View video message from Sylff Association Chairman Yohei Sasakawa to all members of the Sylff community.

The year 2020 was one in which the world struggled to cope with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the Sylff Association secretariat launched an initiative called “COVID-19 Relief for Sylff Fellows,” even as applications for regular support programs had to be suspended.

The relief initiative provided financial support to 328 currently enrolled Sylff fellows from 56 Sylff institutions, enabling them to continue their studies and research toward their degrees. In a show of unity, about 30 members of the sylff community donated a total of more than US$13,000 for this initiative.  

Though overseas travel was restricted, we were able to meet fellows online through our first virtual Sylff fellows get-togethers in October and November and a meeting with Chinese Sylff institutions to recognize new fellows in December. Fellows have also been sharing their pandemic-related insights and activities through the “Voices from the Pandemic” section of the Sylff website. We invite you to contribute your “Voice” as well. Please send us your article to sylff[a]tkfd.or.jp ([a] must be replaced by @.)  

We will continue to do our utmost to support Sylff fellows during these challenging times. Please visit the Sylff website for announcements of new initiatives and programs.  

We wish you all a healthy and safe 2021

Middle row, from left, Mari Suzuki (executive director, Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research), Sylff Association Chairman Yohei Sasakawa, Izumi Kadono (president, Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research), Ichiro Kabasawa (executive director, Nippon Foundation). Top row, Masato Seko (senior program director, Nippon Foundation), Keita Sugai (director), Yoko Kaburagi (director). Bottom row, Sachiko Matsuoka, Yue Zhang, Tomoko Yamada, and Yumi Arai.

News from the Sylff Website in 2020

COVID-19 Relief for Sylff fellows

Thank You for Your COVID-19 Relief Donations (November 16)

COVID-19 Relief Provided to More Than 300 Fellows, but More Help Needed (September 10)
Applications Closed but Fundraising Continues for COVID-19 Relief for Sylff Fellows (August 3)

Online Fundraising Launched to Enable Sylff Fellows to Continue Their Studies (July 29)
Fundraising Launched to Enable Sylff Fellows to Continue Their Studies (July 21)

Start of COVID-19 Relief (July 17)

Sylff to Offer Fellows COVID-19 Emergency Support, Seeks Donations (June 10)

Support Programs

The status of Support Programs through March 31, 2021

Support Programs and COVID-19, Updated July 22, 2020 (August 6)

Support Programs and COVID-19 (April 6)

Before the outbreak of COVID-19

Mindfulness among Educators in South Africa and Promote Mother and Child Health in Puerto Rico (August 5)

SRA Awardees for Fiscal 2019, Second Round (February 20)

Sylff@Tokyo: Serbia Fellow Researching Legal Principles Connects with Experts in Japan (January 15)

Events

Online Meeting with Chinese Sylff Institutions to Recognize New Fellows (December 16)

Sharing COVID Experiences through Virtual Meetings (November 26)

Voices from the Sylff Community

“Voices” from the Pandemic: Call for Articles on COVID-19 (October 22)

Seventh “Voices” Booklet Now Online and in Print (April 22)

The Sylff Association secretariat organized an online ceremony to confirm new fellows in China and hear presentations by one representative each from the 10 Sylff institutions in the country. The institutions are Fudan, Jilin, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Peking, Chongqing, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Sun Yat-sen Universities. Reports were also made by board and steering committee members.

Among the guests invited to the meeting were newly appointed General Secretary of China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) Wang Yongli and other association members. The CEAIE works with the Sylff Association secretariat to help the 10 Chinese Sylff institutions implement and improve the Sylff program at each institution.

An online meeting of Sylff Association members in China and Tokyo.

Chairman Yohei Sasakawa of the Sylff Association and The Nippon Foundation thanked the universities in his opening remarks for soundly and prudently implementing the Sylff program since its launch in China in 1992 (at the first five universities above) and 1994 (at the other five). Noting the country’s tremendous growth over the past three decades, he emphasized the need to update the Sylff program to match the current state of China’s society and economy, calling for the generous provision of fellowship to a few, exceptional students, rather than smaller stipends to a large number of fellows.

Chairman Sasakawa making his opening remarks.

Wang Yongli concurred, saying that the CEAIE will cooperate with the 10 institutions toward the goal of making the Sylff program in China more selective.

Mari Suzuki, a member of the Sylff Association secretariat and Executive Director of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, encouraged Sylff fellows to participate actively in the global Sylff community by taking full advantage of the support programs and networking initiatives offered by the secretariat.

A presentation by General Secretary Wang.

Representatives from the 10 institutions then explained their selection procedures and results for 2020, with all institutions confirming that the process was competitive, fair, open, and rigid. This was followed by presentations by one Sylff fellow each from the 10 universities. They detailed their academic and social engagement achievements to date and vowed to make a contribution to society in the future.

The fellows were all outstanding students, many of them being recipients of governmental and other global fellowships. The Nanjing fellow was a poet and read one of his works during the meeting. And the fellow from Sun Yat-sen related an episode of having worked as a volunteer at a Hansen’s disease facility. Others echoed Sylff’s founding concept of regarding the world as one family, with all of humankind being brothers and sisters, and of taking the initiative to promote international understanding and world peace.

The ceremony will continue to be held annually to strengthen ties among all stakeholders involved in the operation of the Sylff program in China.

“See you next year!”

The Sylff Association secretariat hosted its first virtual Sylff fellows’ meetings on October 27 and November 6 (Japan time) with the participation of fellows who received COVID-19 relief this summer. The meetings were an opportunity for pre-registered participants from around the world to get together online and share their experiences.

Group photo on October 27.

Group photo on November 6.

With the facilitation of secretariat members, fellows described how they are coping with the difficulties and challenges caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 and exchanged views on what new measures would facilitate their academic research and leaderships development initiatives during the pandemic.

Many participants commented that COVID-19 relief was a source of both financial and moral support that promoted a sense of belonging to the Sylff community. They had been concerned about disruptions to their research, with many being forced to change their data collection methods. Suggestions for additional Sylff support included new sources of research funding, mentorship and networking opportunities among current and graduated fellows, and theme-based virtual meetings.

The meeting “was perfectly organized and managed . . . so that we could express ourselves,” one fellow said on the feedback sheet. “The atmosphere was safe, welcoming and engaging. I met the Sylff fellows from all around the world and could share my research topic and exchange our views. I realized that I was not alone in this delicate situation of pandemic and that we can all together search for solutions.”

“I would most certainly recommend this kind of meeting because they help build a strong community of fellows,” another said. “Fruitful dialogue can lead to great ideas that bring positive changes to this world.”

The secretariat, too, was happy to meet the fellows online and to hear their views directly. We are currently reexamining our support programs in order to better respond to their needs under the pandemic. Please look for announcements of future events and new Sylff initiatives on the Sylff website.

The Sylff Association secretariat is happy to report that over 30 members of the Sylff community donated a total of 1,366,400 yen (approximately US$13,000) to support Sylff fellows affected by COVID-19. Thank you all for giving so generously. The online fundraising system to accept donations via credit card is now closed.

The donations are being used to help defray fellows’ living expenses and encourage them to continue their studies and research at their home Sylff institutions despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

COVID-19 has seriously disrupted the research activities of many Sylff fellows and could affect their chances of emerging as future leaders. The support offered by the Sylff community not only helped finance their studies but, as reported by several fellows, gave them a sense of hope and belonging.

Once again, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who made a contribution to COVID-19 Relief for Sylff Fellows.

To counter the negative impact of COVID-19, the Sylff Association secretariat is providing emergency financial support called “COVID-19 Relief for Sylff Fellows” to ensure that fellows are able to continue their studies toward their degrees at their home Sylff institutions.

So far, we have mobilized internal resources to provide relief to more than 300 fellows to cover their living expenses for about three months. However, we require more financial resources to complete this relief effort. Under the circumstances, we are asking the members of the Sylff community for donations.

The secretariat hopes that former Sylff fellowship recipients and others affiliated with Sylff institutions will take this opportunity to show their generosity and support for current fellows.

Some comments received from relief recipients:

“Your letter comes as a bright light in the darkness. […] I am right now moved to tears. Thank you for caring so much about us, the Sylff Fellows, and for giving us hope!”

 “This funding will help me in my daily life […] With this help, I can cover my daily expenses and to continue my studies in the best possible conditions during this difficult time.”

 “The […] letter from Mr. Sasakawa, Association's Chairman, and Ms. Kadono, the President of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research has left me speechless and in deepest appreciation of your association's generous contribution to the continuation of my future research.”

“I wish to express my deepest gratitude for the consideration to offer me financial assistance during this rather difficult period. I really have no words to just say how grateful I am - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!”

“This money will be of great help to me and my family, this period has been very difficult because [of] the pandemic […] and we were trapped there for three more months.”

 “[Y]ou have lightened my financial burden even in a pandemic which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school, learning.”

We wish to thank all those who already contributed to our fundraising initiative.

[How-to-Give] Our online donation now accepts credit cards - VISA, MasterCard, JCB, American Express and Diners. Please give today! (Donation campaign closed on November 13, 2020.)

Two Sylff fellows have been selected for a Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI) award. SLI supports Sylff fellows’ initiatives to change society for the better with awards of up to US$10,000. (Their applications were received last fiscal year and reviewed before the suspension of new applications for SLI.)

The two winners are Liza Hamman and Holly Horan.

Liza Hamman

Liza Hamman completed her PhD at the University of the Western Cape as a Sylff fellow and is currently working as a department head at a vocational education college in South Africa.

With this grant, she will address the social and emotional challenges faced by both educators and students in South Africa by developing an online, mindfulness training course. “It is my hope that this award will benefit many South African teachers,” said Hamman.

Holly Horan

Holly Horan, a Sylff fellow in 2015–16 at Oregon State University who was also awarded an SRA grant in 2016, is a clinical biocultural medical anthropologist at the University of Alabama in the United States.

With the SLI grant, as an academic and a birth and postpartum doula, she will promote a model of integrated maternity care in Puerto Rico by organizing an international conference for multiple stakeholders. Over the long term, she aims to launch a political and economic movement for health systems reform.

The Sylff Association secretariat is excited to provide support to fellows who are taking social action by applying their ideas and expertise to build a better world for all.

Congratulations to the two Sylff fellows on winning the award. Barring disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the projects will be carried out over a year in their respective countries.

The Sylff Association secretariat would like to inform you that no new applications for COVID-19 Relief for Sylff Fellows will be accepted after August 2, 2020. Our budget for the relief is running short as there are continuing demands for support even after we disbursed our relief funds in mid-July. The applications that we received before the above date are now being reviewed and may be supported contingent on our fundraising results.

On this occasion, the secretariat would like to ask the Sylff community to pitch in to increase our funding resources to support more fellows who are struggling to continue their studies and research towards their degrees. Please click How to Give for your donation. (Donation campaign closed on November 13, 2020.)

The Sylff Association secretariat has launched an online fundraising system to accept donations via credit card in order to help finance COVID-19 Relief for Sylff Fellows. As already announced, donations may also be made via bank transfers. (Donation campaign closed on November 13, 2020.)

This relief is intended to help defray Sylff fellows’ living expenses and encourage them to continue their studies and research at their home Sylff institutions despite the current difficulties due to COVID-19. (For details, please refer to the relief initiative page, https://www.sylff.org/covid-19-relief-for-sylff-fellows.)

The secretariat hopes that the online fundraising system will facilitate the process of donation.

The Sylff Association secretariat regrets to inform you that no new applications for support programs (including Sylff Research Abroad, Sylff Leadership Initiatives, Sylff Project Grant, and Local Association Networking Support) has been accepted since July 22, 2020. This is in light of the difficulty of conducting activities entailing long-distance and overseas travel as well as convening gatherings of large groups of people under the current COVID-19 situation. We will continue to monitor the situation with the COVID-19 outbreak, and update you if there are any changes in support programs.

For current support program participants, there is no change in the operation as announced on April 6, 2020. If the current situation prevents you from completing your activities as proposed, either partially or entirely, please contact sylff[at]tkfd.or.jp (replace [at] with @) to share details and discuss ways to deal with the situation.

During this period, the secretariat will reshape the support programs in such ways as to promote fellow’s academic advancement and leadership development so they may better fulfill Sylff’s mission in spite of changing social conditions.

The secretariat also welcomes new ideas on programs from Sylff Association members that may be implemented not just during a pandemic but also as we return to a reality that is likely to have been vastly transformed by the events of this year. Please share them with the secretariat by the end of September 2020 so we can take them into account during our review.

We continue to be committed to supporting Sylff fellows. We regret having to suspend and reshape the support programs but hope to come up with innovative ways to move forward in the face of these unprecedented challenges.