal had been selected for funding.

　

　The forum was organized on three fronts: within the universities and on the national and international levels. With Howard University being the lead university, our committee nominated a conference logistics chairperson (Kevin W. Harper) and a secretary (Wendi Manuel-Scott) who later proved to be more of a co-chairperson. Kevin. Wendi, and the rest of the committee immediately went to work, for they had no idea of how challenging the task would be to initiate and help organize activities in five universities in as many countries. The members of the Howard University committee joined together, and each fellow was assigned particular responsibilities. The initial and perhaps most important task was to initiate closer communications with our collaborating universities. One student was assigned to each of the four collaborating universities (Massey University, University of Sao Paulo (USP), University of the Western Cape, and York University). Each of the Howard University committee members was responsible for assisting one of the other collaborating universities throughout the process. Basic assistance included sharing information, assisting with the call for papers, and attending the local forum at the collaborating university. Each university was responsible for forming its own committee and conducting a local conference in its country. Each university also was responsible for collaborating with the other universities, because a national representative from each university was to attend the local conference at each of the other collaborating universities. All this was made possible through reworking of the budget, though that was an incredibly time- and energy-consuming process.

　

　

　

University of Sao Paulo

　The Workshop on Inequalities and Exclusion was held at the School of Economics, Business Administration and Accounting of the University of Sao Paulo, on August 16, 2001. The workshop included four panel sessions at which SYLFF fellows and guest speakers presented their papers. Immediately after the presentation of three papers in each panel session, they were commented on by two designated participants, after which the other participants in the workshop posed questions and presented comments.

　Besides the SYLFF fellows, some invited participants from other colleges of the University of Sao Paulo presented papers and participated in the activities. Dr. Carlos Azzoni, chairman of the USP SYLFF Steering Committee, was the academic organizer of the workshop, and Maria de Lourdes Silva, executive secretary of the USP SYLFF Program, provided invaluable assistance. Four members from other SYLFF institutions were present at the event, presenting papers and acting as discussants. They were from Howard University (Washington, D.C., U.S.A) and the University of the Western Cape (Cape Town, South Africa). About 40 individuals participated in the workshop. They included currently enrolled and graduated fellows, USP students, and community members interested in inequalities and exclusion.

　In accordance with the spirit of the international forum, the intention of the USP workshop was to provide an opportunity for SYLFF fellows to present their work and to interact with others in an academic environment. The workshop also was intended to promote both interaction among fellows and international collaboration. The workshop's objectives were to encourage collaboration among universities and to foster international exchanges. Last, but not least, the workshop was planned so as to encourage debate and understanding about one of the most important issues facing our society: inequalities and social exclusion. The outcome of the workshop indicated that there is more to inequalities and social exclusion than can be discussed in a one-day meeting, given the variety of subjects involved: political, social, and economic. We suggest that in the future such endeavors be allowed more time.

　Given the wide spectrum of problems under the general theme of the workshop, it became clear that the subject is highly complex and that the problems faced by the communities analyzed are serious and deserve additional consideration and analysis. The studies that were presented served to increase the participants' awareness of the problems and improved their knowledge of the subject.

　The interaction of people from different disciplines and different backgrounds and with distinct approaches was one of the positive features of the meeting. It became clear that the study of such complex problems demands a multidisciplinary approach.

　In addition, the workshop was highly successful in promoting interaction among fellows and universities and in stimulating young scholars.

　As an integral aspect of the SYLFF Program, the workshop was intended to promote the development of young scholars in social science fields, providing them with an opportunity to present their work and to begin their academic life. Both aims were intended to foster the leadership potential of the fellows through team activities and international collaboration. The SYLFF Program and the workshop also involved promoting an international environment of understanding and tolerance, in accord with the belief that the nations of the world share common problems that need to be dealt with by collaborative actions.

　

Graeme Fraser of Massey University reported:

　Stephane Alrivy added, "The conference at Massey highlighted many interesting topics in Maori studies. There were 18 participants, including 8 presenters from various Massey campuses and the University of Otago."

　

　This one-day workshop was held on September 29, 2001, at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town. Dr. Jan Persens, Director of International Relations at the University of the Western Cape, who, with his staff, led by Debra Lamson, was responsible for organizing the workshop, wrote to the Cape Town participants:

　

Dr. Persens also wrote to Dean Taylor and Dr. Patterson:

　

　The York University Workshop, held on September 14, 2001 , was the best-attended of all the workshops, even though a few people who were expected to attend were not able to do so because their flights were cancelled by the airlines as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11. There were well over 100 persons in attendance throughout the day, and the papers were very informative and of high quality.

　

　

　Dean John Lennox, dean of graduate studies, opened the proceedings, and his timely remarks were very much appreciated. Egla J. Martinez-Salazar served as the coordinator for the workshop, and with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers she conducted the proceedings smoothly and efficiently throughout the day.

　There were six panel discussions in all, with a format that worked quite well: the beginning session was a plenary one; two concurrent panel sessions were held in both the second and third time periods; and the final session was another plenary one. A total of 17 papers were presented, including 1 from the University of the Western Cape.

　

　After the workshops were successfully completed at each university, a three-day international forum was hosted by Howard University. Participants at the international forum were to present the best papers from each of the local workshops. However, due to the events of September 11, 2001, many of our intended presenters were unable to travel. Therefore, in an effort to remain consistent with our cause and our efforts, we arranged for the people who had been unable to attend national workshops due to the September 11 events to have the opportunity to make presentations at the international forum. This event required the organization of inter-national travel, airport pick-ups, local transportation to and from the forum site for three days, food and lodgings, and of course outstanding cultural sensitivity, because we represented a minimum of five countries and time zones. Approximately 350 individuals attended this forum. They included presenter Anita Arya from India, who was in the United States doing postdoctoral work at the University of California at Berkley; former SYLFF fellow and presenter Richard Wamai, from the University of Helsinki, Finland, who was doing Ph.D. research in Washington, D.C., at the time of the forum; and Ellen Mashiko, executive director of The Tokyo Foundation. The highlight of the opening session was the keynote address by Dr. Mamphela Ramphele, managing director of the Human Development Group of the World Bank, who stated in her address:

　A copy of her keynote address can be found at www.founders.howard.edu/gsas/ramp_speech.htm.

　The fundamental objectives of the forum were: (1) to elicit, from thoughtful individuals at Howard Massey, Sao Paulo. Western Cape, and York universities, papers concerning issues of social inequality that could be published and forwarded to the United Nations; (2) to increase awareness at the aforementioned five universities of the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Racism and Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance; (3) to afford SYLFF fellows from five programs in five countries the opportunity to observe, become acquainted with, and work closely with each other; (4) to inform the university communities in Howard, Massey, Sao Paulo. Western Cape, and York about The Tokyo Foundation, the Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF) Program, and the opportunity for students to become SYLFF fellows; and (5) to provide scholarly input into the national agendas of the countries of the participants and their universities.

　

　The results of the forum included a significant increase in attention to, and research on, social inequality: a significant increase in awareness of the SYLFF fellows and SYLFF Programs in other countries; the first stage of widespread dissemination of the content of all of the papers, through publication, in both paper and electronic formats; and last, the opportunity for us SYLFF fellows to gain professional experience in an activity that will likely be an important part of our careers: the responsibility for soliciting research papers, and serving as jury members evaluating and selecting papers for presentation.

　The pre-forum workshops and the international forum related to the basic goals of the SYLFF Program and even allowed for a vision of the future. The program was designed to provide financial support to outstanding students concentrating on research regarding international affairs and/or world peace. We addressed the global issue of social inequality, which is at the core of a world without peace. Because we had five collaborating universities concentrating on such an important global issue, we as SYLFF fellows were pioneers at the forefront of producing the optimal product, world peace.