Two years after Sylff fellows from various countries gathered at the Sylff Leadership Initiatives (SLI) forum held in December 2016, another Sylff gathering was organized in late November 2018 by the great initiative of four SLI organizers—Jacinta Mwende Maweu, Socrates Kraido Majune, Stephen Muthusi Katembu, and Alexina Nyaboke Marucha—and Awuor Ponge, who joined the organizing team. The event invited fifteen fellows from Nairobi, one fellow from Maseno, Kenya, and two fellows from the United States with the support of the Local Association Networking Support (LANS) program. The following is a report written by Socrates Majune on behalf of the organizers. It outlines discussions about the future of the University of Nairobi Chapter and sentiments of several fellows on how Sylff has impacted their lives over time.

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Introduction

This article is about the proceedings of the LANS meeting held by the Sylff University of Nairobi Chapter on November 23, 2018. The basis of this meeting was the Peace Forum held in 2016, whose main recommendation was to ensure that the chapter remains active. Taking advantage of the newly formed LANS support program by the Sylff Association, five fellows—Dr. Jacinta Mwende, Socrates Majune, Alexina Marucha, Steve Muthusi, and Awuor Ponge—successfully organized a networking meeting at the University of Nairobi Towers. The theme of the meeting was “Sylff Fellows as Agents of Change.” In particular, the meeting sought to enhance cohesion among fellows, showcase the experiences of fellows in their pursuit of changing the world, and to discuss the way forward for the chapter.

Three organizers: (from left to right) Alexina Nyaboke Marucha, Awuor Ponge, and Socrates Kraido Majune.

 Twenty-two participants attended the meeting: eighteen current and past fellows, two representatives of the Graduate School of the University of Nairobi (Professor Lawrence Ikamari and Mr. Bernard Kiige), one representative of the Sylff Association Secretariat (Ms. Yue Zhang), and a visitor (Mr. Isaac Kariuki). Conspicuous in the meeting was the diversity in terms of period of fellowship, current country of residence, and expertise. The fellowship period spread from 1992–1994 to 2017–2019, and two fellows were from the diaspora (living in the United States), while the rest resided in Kenya. The areas of expertise ranged from academia to policy and think tanks to social action and advocacy.

The meeting began at 12:20 pm and ended at 4:17 pm. The following sections provide summaries of the presentations and deliberations of the meeting.

A funny game at the beginning broke the ice.

Presentations

After the official opening of the meeting by Professor Lawrence Ikamari, deputy director of the Graduate School, and a presentation by Ms. Yue Zhang, four fellows presented their experiences as agents of change. Mr. Awuor Ponge, an associate research fellow at the African Policy Centre and adjunct faculty at Kenyatta University, explained how Sylff’s training and networking opportunities have influenced him. Mr. Ponge received the Fellowship between 2007 and 2009 to pursue an MA in Development Studies at the University of Nairobi.

Mr. Stephen Muthusi Katembu moderating the presentation section.

He has so far benefited from three Sylff programs including LANS. The others are: a Sylff Research Abroad (SRA) Fellowship at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex; the Sylff Administrators Meeting at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, which also included a meeting with research fellows of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research and senior Japanese policymakers in Tokyo. These experiences have particularly brought Mr. Ponge to appreciate multiculturalism, honesty, humility, hospitality, discipline, philanthropy, and academic generosity, virtues that he aspires to in his academic work at Kenyatta University. Moreover, these experiences have enriched his networks and research skills, prompting him to launch the African Policy Centre.

Mrs. Sennane Riungu shared her story in collaboration with Sylff.

Mrs. Sennane Riungu, a fellow from 2006 to 2008, explained the role of Sylff in her post-undergraduate life. After graduating with a BA in Education, she was unsure of how to proceed until a life-changing opportunity arose in the form of a Sylff fellowship. Through the fellowship, she earned an MA in International Development and Diplomacy, which is the basis of her current work at the Australian High Commission in Nairobi. In 2013, Mrs. Riungu successfully organized a leaders’ forum titled “Leading the Leaders: A Forum for Local Youth Leaders in Maara Constituency.” This was sponsored by the Sylff Association under the SLI support program. Through this initiative, Mrs. Riungu has managed to create a big forum in her constituency that pursues life-enhancing projects such as agri-business opportunities through greenhouse farming.

Dr. Nicholas Githuku introduced his latest achievements in academia.

Dr. Nicholas Githuku, another Sylff fellow, echoed the words of Mrs. Riungu in explaining the impact of the Sylff fellowship in his postgraduate life. He received a Sylff fellowship between 2002 and 2004 to pursue an MA in Armed Conflict and Peace Studies (History) at the University of Nairobi. Though this opportunity, he was able to network and organize a meeting of the Kenya Association of Sylff Fellows in 2005. Dr. Githuku is currently an assistant professor at York College in the United States. His main influence is in academia, especially through his 2015 book titled Mau Mau Crucible of War: Statehood, National Identity, and Politics of Postcolonial Kenya.

Mr. and Mrs. Kariuki.

Mrs. Agnes Kariuki, one of the earliest Sylff fellows at the University of Nairobi, also made a presentation. She was accompanied by her husband, Mr. Kariuki. She received the fellowship between 1992 and 1994 to study African history at the Department of History, University of Nairobi. She acknowledges the contribution of Sylff in establishing her life purpose of advocating for social action in society. In 1994, Mrs. Kariuki was among the five students selected to take up an internship opportunity in Japan under the support of the Tokyo Foundation and the Mainichi Shimbun. Though her experience with Japanese families, she not only wrote newspaper articles but was also motivated to undertake an AIDS education project together with friends. This was funded by the Tokyo Foundation. Although she relocated to the United States in 1997, her passion for social advocacy remained on course. She established an after-school homework club in a church basement to keep kids off the street and away from crime and help them focus on their studies. This project was originally funded as a social action grant by the Tokyo Foundation but later also attracted funding from such organizations as the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington and IMPACT Silver Spring. As a result of her initiative, Mrs. Kariuki received the prestigious Linowes Leadership Award in 2001 and continues with her initiative with consistent funding from the YMCA. Above all, she teaches at Montgomery County Public Schools and, together with her husband, runs Diasporamessenger, a website that connects Kenyans living in the United States and those intending to visit the country.

 Roundtable Meeting and Way Forward

Dr. Jacinta Mwende Maweu modertaing the roundtable meeting section.

After the aforementioned presentations by fellows, the next section was dedicated to a plenary session among the fellows. The main objective was to propose recommendations to guide the chapter in 2019 and beyond. The major resolutions of the plenary session were as follows:

a) To deepen and strengthen ties among fellows, another LANS meeting will be held in Nairobi in Novembers 2019.

b) The 2019 LANS meeting will be in two parts, a section for academic presentations and a social action program. These would ensure that fellows not only influence one another academically but also impact society. An appropriate theme for the 2019 meeting will be communicated early in 2019. In addition, a mini-meeting will be held earlier in 2019.

c) A database of all fellows will be compiled to ensure that all fellows are involved in the activities of the chapter. This will be accompanied by formal registration of the chapter under the Graduate School of the University of Nairobi.

A vigorous exchange of opinions.

Conclusion

Looking ahead to the 2019 meeting, it is evident that there is a need to fulfill Sylff’s true mission of tapping leadership skills that make the world a better place. The transmission mechanism was well captured by Mrs. Agnes Kariuki:

The truth is that none of us got to where we are without a helping hand. It is the same helping hand that Sylff has encouraged us to extend to others by becoming agents of change in our communities. It is possible to impact this change through our daily activities so long as we remain focused on making a difference.

Group photo of the LANS participants.

Acknowledgments

The organizers of the LANS 2018 meeting would like to immensely thank the Sylff Association for their financial support with the transportation of long-distance fellows. Gratitude also goes to the Graduate School of the University of Nairobi for providing a venue at the University. Lastly, the organizers appreciate the sacrifice of the fellows who attended the four-hour meeting.

List of Participants

Sylff's second Local Association Networking Support (LANS) event was held at the Auckland Campus of Massey University in September 2018. In New Zealand, Sylff fellowships are provided to students studying at one of the eight public universities in the country, and Massey University is responsible for program administration. The universities are scattered across the main two islands of the country, and there is rarely an opportunity for Sylff fellows to have face-to-face conversations with one another. The networking event was realized with the efforts of five organizing Sylff fellows. A number of research presentations were given to introduce fellows’ activities during the event. The participating fellows enjoyed networking beyond the bounds of institutions and fellowship years. The LANS award supported two international travels and five long-distance travels within the country of participating fellows. The secretariat hopes that this initiative will be continued as an annual event.

The following article is a report of the event by Tess Bartlett, one of the organizers.

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On September 3, 2018, New Zealand Sylff fellows came together for the inaugural Sylff Fellows Networking Event. This article provides a summary of the event and of the workshops and presentations outlining the exciting work that a number of New Zealand Sylff fellows are doing.

The formal introduction was given by Ms. Yue Zhang from the Sylff Association Secretariat, a program officer for leadership development at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research. Ms. Zhang outlined some of the opportunities for Sylff fellows afforded by the recently established Sylff Association (founded in 2017) as a way to continue supporting current and former Sylff fellows through a range of programs in the areas of research, social action, and networking.

We learned from Ms. Zhang that there are now 69 Sylff institutions (with 16,000 fellows and 44 countries represented). The participants at the New Zealand inaugural Sylff event were among those selected as Sylff fellows across the years because of their outstanding academic success and because they were considered future leaders in various fields.

The concluding discussion.

The event concluded with a discussion, in which we reflected on the successes of the day (e.g., making connections, realizing the value of interdisciplinary research and networking, and celebrating current and past research). The attendees also expressed unanimous support for regular networking events of a similar nature. An event next year may be held via an online conference system and may include a focus on some of the following: social science, interdisciplinary research, research in New Zealand, and how we can be leaders specifically in New Zealand.  One of the fellows present raised the possibility of New Zealand (and perhaps Pacific) Sylff fellows collaborating on a Sylff Project Grant application, the goal of which would be to empower Pacific Island youth to be change-makers, leaders, and advocates and to take active roles in responding to specific challenges facing their communities.

Summary of Workshops and Presentations

Workshop: How to Take the Big Leap and Step into Your Power, Ms. Tess Bartlett

The first workshop was run by Tess Bartlett, the founder and director of This Simple Space, where she is a Creative Mastery Coaching and Research Consultant. This workshop explored some of the blocks that we might have holding us back from taking the big leap, such as fears and self-doubt. It also explored how to deal with procrastination, how to recognize fear and self-doubt, and how to set simple goals. After learning these tools, we had simple actions for moving forward so that we can thrive.

Low-Intensity CBT for Community-Dwelling Older Adults Experiencing Low Mood, Dr. James Martyn

James presented on his research based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and how early experiences have an influence on yourself, others, and the future. CBT can be extremely helpful for everyone, and the skills can be kept for a lifetime.

Dr. James Martyn explained the treatment barriers.

There are a number of barriers that prevent people from getting treatment for depression, such as low motivation, stigma, going to a general practitioner, lack of funding or resources, exclusion based on minimum symptom severity, social stigma associated with mental disorders, lack of specialist-trained health-care providers to conduct treatment, inaccurate diagnosis (particularly with older adults), and cost of private treatment. Many people therefore do not access treatment.

Low-Intensity CBT (LI-CBT) Self Help provides evidence-based CBT treatment content via nonconventional means, such as books, audio, and the Internet. Provision of guidance in LI-CBT self-help significantly improves treatment outcomes. In this sense the individual becomes  their own treatment option, which means that there might be greater access or speed to treatment, service flexibility, responsiveness, capacity, and patient choice, and may overcome barriers around delivery.

There is a dearth of guided CBT self-help options for depression in New Zealand. James’ study looked at a group version of self-help, which is a cost-effective and time-effective low intensity treatment. The self-help material is based on CBT principles and is an eight-week course that aims to look at ratings of depression, anxiety, and quality of life and to investigate whether there was engagement with the LI-CBT self-help among individuals between the ages of 60 and 75. Evidence supports that Living Life to the Full (LLTTF) is a viable and effective LI-CBT option for improving symptoms of depression and anxiety and quality of life among older adults aged 60–75 years dwelling in the New Zealand community.

Creative Solutions for the Global Plastics Crisis, Dr. Trisia Farrelly

For six years Trisia has been on a social experiment to learn about toxic plastics and consumer behaviors. Despite her environmental ethics, Trisia found it very difficult to avoid plastic and so wondered what this would be like for people who are not as aware or do not have the money to avoid plastics.

There is nowhere on earth that has not been touched by plastic: bees are using it to create hives, it has been found in beer, it is in our air, and it is in the water ecology. Most of it comes from land sources. Macroplastics break down into microplastics, which can be consumed by fish and can then be broken down into (nano)plastics that can pass through cell walls and cell membranes. One major concern now is microfibers found on clothes; because of their shape they get stuck inside fish.

Even if we were to recycle twice as much as we are currently recycling (which would only be 30%), the oil used would negate any of the recycling that we do. Instead, we need to aim to replace the use of, and prevent the unnecessary production of, any single-use plastics. Trisia informed us that 91% of plastics are not recycled and that we need to work on another level. The focus is often on recycling plastic rather than on preventing it from being created in the first place; this focus needs to change. Supply of plastics has increased 20-fold in the last 60 years, and the forecast of plastics volume growth suggests that there will be more plastics than fish in the ocean by weight in 2050.

Plastics don’t go away, you just find them in a different form somewhere else.

The outlook is looking good in terms of going plastic-bag free: New Zealand, for example, is going plastic-bag free in 2019. There is a lot of research into the effect of plastic on the environment and on our health. China has recently shut down its gates for post-consumer recyclables and plastics. But there is still more work to be done. Preproduction design and reduction and prevention include things like nonedible wastes (e.g., corn husks and coconut shells), but these measures will not be sufficient to meet the level of the current crisis.

Dr. Trisia Farrelly gave comments on the gravity of plastic pollution.

Instead, it comes down to prevention, such as individual consumer responsibility. And yet this individualizes the problem rather than looking at the companies creating the plastics. Individual and community roles also play a part in cleaning up beaches. The aim is to work toward reducing the amount of materials that enter the “circular economy.” It also is about acting powerfully in response to the plastics crisis, such as making manufacturers responsible for what they produce and develop policies that are precautionary. There need to be loud voices pushing for this from the ground up. One way of doing this is to lead by example. This involves a new plastic pollution strategy that involves plastic-free-campuses, organizations, shops, cities.  Another final solution is to have an international legally binding plastic pollution treaty based on the Montreal Protocol.

Overlooked and Unsupported: A Study of Imprisoned Primary Carer Fathers in Victoria, Australia, Ms. Tess Bartlett

Tess spoke about primary carer fathers in prison in Victoria. It is well established that the vast majority of prisoners are men and that around 50% of these men are parents. Yet very little attention is paid to the parenting status of this group. As such, there remains a gap in research, theory, and practice with regard to primary carer fathers in prison. Tess provided an overview of her PhD thesis examining the experiences of imprisoned primary carer fathers in Victoria, Australia, at the point of arrest and imprisonment. The views of 39 primary carer fathers incarcerated in Victoria were analyzed and reported on. Tess presented findings from her research, clearly highlighting how fathers are overlooked and unsupported with regard to their children at the key points of arrest and imprisonment, serving as a barrier to maintaining father-child relationships. She also offered pragmatic solutions as to how to best facilitate the connection between incarcerated fathers and their children.

Tess Bartlett giving advice on applying for an SRA grant.

In 2017 Tess received a Sylff Research Abroad grant, which allowed her to travel to the United States to speak with experts in research and program design directly related to prisoners and their families. She is currently the only person conducting research that examines fathers who were direct carers of their children prior to imprisonment; traveling to the United States provided an international context to her dissertation. Tess drew on her experience utilizing Sylff alumni awards to offer advice to Sylff recipients about career advancement and leadership.

Olive Trees and Heroines: Talking Peace—Young Women’s Agency and Peacemaking in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Ms. Sophie Goulter

Ms. Sophie Goulter shared her experience at Moster High School in Bosnia.

Sophie spent time in Bosnia while traveling in 2012. She learned that at Moster High School students were taught different versions of their city’s history depending on their ethnicity.

Youth engaging in collaborative peacemaking face increasing obstacles to demonstrate their agency. Through critical feminist and phenomenological analyses Sophie examined the agency of youth in Creativity for Peace (CfP) by investigating their capacity to act for peace.

Sophie described a camp in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Palestinian and Israeli teenage girls live in a camp house. The aim is to cooperate and to live harmoniously together, sharing resources. Over the first several days they talk about their needs and use “deep listening” and “compassionate listening” as a way to develop empathy and build a peaceful relationship with one another. Authentic effective speaking is also used to produce quality and cooperation between participants.

Agency was a key component. This is the consciousness of one’s potential to take action, a willingness to engage in collective action in the interest of the group, and the knowledge and willingness to challenge existing structures. Thus, agency is having the knowledge, power, and ability to activate resources (White and Why, 1998). The ability for youth to have agency is important in activism and conflict.

Some of the dominant challenges to participation in peacemaking are structural: the societal stigma toward peacemaking, the internal conflict that the young women experience, and the emotional commitment required to sustain their engagement. The means by which the girls navigate these challenges come back to practicing the nonviolent communication that they learned with CfP, as well as creating and sustaining supportive networks.

Sophie provided insight into how to navigate and demonstrate agency. The first was communication: “talking with a sweet heart” and allowing people to share in an authentic way, as well as telling personal stories and using “like terms” or comparisons. Personal relationships and support were also important: community, friends, and networks, and CfP as a coping mechanism. There was an added complexity as to how they thought of themselves. For example, they wanted to see themselves simply as teenagers, separate from the conflict.

Lastly, Sophie talked about some reflections on the research process and discussed how life-changing it was to undertake her Masters and be involved in day-to-day interviewing, becoming quite involved in the conflict in the process.

The Meri Shall Inherit the Earth: Women’s Leadership in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Ms. Kayt Bronnimann

Ms. Kayt Bronnimann's presentation focused on her interview project in Bougainville.

Kayt spent close to a year volunteering in Bougainville and has been questioning “development” and what this is. Bougainville has fallen under Papua New Guinean rule and follows a matrilineal system. One woman said, “Basically, we were cut off from the rest of the world” (Josephine Sirivi).

In 1996 the Community Government Act was passed, under which a man and a woman must be selected to represent each ward. While this does open up the doors for women, there is still a predominantly male-led leadership. Kayt’s research examines the gendered impacts of the new Community Government Act on political participation and social transformation.

A referendum will take place in 2019. Kayt worked with the Bureau of Public Affairs, which will work to spread the word about the referendum in the community.

Kayt found that people are very hungry for information and that a lot of people are in the dark. Many villages are not connected by electricity and many do not have television or access to news. The conflict has touched all people living in Bougainville. Women interviewed by Kayt were involved in the fight for peace and emerged as leaders. One woman had to deal with the death of her daughter but knew she had to move forward in order to serve her people. Strength through diversity and strength through faith were a common story for women interviewed.

Another woman in a high-status position helped many women whose husbands had abandoned or beaten them, while hiding the fact that she was also a victim of violence at the hands of her husband.

The women found themselves at the intersection of culture. They were in remote communities, with few resources, and in traditional gender roles where they are often tied to motherhood. When women stand for political office, this often means that they have to do it without their husband’s approval or support.

As an alternative to the increasingly controversial “voluntourism,” Kayt suggested “Volunteer Services Abroad”— a volunteer program that gives people the opportunity to go to another country and develop skills. Yet this is not often available to people in those communities in the same way. She posed the question, “Why do we need to leave in order to discover our own privilege?”

“Years of research have frequently failed to improve the conditions of the people who are researched.” —Tuhiwai Smith (2012)

 Human Design for Humans, Mr. Scott Brebner

Scott spoke about how he makes technologies that help improve people’s lives. As a designer he is interested in storytelling. At the age of seven he became fascinated with games, writing his own Dungeons and Dragons missions. As a teenager he knew he wanted to go to university and become a game designer. At university he learned about Human Designs for Humans and ethical game design. At one memorable lecture the professor spoke of the Dream Ball Project—about designing a Medikit that turned into a soccer ball. These projects flicked a switch about ethical consciousness, and he decided to make games that help people with rehabilitation. Scott made TodTec, a game used to help children with a drop foot or recovering from ankle injuries to get the exercise that they need for rehabilitation.

There are ways of supporting games and the positive use of games in people’s lives. Scott spoke about presenting his ideas to the Sylff Association and argued that all people can use games. He designed Double 12, a domino game that would translate skills to game play using physical therapy exercises for people who have suffered a stroke, by moving players backwards and forwards on a board. Scott designed the digital aspect, and his team took the project out to volunteers (survivors of a stroke), who gave feedback on how it might help them in the community. Since then, Scott has spoken at several conferences about design sustainability and human ethics.

Mr. Scott Brebner gave his presentation using self-made illustrations.  

Scott now works at Exsurgo, designing games for people who have had strokes. He is actively trying to take big machinery and make it affordable and make recovery more transparent for users. By building rehabilitation games he hopes to make the experience more fulfilling. Medical device production is tricky (safety protocols, for example), but Exsurgo aims to meet that challenge head-on to keep the devices relevant. 

Acknowledgments

On behalf of the Organizing Committee: The organizers of the inaugural New Zealand Sylff Fellows Networking Event would like to thank the Sylff Association for making this day possible and the Sylff New Zealand Steering Committee for covering the catering costs.

A group photo after the meeting: (front row, left to right) Ms. Yue Zhang, Ms. Amy Liang, Ms. Meg Stairmand, (back row, left to right) Ms. Naomi Collins, Ms. Tess Bartlett, Ms. Kayt Bronnimann, Mr. Scott Brebner, Mr. Robert Haua, Mr. Richard Wanden, Ms. Giulia Lowe, and Dr. Trisia Farrelly.

*organizers of the event

Local Association Networking Support (LANS) is a new support program intended to facilitate the organization of gatherings and other activities by groups of Sylff alumni, including local Sylff associations. Groups of five or more fellows and alumni from the same institution can apply to the Sylff Association for a maximum of US$5,000 per gathering to cover the long-distance transportation costs of participating fellows. This program was launched in September 2017, and the Jadavpur University Sylff Association (JU-Sylff Association) was the first to take advantage of it. In March 2018 the association organized a two-day event in Kolkata, India, inviting JU-Sylff fellows from Britain, Ireland, and other parts of India. The following is an introduction to the JU-Sylff Association and a report on the meeting organized by it.

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INTRODUCTION

The LANS Meet in progress.

The JU-Sylff Association was delighted to learn about Local Association Networking Support (LANS), the newly introduced Sylff support program. We felt that the grant recognized and encouraged the strong spirit of group work that the JU-Sylff Association has always upheld. LANS offered an excellent opportunity to bring together fellows, graduated and current, to discuss their own individual research and brainstorm over collective goals to address social, cultural, and environmental issues that concern us all in different ways.

Activities of the JU-Sylff Association

It was in 2005 that the JU-Sylff Program launched its association with the generous support of the Tokyo Foundation’s Sylff Network Program (SNP). For the first three years the JU-Sylff Association was reliant on the SNP for financial support, but for the last 10 years we have continued our activities unabated with contributions from Sylff fellows and financial support from the university and the Sylff Steering Committee.

Every week the researchers—current and, if they are in town, graduated fellows—come for Monday meetings to discuss research, activities of the association, and larger sociopolitical issues with Professor Joyashree Roy, the project director. Depending on our areas of research, we are often prompted to get in touch with a graduated fellow in some part of the world who can help us answer questions raised in our work or give us a lead as to how our work can be translated into some meaningful action within our society.

About once a month the association organizes the JU-Sylff Lecture Series, where academics and activists, under the JU-Sylff banner, engage with Sylff and non-Sylff students and researchers of the university. Intense and focused discussions follow, as the lectures bring together a small group of interested researchers. These lectures are frequently delivered by graduated Sylff fellows, further providing a platform to interact and exchange ideas. The JU-Sylff Annual Newsletter, Fellows, also provides a useful forum for current and graduated researchers to discuss their work.

Our Vision for LANS Meet 2018

When the LANS grant was announced, we saw an opportunity to bring together in the same physical space graduated and current fellows, as well as mentors, to discuss our work and imagine ways in which our and Sylff’s larger goals can be achieved through teamwork and capacity building. Interaction with graduated fellows and mentors helps us develop our ideas and become better researchers, but it is largely limited to either email correspondence or personal meetings with those who happen to be in the city. The LANS Meet could also provide a platform for current and graduated fellows to showcase their extracurricular skills. JU-Sylff fellows who are currently working in different institutions across the world are doing outstanding work. We felt that the opportunity to bring them together, allowing to share their diverse and inspiring stories, could give us fresh energy to pursue our goals and ambitions and to think bigger.

The meet was conceptualized and organized by all participating Sylff fellows, but it would not have been possible without the special commitment of and team building done by Ritajyoti Bandyopadhyay, Payoshni Mitra, Purbasha Auddy, Sudeshna Dutta, Sujaan Mukherjee, and Sritama Chatterjee, with invaluable guidance from Professor Roy.

DAY ONE: PRESENCE AND CONFLUENCE

On March 21, graduated and current fellows began trickling into Jadavpur University well before the scheduled time of the inaugural LANS Meet. They greeted each other enthusiastically, reminiscing with old colleagues and making friends with new faces. We were honored to have with us Ms. Mari Suzuki, Sylff Association, director for leadership development of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, who came especially to be a part of this special event. Her presence offered great encouragement to the fellows, and we were able to understand clearly that the goals we had set for ourselves were indeed in harmony with the larger Sylff mission and goals: to identify and support leaders for the future.

Apart from the fellows, many mentors of the JU-Sylff Program were present for the meet, including Professor Emerita Supriya Chaudhuri, Professor Amlan Dasgupta, Professor Samantak Das, Professor Paromita Chakravarti, Professor Sibashish Chatterjee, and Professor Kavita Panjabi. Members of the JU-Sylff Steering Committee attending the meet were Mr. Gour Krishna Pattanayak and Dr. Sanjay Gopal Sarkar, finance officer and joint registrar of Jadavpur University, respectively. The mentors and members of the Steering Committee have been with the Sylff community right from the program’s inception in 2003, when Jadavpur University was awarded a Sylff endowment.

In the august company of the Sylff fraternity, the latest issue of Fellows was introduced by Ms. Suzuki. The eleventh issue of Fellows addresses questions of academics’ role within and outside the walls of academia and their responsibility toward society at large. From this year, the newsletter will feature a guest editor from among graduated fellows, so as to increase the space for involvement and exchange.

Fellows’ Presentations and Group Discussion

Events were set in motion by Professor Roy, JU-Sylff project director. With Professor Chaudhuri chairing the opening session, fellows made brief presentations about their work; they had encapsulated their work in one slide each. With the same passion that had driven the fellows during their research under Sylff—and stayed with them afterward—they spoke about their work: their goals, their challenges, and their successes. They were also encouraged to think beyond their completed projects and speak to the assembled gathering about their dreams. What more did they want to do, not just individually but through teamwork?

On the one hand, the fellows spoke about the benefits that the Sylff program at Jadavpur University had offered them: through Monday meetings, progress report workshops, and the lecture series, it helped them structure their research and think beyond their own disciplines, indeed beyond the walls of academia. Many of the JU-Sylff fellows have incorporated into their work a strong sense of activism, as they try to make a positive impact on the society of which they are a part. This has happened at both the macro and micro levels, but it becomes evident from each fellow’s career that their leadership skills are growing from strength to strength.

As the discussion gathered momentum, new ideas and areas of common interest emerged. Among such areas are women’s rights and gender studies; studies of marginalized castes and communities; urban studies; sports; documentation and archive building; and the performing arts. The fellows decided that the best way to map these idea clusters was to put them in visual form. This was achieved by writing down ideas on sticky notes and arranging them on a whiteboard. What it reflected was how, by putting the individual voices together, a holistic idea of social development automatically emerged. The next step, naturally, was how to put these into action.

Capacity Building

The dialogue on capacity building, which was one of the initial goals of LANS Meet 2018, began. In keeping with the theme of the latest issue of Fellows, the discussion evolved around the ways in which the research that is conducted under the Sylff program could be disseminated in an efficient way so as to positively impact society at large. It was suggested that the JU-Sylff Association should focus on outreach. A number of ideas were put forth: along with the existing lecture series, a new Capacity Building Workshop Series was proposed, where Sylff fellows and mentors could offer workshops for the Jadavpur University student community on various skill sets, such as text editing, the ethics of fieldwork, and the use of archives. Potential plans for JU-Sylff LANS Meet 2019 were discussed in the hope that LANS will become an annual event in the JU-Sylff Association’s calendar.

Sylff fellows who are currently based in semi- or nonurban institutions suggested that the association could take upon itself a project to introduce students attending college in such areas to the idea of higher education and research as a viable career path. All fellows agreed that such dialogues are essential and should be the responsibility of fellows who are associated with a platform like Sylff.

Fellows who have worked with marginalized groups or with human subjects in the hope of finding solutions to the problems they face in society proposed that for the next LANS Meet (2019), a dialogue could be set up between other Sylff fellows and mentors and the individuals with whom they have interacted during the course of their research. This would not only allow researchers under the Sylff program to gain invaluable insights into the work done by their peers; it would also help give back to these communities some part of the knowledge generated through the addition of interpretive value by the researcher they have worked with.

Sylff Support Programs

Ms. Suzuki offered clarity in her description of the existing and new Sylff support programs, encouraging the JU-Sylff fellows to think big and plan ahead before applying for them. Fellows whose applications have been successful and those whose applications have not discussed how to write such proposals. Rimple Mehta spoke at length about her process. Sreerupa Sengupta remarked that what she found most valuable during the application process was that at each stage the reviewers at Sylff pushed her to think harder about the practicalities of her plan, while answering questions and informing her where her application could be improved. The Sylff Project Grant was mentioned, and ideas were exchanged about possible projects that might be supported by it.

Evening Gathering

Informal evening session.

Ms. Suzuki, Professor Roy, and the Sylff fellows made their way to the Global Change Program office on campus, where an informal cultural program took place. Fellows were able to showcase their extracurricular talents, as they conducted theater workshops, sang, and played music for everyone’s enjoyment.

The first day’s events ended on a note of great optimism. The fellows were energized, having connected with former peers and met new friends.

DAY TWO: SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAM

Visit to Premananda Memorial Leprosy Hospital

Serving lunch to the resident patients.

As part of the JU-Sylff Association’s Social Action Program, current fellows visit Premananda Memorial Leprosy Hospital each year. While this is always a fulfilling experience for the fellows and for the resident patients at the hospital, this year was exceptional. Unlike other years, the association linked the Social Action Program with the LANS Meet. This meant that graduated fellows, who had organized and visited the hospital during their time under Sylff, were able to revisit in a large group. Adding to that, we were honored to have with us Ms. Suzuki. Shounak Adhikari (MA, 2017) coordinated this year’s Social Action Program. Graduated and current fellows came forward enthusiastically to make this event a success.

The association bus reached the hospital at 11 am. After an opening address by Ms. Suzuki, Dr. Helen Roberts, who is superintendent of the hospital, gave a presentation on various aspects of leprosy and the activities of the Leprosy Mission Trust of India (TLMTI), whose history goes back 143 years. She informed us about how leprosy-affected people used to gather in the graveyard that now belongs to the hospital and, watching them in pain, Reverend Premananda Sen of the Oxford Mission started a dispensary for them. This eventually turned into a hospital.

Dr. Roberts spoke about recent advances in leprosy treatment and the ways in which the disease spreads. Twice a year healthcare workers go from house to house on behalf of the Leprosy Mission Trust to find persons showing symptoms of leprosy, and due to this initiative 30 percent more cases have been detected in the last two years compared to previous years. The hospital has started producing custom-made shoes for leprosy patients, which are now also delivered to other hospitals throughout the state. After the presentation, Ms. Roberts interacted with the fellows and answered their questions.  

With the contributions from the JU-Sylff fraternity, the fellows planned different aspects of the visit, including offering medical supplies to augment the hospital’s stock, presenting gifts (such as board games) to the patients, and decorating the hospital wards using stickers. A special lunch was also arranged for the patients.

Upon arriving, the fellows distributed the gifts and handed the medical supplies to the hospital. A popular film, Tiger Zinda Hai, was screened. The film is chosen every year based on the preferences expressed by the patients. It is usually a popular Bollywood film that makes a positive impact on the morale of the residents. During an intermission, the special lunch was served by the fellows. The hospital staff took the fellows to the factory where the special shoes are made and demonstrated their craft.

Graduated fellows decorating the hospital walls.

While the patients were watching the movie, the fellows went to the wards and decorated the walls with floral stickers. All the participants, including Ms. Suzuki, joined in the decoration. When the patients came for lunch, they were delighted to find the decorations. All the fellows personally interacted and spoke with every patient. Some patients returned to watch the movie after lunch, while others stayed in their wards for routine checkup and physiotherapy. Meanwhile staff members, doctors, and Sylff fellows had their lunch together.

After the day’s proceedings, the team departed from the hospital, looking forward to the next visit to Premananda Memorial Leprosy Hospital and hoping that, in the following years, the event will be as much a success as it was during LANS Meet 2018.

LOOKING AHEAD

Group photograph of LANS Meet participants.

It came as a happy, although not unexpected, surprise that fellows began writing their ideas for next year’s LANS Meet shortly after the inaugural gathering on April 21 and 22, 2018. The JU-Sylff Association has created a space where such ideas are to be stored for future reference, so that the planning for the next proposed LANS Meet can accommodate an even richer array of ideas.

After the success of the first LANS Meet at Jadavpur University, we feel that in subsequent such gatherings more ambitious plans may be brought to bear fruit, as we hope to involve not only a greater number of JU-Sylff fellows but also others who are involved with the research that is being conducted under the program at Jadavpur University and to take the mission of Sylff beyond the walls of the university, and indeed of academia, to ensure a sustainable future for society at large.

In this article, written by the executive director of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research when the sixth Voices booklet was published, reaffirms the Sylff program’s founding vision and urges all to become active members of the Sylff community.

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This special issue of Voices from the Sylff Community (volume 6) highlights the many new initiatives that have been launched to commemorate Sylff’s thirtieth anniversary in 2017. Having been closely involved in the program since its very inception, I am happy to see how Sylff has grown into an important fellowship program that has helped nurture leaders around the world.

Some of the most prestigious international fellowships three decades ago—such as the Fulbright and Rhodes Scholarships—were national-scale programs that offered outstanding foreign students an opportunity to spend time in the country of the fellowship provider and gain a deeper appreciation of the country’s customs and values.

The guiding principles behind the launch of the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund were similarly centered on supporting the development of future leaders. But rather than focusing on Japan—the country of the donor—Sylff sought to cultivate respect for diversity. Mr. Ryoichi Sasakawa, the late founder of the Nippon Foundation, was keen on nurturing leaders who would work for the common good of all humankind, transcending differences in religion, culture, ethnicity, political systems, and levels of economic development. So Sylff endowments were donated to universities marked by dynamic growth and a diverse, open-minded student body, regardless of the institution’s country, size, or history. Sylff administrators were asked to select fellows not according to a uniform, global standard but on the basis who, in their minds, were most likely to bridge narrow differences and make a positive contribution to their respective communities, regions, and countries.  

Nippon Foundation founder Ryoichi Sasakawa, right, with Sylff fellows at Leipzig University in May 1992.

The first institution to receive a Sylff endowment of US$1 million was the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Today, 69 institutions in 44 countries have become members of the Sylff community, providing fellowships with income generated from investing their respective Sylff funds. The amount generated by investing $1 million may have been sizable 30 years ago, especially for developing countries, but as living standards rose with the growth of their economies, the fellowship amount, regrettably, is no longer regarded as being particularly generous. Some universities have been able to overcome this problem by skillfully retaining and reinvesting their Sylff income to expand their capital more than eightfold; they are now able to disburse hundreds of thousands of dollars in Sylff fellowships each year.

The difficulty of generating sufficient investment income has been compounded by the Lehman crisis and the low interest rates that have prevailed since then. As a result, the amount provided as fellowships has dropped markedly at around half of all Sylff institutions, further eroding Sylff’s competitiveness. To break this vicious cycle, the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research (known as the Tokyo Foundation before spring 2018) has—in consultation and partnership with the Nippon Foundation—devised a means of disbursing a guaranteed amount each year to students at Sylff universities. Under this “new financial scheme,” the Sylff funds of participating institutions will be pooled and invested by the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, and fellowships will be provided directly to graduate students nominated by the steering committees.

When we surveyed the many fellowships available three decades ago, we found that while many government and corporate scholarships existed to support students in the natural sciences, few offered funding for students in the humanities and social sciences. This was another factor behind the decision to direct Sylff fellowships to graduate students in these fields, especially those undertaking research from an international, interdisciplinary perspective.

What qualities do we seek in a Sylff fellow? There is no single answer to this question, as the type of leader society needs will invariably change with the times. While academic excellence is an important asset, it alone is no guarantee of leadership potential. What we look for is an ability to navigate the increasingly complex and interconnected problems confronting modern society; to understand and respect differences in culture and values; and to work for the common good of humankind. We want each of the 69 Sylff institutions in 44 countries to identify future leaders best suited to addressing the issues faces by their respective communities and regions. We have, accordingly, asked some universities to adjust their selection policies in line with this basic aim. Sylff is not a needs-based scholarship, nor should it be turned into a tool to advance government policy. I hope that administrators will keep in mind Mr. Sasakawa’s vision of nurturing leaders who will bridge differences and bring the world closer together as one family.

Sylff and NF-JLEP Association members at the April 2018 gathering in Tokyo to commemorate the launch of the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research.

The Sylff Association was launched in August 2017 in commemoration of Sylff’s thirtieth anniversary. Its members include the over 16,000 current and graduated fellows, the steering committee members at all 69 Sylff institutions, and the staff members of the Nippon Foundation (donor) and the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research (secretariat). The Association creates a single identify for all Sylff stakeholders, and I hope that we will forge even closer ties in the years ahead.  

Being chosen a Sylff fellow therefore automatically confers membership in the Association and eligibility to apply for the many support programs the Association offers. The secretariat is now busy developing additional programs and inviting applications. I hope everyone will become an active member of our Association, and by this I mean not just as a recipient of support but—in keeping with Sylff’s founding vision—also by offering to support others, either financially or in the area of their expertise.

I hope we can grow into a more closely knit Sylff community, sharing our knowledge and skills to build a world marked not by division but by understanding. I look forward to hearing about your research and social engagement activities through our online communication tools, as well as in person whenever you are in Tokyo, so that we can work together to make the Sylff Association a truly valuable network of socially engaged leaders.